Yazmin Rivera

yarivera@syr.edu

Advisor: Dr. Annette Kretzer and Dr. Tom Horton

I started my doctoral degree in the Environmental and Forest Biology Department at SUNY-ESF during the fall 2007. Since the beginning of my degree I have been working as a National Science Foundation Graduate Fellow (GK12) at local high schools in Central New York.

I am interested in forest fragmentation/disturbance and how this affects population structure and genetic diversity of organisms, specifically fungi. Currently I am studying the changes in genetic structure of an introduced mycorrhizal species in Puerto Rico, and its association with introduced species of pines. I am also studying the genetic structure of the ectomycorrhizal fungus Suillus pictus in the Adirondacks using microsatellite markers.

In my free time, I enjoy hiking, playing tennis and dancing!