BioGEM Scholars 2025–2026
Brynn Cruce
Brynn Cruce earned their Bachelor of Science in Biochemistry from the University of Kansas with departmental honors in May, 2025. As an NSF RaMP post-baccalaureate scholar, they are mentored by Dr. Jennifer Johnson in the Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology. Their project studies how differences in the kinetics and biochemical regulation of photoprotective mechanisms in prairie plants influence ecosystem-level photosynthetic output under realistic light and temperature fluctuations. This research bridges leaf-level physiology, community scale productivity, and predictive modelling across seasonal behavior.
Emma Frederiksen
Originally from Michigan, Emma Frederiksen earned her bachelor’s degree in Biology from Kalamazoo College. She is mentored by Dr. Kristen Baum, Professor of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology and director of Monarch Watch. Emma’s research focuses on the impacts of light pollution on monarch butterfly development and migration and its subsequent conservation implications.
Owen Laser
Isabella Manning
Isabella Manning earned her bachelor’s degree in Ecology and Evolutionary Biology from the University of Colorado, Boulder. She is a member of Victor Gonzalez’s bee biodiversity lab. Isabella is interested in how wild bees are responding to environmental changes, including increases in extreme heat and drought. She is currently investigating how bee body size is linked to thermal tolerance using a novel approach of photogrammetry and 3D modeling.
Morgan Mathison
Morgan Mathison earned their bachelor’s degree in Plant Science from the University of Missouri. She is mentored by Dr. Brian Atkinson, Paleobotany Curator-in-Charge at the KU Biodiversity Institute. Morgan’s research focuses on using plant fossil specimens to understand angiosperm morphology, evolution, and diversification. Currently, they are describing Late Cretaceous fossil fruits from Antarctica that are in the Cornales order (dogwoods and hydrangeas) and integrating them into the order’s phylogeny.
Jasmine Newton
Jasmine Newton is a member of the Oglala Sioux tribe and earned her bachelor's degree in environmental science from Haskell Indian Nations University. She is co-mentored by Dr. A. Townsend Peterson (ornithology) and Dr. Jocelyn Colella (mammalogy) at the University of Kansas Biodiversity Institute. Jasmine’s current research focuses on analyzing acoustic birdsong (ARU) data from Cheyenne County as part of the Charles Bunker Resurvey Project to assess over a century of biodiversity change.
Frances Szaraz
Frances earned her bachelor’s degree in Anthropology at Kenyon College in Ohio. As a BioGEM scholar, she is co-advised by Asst. Curator of Paleobotany and Asst. Professor of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology Kelly Matsunaga and Professor of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology Lena Hileman. Frances’ research explores the evolution and mRNA expression patterns of leaf polarity genes in the conifer Picea abies.
Faben Tesfazion
Faben Tesfazion [pronounce: FAY-behn tes-FAH-tsee-YOHN] earned her Bachelor’s of Arts in Organismal Biology at Scripps College (the liberal arts college in Claremont, not the Scripps Institution of Oceanography at UCSD). As a BioGEM 25-26 Scholar, Faben is currently conducting research under KUNHM Herpetology Collections Manager Dr. Ana Motta and PhD candidate Kier Pitogo studying how geologically complex island systems promote genetic diversity in amphibian populations. After completing her postbac training, Faben plans to enter a research master's program that combines her interest in herpetology (the study of reptiles and amphibians) with her interest in EEOB topics.
Lukas Westermann Salas
Originally from Colombia & Denmark, Lukas first moved to The United States in 2018 to live in Maryland. They earned their bachelor's degree in biological science with a specialization in ecology and evolution at the University of Maryland in College Park. Currently, Lukas works at the University of Kansas’ Natural History Museum in the ornithology department with Dr. Robert Moyle. At the museum he uses genomic methods to study the diversification and phylogenetic relationships in two bird groups: The Chestnut-bellied Monarch endemic to the Solomon Islands, and the Black-and-white Mannikin distributed in sub-Saharan Africa. Lukas plans to pursue a Ph.D. in ecology and evolutionary biology focusing on identifying drivers of speciation, how they interact, and how they differ across taxa.
Malik Zaidi Pons
Malik A. Zaidi Pons earned his bachelor's degree in Biomedical Science from the Pontifical Catholic University of Puerto Rico in Ponce (PUCPR). He is currently mentored by Dr. Benjamin Sikes, Senior Scientist of Microbial Ecology at the Kansas Biological Survey & Center for Ecological Research (KBS) and Professor in the Ecology and Evolutionary Biology Department. Malik’s BioGEM research focus investigates dormancy in arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF), with particular emphasis on the role of melanin-associated transcriptional response and their influence on spore viability and trade-offs under multiple stress conditions.