Contributing Authors – Biodiversity Blogs

Jonathan Spoelhof is a Biology PhD student in the Soltis Lab at the Florida Museum of Natural History. His research will utilize big data to explore the relationship between polyploidy and niche adaptation in plants on a global scale. This project will test common assumptions and polyploidy in plants while generating new hypotheses and resources for future research.

Hannah Klatzkow was an undergraduate student in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, graduating with her Bachelors of Science in Biological Studies in May 2017.  She plans on applying to Physician Assistant programs across the country, with the ultimate goal to work in rural primary care. During her undergraduate experience, Hannah obtained broad experiences with research, clinical volunteering, numerous leadership opportunities, and her work as an emergency medical scribe. Though much of her focus was on healthcare, she additionally discovered strong interests in botany and biodiversity issues throughout her final undergraduate year, prompting her writing contributions. She looks forward to gaining more knowledge and expanding her experiences with these topics in the coming years. 

Musa Jundi is a Biology student at the University of Florida. His current research focuses on comparative metagenomic analysis, and the identification of variants within metagenomic data. His previous research includes studying dietary treatments of high-grade glioblastoma, and studying gopher tortoises in Central Florida by tracking population count and tortoise activity throughout a year. While his research has not focused entirely on conservation, biodiversity is a subject of interest, and he hopes to contribute in the future by developing better computational methods for guiding conservation efforts.