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Iana Grullón-Penkova
Iana Grullón-Penkova
Active: 2018-2024
Iana is an environmental scientist, who started as project coordinator and then transitioned to project manager in 2022. She was the primary liaison for communications regarding TRACE, developed must of the outreach program of the project, and worked on minirhizotron image analysis. 
IMG_6750.JPG
Isabel is a plant ecologist with expertise in tropical plant diversity and distribution, and was our project manager.  She worked on collecting and processing soil respiration data to improve our understanding of the system. 
Megan Berberich
Megan Berberich
USDA Forest Service, International Institute of Tropical Forestry
Active: 2018 to 2023
Megan was our project manager during the third stage of the project. She worked with the Principal Investigators on many of the adaptations of the project following Hurricanes Irma and María.  
She was also  the project's Data Manager from 2021-2023, being responsible for the project's data publications. She organized and performed quality control tests on our largest datasets to ensure high-quality data is available for our project and the general community. 
Aura
Aura M. Alonso-Rodríguez
USDA Forest Service, International Institute of Tropical Forestry
Active: 2014 to 2018
Aura was our project manager since the construction of the experiment started in 2014. She helped build the experiment from the ground up and establish the research program that we have today.  
Aura is currently doing her PhD  at The University of Vermont.
IMG_6818.jpg
William F. Mejía-García
USDA Forest Service, International Institute of Tropical Forestry 
Active: 2018- 2023
William was our General Field Technician, responsible for routine sample collection, field measurements, site inspections; sample processing, and data organization.  He also assisted the project manager with day-to-day equipment maintenance and database organization.  
Willliam is currently doing his Master's at University of New Mexico. 
IMG-4165.jpg
Alberto Pastor Ibáñez 
USDA Forest Service, International Institute of Tropical Forestry 
Active: 2022-2023
Alberto is responsible for the day-to-day operations instrument maintenance, and
data collection and organization for TRACE.
IMG_2553[1].JPG
Nicole A. Gutiérrez Ramos 
USDA Forest Service, International Institute of Tropical Forestry
Active: 2019-2022
Nicole was our plant physiology technician, specifically she collected foliar photosynthesis and respiration as well as root respiration data. She also assisted the project manager with day-to-day maintenance of instruments and database administration, did sample collections and measurements, and data analysis to ensure quality control of ongoing research. 
Alumni_graduatestudents
Graduate Students
UNADJUSTEDNONRAW_thumb_2833.jpg
Robert Tunison
Michigan Technological University - Houghton 
Graduated: 2023
Rob’s research  focused on studying understory plant foliar and root physiological acclimation responses to disturbance under experimentally warmed conditions. 
Elif Kardas_photo.jpg
Elif Kardas
University of Puerto Rico - Río Piedras
Using a combination of field and lab experiments (metagenomics and GC-MS), Elif was studying the effects of warming on nectar microbiota and biochemistry, as well as the subsequent changes in plant-pollinator mutualism. 
Do to plant germination and flowering setbacks, Elif had to change the scope of her research. 
Stephanie Roe
University of Virginia - Charlottesville 

Graduated: 2021
Stephanie’s research investigated climate responses in tropical forests and soil processes, and their aggregate effect on the Earth’s carbon cycle.
Daniela Yaffar
The University of Tennessee - Knoxville
Graduated: 2020
Daniela's research focused on fine root distribution, productivity and turnover in normal conditions and in response to experimental warming.
Kelsey Carter
Michigan Technological University - Houghton 
Graduated: 2020
Kelsey's research concentrates on studying the physiological acclimation potential of both mature canopy foliage and understory tree seedlings in response to experimental warming.
Alida Mau
Michigan Technological University 
Graduated: 2018
Alida finished her masters on how photosynthesis in canopy leaves responds to temperature variations.
Scientific Collaborators
Alumni_scientificcollabs
Eoin L. Brodie
Lawrence Berkley National Laboratory
Eoin Brodie is a microbiologist/biogeochemist with expertise in soils and subsurfaces systems and plant-microbial interactions. Within TRACE, he led efforts to uncover the mechanisms and consequences of changes in microbial ecophysiology in response to warming.
