John & Mary Louise Riley Bodega Marine Laboratory Seminar Series:
Dr. Tiara Moore: "Environmental DNA & Biodiversity Assessments:
Small Tools with Big Impacts"
About the Speaker:
Originally from Greenwood, South Carolina, Dr. Tiara Moore completed her
B.S. in Biology in 2011 at Winthrop University in Rock Hill, South
Carolina, where she developed an interest in marine science during a
research trip in Costa Rica. She received her M.S. in Biology with a
concentration in Environmental Science in 2013 from Hampton University
in Hampton, Virginia, where she conducted research on the water quality
of the Chesapeake Bay linking sediment oxygen demand and nutrient
cycling to the eutrophication of the Bay.
After completing her M.S., she spent 2 months in Bali, Indonesia
identifying the diversity and abundance of meiofauna in marine sediments
across the coral triangle. Dr. Moore earned her PhD in Biology from
UCLA, where she conducted research in Mo’orea, French Polynesia,
Carpinteria Salt Marsh, and Upper Newport Bay. In Mo’orea, she observed
the effects sedimentation and nutrient pollution have on the
proliferation of coral reef macroalgae. In Carpinteria and Newport, she
explored the effects of macroalgal decomposition on sediment
biogeochemistry and the microbial community using environmental DNA
(eDNA) to assess the biodiversity of entire ecosystems with only a soil
sample. Dr. Moore is currently a postdoctoral scholar at the University
of Washington and The Nature Conservancy using soil eDNA to develop a
biodiversity census of Ellsworth Forest to compare species diversity
across management treatments over the past 10 years.
Inside and outside of the lab, Dr. Moore hopes her research in
biodiversity will translate to increasing the overall diversity in
science. She dedicates her time to mentoring minority women in the lab
and in afterschool programs. Founder of A WOC SPACE and Black In Marine
Science, Dr. Moore aspires to make a safe and inclusive workplace for
all Black people and women of color (WOC) through WOCShops, individual
personal trainings and community outreach. To round things off Dr. Moore
combines her experiences as a WOC Scientist with her upbeat personality
in her Academic Standup Shows, both communicating science and the
struggles of being a minority in STEM.
For more information about the Bodega Marine Laboratory, please visit
http://marinescience.ucdavis.edu