2026 UC Nature Symposium

9–9:15 am

Welcome

Kathy Yelick, Vice Chancellor for Research, UC Berkeley
Janet Reilly, Chair, UC Board of Regents

9:15–9:35 am

Introducing UC Nature

Steve Monfort, Executive Director, UC Nature

9:35–10:30 am

UC Nature is a key partner to the state in advancing solutions to the climate and biodiversity crises

Moderator
Wade Crowfoot, Secretary of Natural Resources, State of California

Panelists
Michael Mantell, Co-chair, Wild America Fund
Jennifer Norris, Executive Director, Wildlife Conservation Board
Caryl Hart, Vice Chair, California Coastal Commission
Theresa Maldonado, Vice President of Research and Innovation, University of California

10:30–10:45 am

MIDMORNING BREAK

10:45–11:30 am

Training tomorrow’s environmental leaders: UC Nature educates a diverse conservation workforce

Presenter and Moderator

Roxanne Beltran, UC Santa Cruz Assistant Professor of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology

Introduced by
Daniel Costa, UC Santa Cruz Distinguished Professor of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology

Panelists
Sam Sambado, postdoctoral fellow, Stanford University
Ishana Shukla, PhD candidate, UC Davis

11:30–noon

Sentinel Sites for Nature

Gary Bucciarelli, Chair, California Sentinel Sites for Nature; Director, Lassen Field Station

Introduced by
Whitney Albright, Co-Chair, California Sentinel Sites for Nature; Climate Change Specialist, California Department of Fish and Wildlife

noon–1:30 pm

Lunch + UC Nature Expo

Enjoy a buffet lunch; meet and greet reserve staff as well as student participants and alumni of UC Nature programs.
Buffet lines: Cafe and Room I, lower level
UC Nature Expo: Hallways, lower level

1:30–2:00 pm

History of the Natural Reserve System: How the the network is uniquely suited to answering questions about nature

Mary Power, UC Berkeley Professor Emerita of Integrative Biology

Introduced by
Neetha Iyer, Associate Director, UC Berkeley Natural Reserves

2:00–2:45 pm

Community partnerships: UC Nature extends education and research resources to underserved portions of California

Presenter and Moderator
Carol Blanchette, Director, Sierra Nevada Aquatic Research Laboratory

Panelists
Benjamin Becker, Science Advisor, National Park Service
Travis Huxman, UC Irvine Professor of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology
Bree Lindsey, Executive Director, Adventure Risk Challenge

2:45–3:00 pm

MIDAFTERNOON BREAK

3:00–3:50 pm

Lightning Talks
Mathias Graduate Student Research Grant Fellows

Peter Coggan, UC Davis
Uncovering aerial insect migration patterns above California

Zoe Wood, UC Davis
Functional trait-mediated ecological interactions on an alpine sticky plant (Hulsea algida)

Lydia Dean, UC Irvine
From herbivore damage to bird predation: Testing a volatile-mediated indirect defense pathway in Coastal Sage Scrub plants

Jennifer Schlauch, UC Irvine
Native bees forage extensively on nonnative plants in fragmented wetlands

Anna Ongjoco, UC Los Angeles
Uncovering water and carbon strategies of three oaks in southern California using field-based methods and hyperspectral remote sensing

Sierra Glassman, UC Los Angeles
Does urban living impact plumage color and dichromatism in Dark-eyed Juncos?

George Vetushko, UC Los Angeles
Underrecognized drivers for the anaerobic oxidation of methane in a Southern Californian coastal wetland

Feedback Panelists
Peggy Fiedler, Executive Director Emerita, UC Natural Reserve System
Roger Samuelsen, Director Emeritus, UC Natural Reserve System

3:50–4:00 pm

Closing remarks

Paul Fine, UC Berkeley Professor of Integrative Biology; Faculty Director, UC Berkeley Natural Reserve System
Kailen Mooney, UC Irvine Professor of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology; Chair, UC Nature Universitywide Advisory Committee

4:00–5:30

RECEPTION

Upper level, between Planetarium and outdoor terrace