Colorado Mesa University
Deborah Kennard is a Forest Ecologist and professor at Colorado Mesa University. In 2015 she did a 6 month sabbatical with TRACE. Deborah is collaborating with Dr. Joanne Sharpe to lead a study on the effects of warming on the fern and herbacious plant communities. 
Transcend Engineering
Stephen Farrington is an engineer that collaborated on the TRACE project. He installed prototype PRISMS (Profile Resolving In Situ Soil Moisture Sensor) probes in the TRACE plots that collected spatially continuous moisture data from the surface to a meter below ground. 
USDA Forest Service
Jean Lodge is a botanist who specializes in fungal diversity. Her work in the TRACE plots involved investigating the effects of basidiomycete fungi on leaf decomposition. 
Bruce A. Kimball
Greenleaf Group & USDA Arid-Land Agricultural Research Center
Bruce is a soil scientist and our expert on infra-red warming experiments. He designed the TRACE warming infrastructure and the main datalogger control programs.
Oak Ridge National Laboratory
Jeffrey Warren is a plant ecophysiologist who investigated the effects of environmental change on sap flow and stem growth in adult trees with different wood densities in the Luquillo Experimental Forest. 
Ariel E. Lugo
USDA Forest Service, International Institute of Tropical Forestry
Five years ago Ariel Lugo organized a workshop to discuss ideas for a large-scale climate change experiment in Puerto Rico.  It was this seminar workshop that set TRACE in motion! Ariel continues to lend his research experience to the project and was collaborating with us on improving tropical forest representation in Earth System Models.
Interns
Alumni_interns
2016 
Brian Yudkin & Bella Reyes
Jamarys Torres & Talia Anderson
2017
Mónica Cruz
Tessaliz Quiles
Kurt Miller
Gisela González
2018
Nate Stenson
Héctor Marín
Aral
Aral Greene
Anna Nordseth
Taylor
Taylor Saunders
Helena
Helena Kleiner
Virginia
Virginia-Rose Seagal
Kyle Zollo
Emily
Emily Ramirez
Gilmarie
Gilmarie Rivera
Rosanise
Rosanise Odell
Esther Williams
Jacob
Jacob Luna
Carolina
Carolina May
2019
Veronica
Veronica Lourich
Megan
Megan Muller-Girard
Kevin
Kevin Santiago Escaso
Pedro
Pedro León
William
William Mejía
2020
aa643394-2f64-4ad5-a037-3b104f3f4d40.JPG
Wendy Colón
4eaa6943-d424-48f5-8ff3-9a7eaa8df02d.JPG
María Ferrer
2021
Andrea Padilla Guerrero
Andrea Padilla Guerrero
Carmel Dill Cruz
Carmel Dill Cruz
2022
20B3AC2B-C0D1-4A05-9A09-351EC547D04B.JPG
Deyaneira Ortiz Iglesias
2023
DSC_4422.JPG
Katherine Pagán
DSC_4394.JPG
Laura Rubio Lebrón 
DSC_4422.JPG
Katherine Pagán
DSC_4394.JPG
Laura Rubio Lebrón 
Research assistants and undergraduate students
Alumni_assistants
Terry Torres
Mike Schmid
Kaylie Butts
GraceAnna Schilz
Elsa Schwartz
Marissa Palmer
Ben Miller
Tanner Stiker
Madeline Reinsel
Volunteers
Alumni_volunteers
Benjamin Branoss
Eddie Campell
Marguerite Kinsella
Josh Brown, Angie Shaffer & Michael Peyton
Left to right: Yianna Bekris, Brian Smith & Libby Sternhagen
Alyssa Umberger & Ryan McDonald
William & Julymar
William Hernandez & Julymar Rodríguez
Benjamin Branoss
Carl Carter
Mandee Kuhn
Casey Hughes
Casey Hughes
Juan & Kiara
Juan Morales & Kiara Rodríguez
Eddie Campell
Sean Reynolds
Sara Carabajal
Michael Mahr & Spencer Stout
Tomás Furi
Nikki Niewold
Nikki Niewold
Mary Nordseth
Mary Nordseth
Anna Wilson
Anna Wilson
Ninoshhka, Yadira, Gabriela, Gilmarie
Ninoshka Irizarry, Yadira Gutiérrez, Gabriela Cardona & Gilmarie Rivera
Marguerite Kinsella
IMG_6750.JPG
Isabel is a plant ecologist with expertise in tropical plant diversity and distribution, and was our project manager.  She worked on collecting and processing soil respiration data to improve our understanding of the system. 
