Board Members
CARYN IWANAGA | PRESIDENT '22-'23
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Hey everyone! I'm Caryn! I am a 3rd year Biology major (and pursuing CS minor). I am currently in the Rafferty Lab studying moth pollinators as they interact with the Boyd Deep Canyon elevational gradient. Along with my obsession with moths, I love to spend my free time doing art and going on adventures with my dog, Lisa. SEEDS has connected me with my lab, research opportunities, fieldwork, and great friends with similar interests! If you are also passionate about nature and conservation, we'd love to meet you and we can nerd out together!
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AMY DO | SECRETARY '22-'23
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Hey! I’m Amy and I’m a 4th-year bioengineering major. I enjoy gymming, watching anime, and playing games. I spend much of my time in the Genomics building as an administrative office assistant and as an undergraduate researcher in Dr. Stajich’s lab. I also served as a BCOE Senator in ASUCR last year. I love learning about fungi, lichens, and am a hobby mushroom grower! SEEDS has given me the opportunity to gain field experience and learn about ecology/plant biology, helping me become a well-rounded scientist. California has beautiful and diverse ecosystems, and SEEDS is a great way to learn about them. I encourage all majors and backgrounds to check out our club!
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ADVYTH RAMACHANDRAN | RESEARCH COORDINATOR '22-'23
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Hi all! I'm Advyth and I am a second-year Biology major. I'm an undergraduate assistant in the Spasojevic Ecology Lab here at UCR. I'm interested in plant ecology, herpetology, climate science, and fire ecology. I'm also a vivarium hobbyist, herper, and an avid gardener in my free time, and I enjoy nature photography as well. I'm very excited to make SEEDS a vibrant and welcoming place for students with shared interests to grow professionally. I'm also excited about our restoration research project, CHRRP, and I hope that our work will inform biodiversity conservation in our amazing Riverside area. Follow me on iNaturalist!
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CAMERON DALEY | OUTREACH COORDINATOR '22-'23
Dr. KURT ANDERSON | FACULTY ADVISOR
General Members
GABRIEL CHAVEZ | MEMBER
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Hi I am Gabriel Chavez, a third-year Biology major at UC Riverside. In my free time, I enjoy taking care of my numerous houseplants and my horsfieldii tortoise Vladamir along with finding new tasty places to eat in Riverside County. I am currently in the Bailey-Serres Group studying Sugar Transporter Proteins in rice plants and investigating their response to environmental stressors like drought and submergence. I am also interested in using molecular techniques to monitor population dynamics and aid conservation efforts for plants and animals. Growing up in Riverside County I have always been curious of the local coastal sage scrub and desert ecosystems and being a member of SEEDS has exposed me to various ecological research methods to study these habitats. Overall, SEEDS has expanded my overall knowledge and love of the natural world.
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TEJAS NAIR | MEMBER
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My name is Tejas (I also go by TJ) and I am a second-year student pursuing a degree in Biology here at UCR. Some fun facts about me are that I have 2 dogs, 6 aquariums, and a strong passion for aquafarming corals. Growing up around aquariums, I have always had a passion for marine ecology and have made it my goal to be closely involved with coral reef conservation efforts. As of right now, I am working on a self-run research project that focuses on coral-algal symbiosis and have made plans to join a similarly-oriented lab on campus when we return. Joining SEEDS has provided me with an amazing opportunity to find a group of like-minded students and a platform to discuss ecology with people who are passionate about understanding the world around us.
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JERRY CHEUNG | MEMBER
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Hello! My name is Jerry Cheung and I'm a 3rd year majoring in Plant Biology. I'm also an undergraduate researcher for the Julia-Bailey Serres lab. In my free time, I love dancing, swimming, or really anything that involves being active. In addition, I love learning French and watching short films. Something I'm really excited about, is that I'm going to spend Fall 2022 researching in France! I was initially a mechanical engineering major and joining SEEDS gave me a network where I could participate in ecological conservation research.
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Alumni
RHEA AMATYA | PRESIDENT '21-'22
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My name is Rhea and I am a fourth year student at UCR majoring in Biology and minoring in Applied Statistics. Some fun facts about me are that I have a dog named Tootsie and 4 parakeets all named after various food such as Tofu and Blue Cheese. I have a whole stack of unfinished books, tv shows, and paintings that I have slowly been completing. During my free time, I tend to paint or draw while listening to music or watching streamers. I am also interested in trying to use plant-pollinator and plant-herbivore networks to push for more conservation efforts. I am currently working remotely on a project to understand how plant-pollinator and plant-herbivore networks are connected under the Rafferty Lab.
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