Team Bio

We aim to understand the phylogenetic relationships of banana slugs through the research mentoring of undergraduates and create the next generation of California naturalists. We are from California private and public colleges, universities, and natural history musuems. We are confident that with a robust dataset we will be able to produce a the first publishable phylogenetic hypothesis of the genus Ariolimax (Banana slugs).

Jann Vendetti

I am an Associate Curator in Malacology (Mollusks) and the Twila Bratcher Chair in Malacological Research at the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County, and an adjunct instructor of biology at Glendale Community College (Glendale, California). My interests are in land snail systematics and their modern and historical biodiversity in Southern California and beyond. I oversee the SLIME (Snails and slugs Living in Metropolitan Environments) project on iNaturalist and use these data to understand ranges of native and introduced species. Along with a staff of collections managers, I oversee the Museum’s malacology collection of nearly 5 million specimens. I am the co-director of the Museum's Urban Nature Research Center, was the PI of an NSF-funded RaMP (Research and Mentoring for Postbaccs), have been an advisor to the Nature Conservancy’s Biodiversity Analysis in Los Angeles (BAILA) project, am a member of the UCLA La Kretz Center Postdoctoral Fellowship Search Committee. I have taught Evolution, Marine Biology, and Intro Biology at Glendale Community College, Cal Poly Pomona, and Cal State Los Angeles. I currently run an internship program jointly between the Natural History Museum of LA County and Glendale Community College. I have a B.A. from Colgate University in Biology and Geology and a Ph.D. in Integrative Biology from the University of California, Berkeley.

Wallace Meyer

Dr. Meyer is the Director of the The Claremont Colleges’ Bernard Biological Field Station, his work is also focused on the preservation and restoration of coastal sage scrub ecosystems. His research explores the fields of conservation biology, invasion biology, biogeography and ecology, including aspects of population, community and ecosystem ecology. Currently, his main research interest is in understanding how and why the species composition of local biotas are changing, and how such changes directly and indirectly affect ecosystem-level processes and properties.

Crow White

Dr. White is a marine ecologist with broad interests in molluks. His research focuses on understanding causes and consequences of spatial and temporal population dynamics of coastal marine species, trophic processes among species in communities and ecosystems, and interactions between marine ecological communities and human users of the ocean, including fisheries, renewable energy and aquaculture industries, and conservationists. .

Anna Goldman

Dr. Goldman is the curator of the Cal State Humboldt wildlife museum. She prepares, catalogs, and maintains bird and mammal specimens and exhibits for classes and research. Areas of research interests include vertebrate and invertebrate ecology, trophic interactions, and using natural history collections to further our understanding of change over time. Ultimately, she considers herself a naturalist and wants to inspire students' curiosity with the natural world. In addition, she is the primary contact person for Humboldt County for the Marine Wildlife Care Center within the Oiled Wildlife Care Network along the California coast. She is broadly interested in the natural history of California, including banana slugs.

Kelly Wood

Professor Wood is an instructor primarily teaching Physiology courses but has also taught Anatomy, Zoology, General Biology, and Bioinformatics. She is also an advisor to a student club called Friends of the Refuge where we actively work on our 928-acre wildlife refuge on projects to identify species, educate the public, and restore the natural campus.