Megan Berberich
Megan Berberich
USDA Forest Service, International Institute of Tropical Forestry
Active: 2018 to 2023
Megan was our project manager during the third stage of the project. She worked with the Principal Investigators on many of the adaptations of the project following Hurricanes Irma and María.  
She was also  the project's Data Manager from 2021-2023, being responsible for the project's data publications. She organized and performed quality control tests on our largest datasets to ensure high-quality data is available for our project and the general community. 
Aura
Aura M. Alonso-Rodríguez
USDA Forest Service, International Institute of Tropical Forestry
Active: 2014 to 2018
Aura was our project manager since the construction of the experiment started in 2014. She helped build the experiment from the ground up and establish the research program that we have today.  
Aura is currently doing her PhD  at The University of Vermont.
IMG_6818.jpg
William F. Mejía-García
USDA Forest Service, International Institute of Tropical Forestry 
Active: 2018- 2023
William was our General Field Technician, responsible for routine sample collection, field measurements, site inspections; sample processing, and data organization.  He also assisted the project manager with day-to-day equipment maintenance and database organization.  
Willliam is currently doing his Master's at University of New Mexico. 
IMG-4165.jpg
Alberto Pastor Ibáñez 
USDA Forest Service, International Institute of Tropical Forestry 
Active: 2022-2023
Alberto is responsible for the day-to-day operations instrument maintenance, and
data collection and organization for TRACE.
IMG_2553[1].JPG
Nicole A. Gutiérrez Ramos 
USDA Forest Service, International Institute of Tropical Forestry
Active: 2019-2022
Nicole was our plant physiology technician, specifically she collected foliar photosynthesis and respiration as well as root respiration data. She also assisted the project manager with day-to-day maintenance of instruments and database administration, did sample collections and measurements, and data analysis to ensure quality control of ongoing research. 
Alumni_graduatestudents
Graduate Students
UNADJUSTEDNONRAW_thumb_2833.jpg
Robert Tunison
Michigan Technological University - Houghton 
Graduated: 2023
Rob’s research  focused on studying understory plant foliar and root physiological acclimation responses to disturbance under experimentally warmed conditions. 
Elif Kardas_photo.jpg
Elif Kardas
University of Puerto Rico - Río Piedras
Using a combination of field and lab experiments (metagenomics and GC-MS), Elif was studying the effects of warming on nectar microbiota and biochemistry, as well as the subsequent changes in plant-pollinator mutualism. 
Do to plant germination and flowering setbacks, Elif had to change the scope of her research. 
Stephanie Roe
University of Virginia - Charlottesville 

Graduated: 2021
Stephanie’s research investigated climate responses in tropical forests and soil processes, and their aggregate effect on the Earth’s carbon cycle.
Daniela Yaffar
The University of Tennessee - Knoxville
Graduated: 2020
Daniela's research focused on fine root distribution, productivity and turnover in normal conditions and in response to experimental warming.
Kelsey Carter
Michigan Technological University - Houghton 
Graduated: 2020
Kelsey's research concentrates on studying the physiological acclimation potential of both mature canopy foliage and understory tree seedlings in response to experimental warming.
Alida Mau
Michigan Technological University 
Graduated: 2018
Alida finished her masters on how photosynthesis in canopy leaves responds to temperature variations.
