Ariel Cheng

My name is Ariel Cheng and I am a junior majoring in Ecology and Evolutionary Biology with a minor in Theater. I have been working with Dr. Jana U'Ren at the BIO5 institute on campus for almost a year now. With her lab, I have been able to travel to Toolik Field Station, an isolated research station in Alaska, where I conducted fieldwork for my independent project! I am currently working on identifying the fungal community found in Alaskan wild berries. These berries benefit both indigenous people and native wildlife. With my project, I hope to raise more awareness about how these communities may or may not protect these berries against climate change. When I'm not conducting research, I am out and about exploring the world around me! Currently, my hobbies consist of mushroom scavenging, paleontology, modeling and acting!