Sarah Stagner (M.S. Student) – I am originally from New Jersey and graduated from the University of Virginia with a BS in Environmental Science and a BA in Environmental Thought and Practice. After graduating from UVA I joined the Peace Corps and spent 2 years in the Philippines teaching science to high school students and working with local community members on a variety of projects.
I am interested in ways we can restore natural systems to make them more resilient to climate change. Specifically, how mechanistic understandings of ecosystem responses to stress conditions can be used to inform on the ground restoration practices. In the Peterson lab, I am planning on looking at the gene expression of eelgrass along a thermal stress gradient to see if there are areas within Great South Bay that are more resilient to thermal stress, and if maternal condition and investment can prime seedling success to future stress conditions.