Scientific Collaborators
Alumni_scientificcollabs
Eoin L. Brodie
Lawrence Berkley National Laboratory
Eoin Brodie is a microbiologist/biogeochemist with expertise in soils and subsurfaces systems and plant-microbial interactions. Within TRACE, he led efforts to uncover the mechanisms and consequences of changes in microbial ecophysiology in response to warming.
Colorado Mesa University
Deborah Kennard is a Forest Ecologist and professor at Colorado Mesa University. In 2015 she did a 6 month sabbatical with TRACE. Deborah is collaborating with Dr. Joanne Sharpe to lead a study on the effects of warming on the fern and herbacious plant communities. 
Transcend Engineering
Stephen Farrington is an engineer that collaborated on the TRACE project. He installed prototype PRISMS (Profile Resolving In Situ Soil Moisture Sensor) probes in the TRACE plots that collected spatially continuous moisture data from the surface to a meter below ground. 
USDA Forest Service
Jean Lodge is a botanist who specializes in fungal diversity. Her work in the TRACE plots involved investigating the effects of basidiomycete fungi on leaf decomposition. 
Bruce A. Kimball
Greenleaf Group & USDA Arid-Land Agricultural Research Center
Bruce is a soil scientist and our expert on infra-red warming experiments. He designed the TRACE warming infrastructure and the main datalogger control programs.
Oak Ridge National Laboratory
Jeffrey Warren is a plant ecophysiologist who investigated the effects of environmental change on sap flow and stem growth in adult trees with different wood densities in the Luquillo Experimental Forest. 
Ariel E. Lugo
USDA Forest Service, International Institute of Tropical Forestry
Five years ago Ariel Lugo organized a workshop to discuss ideas for a large-scale climate change experiment in Puerto Rico.  It was this seminar workshop that set TRACE in motion! Ariel continues to lend his research experience to the project and was collaborating with us on improving tropical forest representation in Earth System Models.
Interns
Alumni_interns
2016 
Brian Yudkin & Bella Reyes
Jamarys Torres & Talia Anderson
2017
Mónica Cruz
Tessaliz Quiles
Kurt Miller
Gisela González
2018
Nate Stenson
Héctor Marín
Aral
Aral Greene
Anna Nordseth
Taylor
Taylor Saunders
Helena
Helena Kleiner
Virginia
Virginia-Rose Seagal
Kyle Zollo
Emily
Emily Ramirez
Gilmarie
Gilmarie Rivera
Rosanise
Rosanise Odell
Esther Williams
Jacob
Jacob Luna
Carolina
Carolina May
2019
Veronica
Veronica Lourich
Megan
Megan Muller-Girard
Kevin
Kevin Santiago Escaso
Pedro
Pedro León
William
William Mejía
2020
aa643394-2f64-4ad5-a037-3b104f3f4d40.JPG
Wendy Colón
4eaa6943-d424-48f5-8ff3-9a7eaa8df02d.JPG
María Ferrer
2021
Andrea Padilla Guerrero
Andrea Padilla Guerrero
Carmel Dill Cruz
Carmel Dill Cruz
2022
Carmel Dill Cruz
Deyaneira Ortiz Iglesias
Research assistants and undergraduate students
Alumni_assistants
Terry Torres
Mike Schmid
Kaylie Butts
GraceAnna Schilz
Elsa Schwartz
Marissa Palmer
Ben Miller
Tanner Stiker
Madeline Reinsel
Volunteers
Alumni_volunteers
Benjamin Branoss
Eddie Campell
Marguerite Kinsella
Josh Brown, Angie Shaffer & Michael Peyton
Left to right: Yianna Bekris, Brian Smith & Libby Sternhagen
Alyssa Umberger & Ryan McDonald
William & Julymar
William Hernandez & Julymar Rodríguez
Benjamin Branoss
Carl Carter
Mandee Kuhn
Casey Hughes
Casey Hughes
Juan & Kiara
Juan Morales & Kiara Rodríguez
Eddie Campell
Sean Reynolds
Sara Carabajal
Michael Mahr & Spencer Stout
Tomás Furi
Nikki Niewold
Nikki Niewold
Mary Nordseth
Mary Nordseth
Anna Wilson
Anna Wilson
Ninoshhka, Yadira, Gabriela, Gilmarie
Ninoshka Irizarry, Yadira Gutiérrez, Gabriela Cardona & Gilmarie Rivera
Marguerite Kinsella
IMG_6750.JPG
Isabel is a plant ecologist with expertise in tropical plant diversity and distribution, and was our project manager.  She worked on collecting and processing soil respiration data to improve our understanding of the system. 
