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Tania Siemens

2003 - 2004 CSIP Fellow

Research Interest:
Natural Resources

My research goal is to conserve natural places through studying how invasive plants impact ecosystems. My Masters research at Cornell looks at how an invasive plant affects aquatic invertebrate communities on the Galapagos Islands, Ecuador. Before coming to Cornell I worked as a field biologist, conducting conservation-oriented research that involved assessing the status of endangered amphibian, fish, and plant populations. In addition, my experiences teaching landscape ecology and developing a Geographic Information Systems (GIS) database have inspired me to direct my future research toward exploring ecological processes at the landscape level using remote sensing and GIS tools.

As a CSIP fellow I look forward to working with teachers to create exploration opportunities for students related to the ecology of invasive plants. Invasion ecology encompasses many topics in the natural sciences that would be both interesting to students and meet national and state curriculum standards. I am particularly interested in developing a habitat restoration project in which students can develop questions within the framework of invasion ecology, yet have the opportunity to extend their ideas to the many aspects of ecology, biology, and environmental science. This framework would accommodate student’s varied interests with the added benefit of linking classroom ideas to local environmental issues. I would also like to develop an interactive computer lab where students can use GIS tools to explore questions about ecological processes at the landscape level (a good winter activity). Finally, despite these specific interests, my broad biological background and dedication to education will allow me to help guide student research in most natural science related topics.

 


 

 

 

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