Graduate Student Email: summer.blanco@uga.edu Curriculum Vitae: Blanco_CV_08252023.pdf (163.01 KB) Lab Website: https://www.jlmlab.com https://www.theaccesslab.net Lab: Leebens-Mack Lab | Miller Plant Sciences || Russo-Tait ACCESS Lab | Aderhold Hall Biography Summer is currently a PhD candidate in the Department of Plant Biology, supported by the NSF Graduate Research Fellowship and UGA Presidential fellowship. They are co-advised by Dr. Jim Leebens-Mack and Dr. Tati Russo-Tait. Summer is from Covina, CA, and earned a bachelor’s degree in Biology from California State Polytechnic University, Pomona. During undergrad, Summer was mentored through numerous pipeline programs that aim to increase the representation of underrepresented minorities in STEM (Cal Poly's SEES program, NIH-RISE, CSU-LSAMP, the Leadership Alliance).After undergraduate, Summer was a research technician in the Grotewold Lab at Michigan State University as a part of the Success in Graduate Education (SiGuE) post-baccalaureate research program. You can find Summer around Athens grabbing a morning roll at the local bakery, throwing pottery at the community ceramics studio, or working remotely at one of the many coffee shops in town. Research Research Areas: Evolutionary Biology Biology Education Research Interests: Summer's dissertation projects include... Generating a haplotype-resolved genome assembly and annotation for Geranium maculatum Using targeted bait capture to construct an updated phylogeny for the genus Geranium Assessing the critical consciousness of Latinx girls interested in STEM Grants: 2023 Palfrey Student Research Grant Recipient 2021 NSF GRFP Recipient 2021 UGA Presidential Fellow Selected Publications Selected Publications: Google Scholar Profile Education Education: Admission to the PhD Program in the Plant Biology Department at the University of Georgia, 2021. BS Biology - Botany Option, California State Polytechnic University, Pomona, 2020. Teaching, Outreach, and Professional Interests Teaching, Outreach, and Professional Interests: Throughout my undergraduate and graduate education, I have led and been involved with several organizations and efforts that center students of color in STEM. These include affinity spaces for queer students & students of color in STEM, targeted recruitment efforts, and bioinformatics training! Other Information Other Affiliations: Summer Blanco | Website Summer Blanco | mellamosummer | GitHub