Megan Berberich
Megan Berberich
USDA Forest Service, International Institute of Tropical Forestry
Active: 2018 to 2023
Megan was our project manager during the third stage of the project. She worked with the Principal Investigators on many of the adaptations of the project following Hurricanes Irma and María.  
She was also  the project's Data Manager from 2021-2023, being responsible for the project's data publications. She organized and performed quality control tests on our largest datasets to ensure high-quality data is available for our project and the general community. 
Aura
Aura M. Alonso-Rodríguez
USDA Forest Service, International Institute of Tropical Forestry
Active: 2014 to 2018
Aura was our project manager since the construction of the experiment started in 2014. She helped build the experiment from the ground up and establish the research program that we have today.  
Aura is currently doing her PhD  at The University of Vermont.
IMG_6818.jpg
William F. Mejía-García
USDA Forest Service, International Institute of Tropical Forestry 
Active: 2018- 2023
William was our General Field Technician, responsible for routine sample collection, field measurements, site inspections; sample processing, and data organization.  He also assisted the project manager with day-to-day equipment maintenance and database organization.  
Willliam is currently doing his Master's at University of New Mexico. 
IMG-4165.jpg
Alberto Pastor Ibáñez 
USDA Forest Service, International Institute of Tropical Forestry 
Active: 2022-2023
Alberto is responsible for the day-to-day operations instrument maintenance, and
data collection and organization for TRACE.
IMG_2553[1].JPG
Nicole A. Gutiérrez Ramos 
USDA Forest Service, International Institute of Tropical Forestry
Active: 2019-2022
Nicole was our plant physiology technician, specifically she collected foliar photosynthesis and respiration as well as root respiration data. She also assisted the project manager with day-to-day maintenance of instruments and database administration, did sample collections and measurements, and data analysis to ensure quality control of ongoing research. 
Alumni_graduatestudents
Graduate Students
UNADJUSTEDNONRAW_thumb_2833.jpg
Robert Tunison
Michigan Technological University - Houghton 
Graduated: 2023
Rob’s research  focused on studying understory plant foliar and root physiological acclimation responses to disturbance under experimentally warmed conditions. 
Elif Kardas_photo.jpg
Elif Kardas
University of Puerto Rico - Río Piedras
Using a combination of field and lab experiments (metagenomics and GC-MS), Elif was studying the effects of warming on nectar microbiota and biochemistry, as well as the subsequent changes in plant-pollinator mutualism. 
Do to plant germination and flowering setbacks, Elif had to change the scope of her research. 
Stephanie Roe
University of Virginia - Charlottesville 

Graduated: 2021
Stephanie’s research investigated climate responses in tropical forests and soil processes, and their aggregate effect on the Earth’s carbon cycle.
Daniela Yaffar
The University of Tennessee - Knoxville
Graduated: 2020
Daniela's research focused on fine root distribution, productivity and turnover in normal conditions and in response to experimental warming.
Kelsey Carter
Michigan Technological University - Houghton 
Graduated: 2020
Kelsey's research concentrates on studying the physiological acclimation potential of both mature canopy foliage and understory tree seedlings in response to experimental warming.
Alida Mau
Michigan Technological University 
Graduated: 2018
Alida finished her masters on how photosynthesis in canopy leaves responds to temperature variations.
Scientific Collaborators
Alumni_scientificcollabs
Eoin L. Brodie
Lawrence Berkley National Laboratory
Eoin Brodie is a microbiologist/biogeochemist with expertise in soils and subsurfaces systems and plant-microbial interactions. Within TRACE, he led efforts to uncover the mechanisms and consequences of changes in microbial ecophysiology in response to warming.
