Naomi

I am a first year master's student of Biological Sciences at California State University, Chico. I have always had an interest in the natural environment, with a specific enthusiasm for plants, bugs, and their interconnectedness. I received my bachelor's degree in Biological Sciences: Ecological, Evolutionary, and Organismal Biology at Chico State in spring of 2024, where I was able to gain experience working with plant specimens in the Ahart Herbarium and practice entomological curation for The Chico State Entomology Collection. In my final semester of undergrad, I was able to prepare both an entomology and botanical collection, inspiring two-thirds of what would become my graduate thesis project.

While pursuing my undergraduate degree, I had the privilege of volunteering at our local wildlife and research reserve, the Big Chico Creek Ecological Reserve (BCCER). It is there I was able to hone my field research abilities while learning about land management practices following environmental disturbance and combatting anthropogenic climate change on a local scale.

Shortly after my graduation from Chico State, the 2024 Park Fire burned through the BCCER and much of the surrounding area, causing surmountable damage. This unfortunate disaster provided the last piece of my thesis project that seeks to explore the relationship between the succession of plants and moths post-fire.

October 2025