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Heather Briggs

Ph.D. Student, Environmental Studies
Heather Briggs   Plant Pollinator Interactions, Plant Traits, and Community Ecology

Broadly I am interested in species interactions, pollination network dynamics, evolutionary and community ecology. I seek to address questions about bee ecology, evolution, and behavior by exploring intricacies of pollinator-floral interactions from both insect and plant perspectives. I am very interested in the persistence of pollinator populations, pollinator and plant communities and pollination in the context of global change and strive to apply these broad ecological interests towards conservation goals. I have been investigating a number of these topics within human-altered landscapes Mexico and California. My dissertation work will utilize both empirical and modeling techniques to understand how species losses impact plant function within montane ecosystem (Colorado). more research interests...
Email: hbriggs <at> ucsc.edu      Office: 481 Natural Sciences 2
Snail-mail: Heather Briggs, Environmental Studies, 1156 High St., University of California, Santa Cruz, CA 95064, USA		  

 

Full CV

  


Abbreviated Curriculum Vitae

Heather M. Briggs-Curriculum Vitae

University of California, Santa Cruz
Environmental Studies Department
1156 High St. Santa Cruz, CA 95064
hbriggs@ucsc.edu   831-331-1373

Education
In Progress Ph.D., Student, Environmental Studies, University of California, Santa Cruz, Advisor- Dr. Gregory Gilbert

2009 M.S., Conservation Biology, School of Natural Resources and the Environment, University of Michigan, Advisors: Dr. Ivette Perfecto & Dr. John Vandermeer

2004 B.S., Conservation Biology (Spanish minor), University of Nevada, Reno

Grants and Awards

2008 International Research Award: University of Michigan
2007 Summer Research Fellow: University of Michigan
2007 Rackham Thesis Fellowship: University of Michigan
2007 Exploration Fund Thesis and Dissertation Award

Ecology/Conservation Experience

2009 Pollinator Conservation Intern, Xerces Society
Research and assembly of native plant list for pollinator habitat. Distributed to Cranberry growers in New England.

2005 American Museum of Natural History-Bee Course 2005 participant, 2 week intensive workshop for 15 conservation biologists who want to gain greater knowledge of the systematics and biology of bees

2005 Field Scientist: USDA/Utah State University, Baseline study of bee relationships to rare flora in Yosemite National Park

2004 Assistant Entomologist: Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute Panama City, Panama:Collected data on pollination of native tropical plants by stingless and euglossine bees. Documented euglossine bee communication and foraging behavior. Advised by Dr. David Roubik

2003-2004 Assistant to State Entomologist: Nevada Department of Agriculture, Curator of state insect collection. Monitoring of biocontrol project.

2003-2004 Assistant Entomologist: University of Nevada-Reno
Collected samples in Tahoe Basin for ant biodiversity survey. Formicidae taxonomy and mounting.

Teaching Experience

2007-09 Graduate Student Instructor: Courses Served: General Ecology (Fall 2010) Biology & Human Affairs (Fall 2007and 2008) Animal Physiology Lab (Winter 2007 and 2009) and Genetics (Spring 2009). Designed and led weekly discussions and labs.

2005-2006 Field Science Educator: Headlands Institute Sausalito, California
Lead school groups on trips through National Recreation area. Created lesson plans on local ecology and conservation biology.

Papers and Posters Presented at Professional Meetings

2009 Briggs, H. and I. Perfecto, (oral presentation) Richness, Abundance and Community Composition Of Male Euglossine Bees In Coffee Agroecosystems. Ecological Society of America Annual Meeting. Albuquerque, NM.

2008 Briggs, H., (oral presentation). Native Bees in Agroecosystems. New World Agriculture Meeting, Chiapas, Mexico. (INVITED)

Other Skills
Proficient in Spanish, Studied abroad 1 year, San Sebastian, Spain
Computer skills: R, SPSS, Arcview, ESRI-GIS software, ArcGIS,


   

 

 
Expanded Research Interests.
... still to come