Mel (she/they) is a PhD student at the University of California, Berkeley in the Environmental Science, Policy, and Management. As a member of Dr. Iryna Dronova’s lab, she studies the impacts of carbon sequestration focused wetland restoration on other aspects of the wetland health and function. Using field surveys, drone flights, audio recordings, and satellite imagery, they investigate avian biodiversity, environmental heterogeneity, succession, and productivity in the Sacramento San Joaquin Delta.
Background
I grew up splitting time between coastal New Jersey and Florida. I come from a family of commercial fishermen and curious minds, so I was always interested in understanding my local marine ecosystems. My love for science was reinforced early by my dad, who would take our family fishing and teach us the biology and behavior of everything we caught.
In New Jersey, we spent equal amounts of time at the beach and at our family seafood restaurant. 
I also spent quite a bit of time exploring the New Jersey woods that my cousins lived in.
