Hello! I’m Vicki and I’m a 4th year Ecology and Evolution major. I was born and raised in San Francisco, and have familial roots in El Salvador. This summer I’ve been working with Paige Gardner from the Palkovacs Lab. Her phD research is to see if steelhead trout, a common species of salmon found from Alaska to Southern California, will be able to adapt to the rate of warming waters. As her intern, I have been learning and assisting in electrofishing, critical thermal maximum experiments, fish care and handling, physical habitat analysis, and data collection and analysis. My favorite part has been learning about electrofishing, fish processing, and physical habitat data collection. I’m so grateful for this opportunity to get out in the field and to have learned so many field skills. It has been an amazing field season!
Aside from my academic endeavors, I enjoy going to cafes and trying iced coffees. In addition, I love trying new foods and exploring new places. Some of my hobbies include reading books (both fiction and nonfiction), writing, junk journaling, exploring beaches (or any body of water), sudoku puzzles, playing video games such as Minecraft and Fortnite, and spending time with my family and doggies.