Michelle Gaynor

Michelle Gaynor

Cohort

2016-2017

Biography

Michelle Gaynor is majoring in biology at the University of Central Florida, with a particular interest in plant biology. She is involved in a research project under the mentorship of Dr. Eric Hoffman and Dr. Linda Walters. The project evaluates the impact of current restoration efforts on genetic diversity of smooth cordgrass, Spartina alterniflora, used for shoreline stabilization, within the Indian River Lagoon (IRL), Florida. As a member of the Student Undergraduate Research Council and the GEMS (Girls EXCELing in Math and Science), Gaynor is dedicated to increasing female presence in the sciences and overall helping students engage in undergraduate research. She will pursue a graduate degree to continue addressing research questions. Gaynor hopes to have a career in academia and mentor the next generation of scientist.

Faculty Mentor

Eric Hoffman, Ph.D. and Linda Walters, Ph.D.

Undergraduate Major

Biology

Summer Research

This past summer, Michelle participated in a NSF funded-REU at the University of Colorado Boulder (Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology) in the Smith Lab under the guidance of Drs. Julienne Ng and Robert Laport. Her REU project investigated the influence of genome duplication on community structure of Brassicaceae and Rosaceae species across the United States.

Disciplines

Biology | Plant Sciences

Michelle Gaynor


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