Colorado Mesa University
Deborah Kennard is a Forest Ecologist and professor at Colorado Mesa University. In 2015 she did a 6 month sabbatical with TRACE. Deborah is collaborating with Dr. Joanne Sharpe to lead a study on the effects of warming on the fern and herbacious plant communities. 
Transcend Engineering
Stephen Farrington is an engineer that collaborated on the TRACE project. He installed prototype PRISMS (Profile Resolving In Situ Soil Moisture Sensor) probes in the TRACE plots that collected spatially continuous moisture data from the surface to a meter below ground. 
USDA Forest Service
Jean Lodge is a botanist who specializes in fungal diversity. Her work in the TRACE plots involved investigating the effects of basidiomycete fungi on leaf decomposition. 
Bruce A. Kimball
Greenleaf Group & USDA Arid-Land Agricultural Research Center
Bruce is a soil scientist and our expert on infra-red warming experiments. He designed the TRACE warming infrastructure and the main datalogger control programs.
Oak Ridge National Laboratory
Jeffrey Warren is a plant ecophysiologist who investigated the effects of environmental change on sap flow and stem growth in adult trees with different wood densities in the Luquillo Experimental Forest. 
Ariel E. Lugo
USDA Forest Service, International Institute of Tropical Forestry
Five years ago Ariel Lugo organized a workshop to discuss ideas for a large-scale climate change experiment in Puerto Rico.  It was this seminar workshop that set TRACE in motion! Ariel continues to lend his research experience to the project and was collaborating with us on improving tropical forest representation in Earth System Models.
Interns
Alumni_interns
2016 
Brian Yudkin & Bella Reyes
Jamarys Torres & Talia Anderson
2017
Mónica Cruz
Tessaliz Quiles
Kurt Miller
Gisela González
2018
Nate Stenson
Héctor Marín
Aral
Aral Greene
Anna Nordseth
Taylor
Taylor Saunders
Helena
Helena Kleiner
Virginia
Virginia-Rose Seagal
Kyle Zollo
Emily
Emily Ramirez
Gilmarie
Gilmarie Rivera
Rosanise
Rosanise Odell
Esther Williams
Jacob
Jacob Luna
Carolina
Carolina May
2019
Veronica
Veronica Lourich
Megan
Megan Muller-Girard
Kevin
Kevin Santiago Escaso
Pedro
Pedro León
William
William Mejía
2020
aa643394-2f64-4ad5-a037-3b104f3f4d40.JPG
Wendy Colón
4eaa6943-d424-48f5-8ff3-9a7eaa8df02d.JPG
María Ferrer
2021
Andrea Padilla Guerrero
Andrea Padilla Guerrero
Carmel Dill Cruz
Carmel Dill Cruz
2022
20B3AC2B-C0D1-4A05-9A09-351EC547D04B.JPG
Deyaneira Ortiz Iglesias
2023
Deyaneira Ortiz Iglesias
DSC_4422.JPG
Heading 6
 
Research assistants and undergraduate students
Alumni_assistants
Terry Torres
Mike Schmid
Kaylie Butts
GraceAnna Schilz
Elsa Schwartz
Marissa Palmer
Ben Miller
Tanner Stiker
Madeline Reinsel
Volunteers
Alumni_volunteers
Benjamin Branoss
Eddie Campell
Marguerite Kinsella
Josh Brown, Angie Shaffer & Michael Peyton
Left to right: Yianna Bekris, Brian Smith & Libby Sternhagen
Alyssa Umberger & Ryan McDonald
William & Julymar
William Hernandez & Julymar Rodríguez
Benjamin Branoss
Carl Carter
Mandee Kuhn
Casey Hughes
Casey Hughes
Juan & Kiara
Juan Morales & Kiara Rodríguez
Eddie Campell
Sean Reynolds
Sara Carabajal
Michael Mahr & Spencer Stout