As a botanist, I teach a variety of interdisciplinary programs focusing on botany, taxonomy and field studies, with an emphasis on non-vascular plants and fungi (including lichens). My research interests include biodiversity and conservation of North American bryophytes and lichens. I love spending time in the lab and field with undergraduate students conducting floristic inventories, integrative taxonomy studies and herbarium-based research. To learn more about my research, please visit the Calabria Research Lab website.
I am also the curator of lichens and bryophytes at Evergreen’s Biodiversity Center. I have a strong record of accomplishment with conducting and publishing conservation research and have led numerous grant-funded projects focused on documenting rare and endemic species in WA, OR and British Columbia. In this work, I collaborate with a network of research scientists from other academic institutions, the private sector and State and Federal Agencies. I am also a current board member for the Northwest Lichenologists (NWL), a non-profit promoting and encouraging professional training and high standards of performance in field lichenology.
Education
Ph.D., Plant Biology, University of Texas at Austin, 2008; B.S., The Evergreen State College, 2002.
Teaching Style
I see my role as a professor not only to educate, inspire and mentor students with my knowledge and experience of science, but also to help them develop the interpersonal skills needed to be successful in any career path. I do this by providing clear learning goals and expectations, engaging in collaborative, hands-on lab and field experiences and project-based learning to help students develop time-management, communication and problem-solving skills.