Alex Chavez

Student at Northwestern University

Chicago, Illinois, United States

About

I am a senior at Northwestern University studying environmental science with a focus in ecology. My interests lie in the interaction between human development and ecological conservation, such as in the case of urban ecology, ecosystem restoration, and disruptions in species interactions.

Experience

  • Research Assistant at Chicago Botanic Garden
    Feb 2024 - Present · 2 yrs 6 mos

    Digitally catalogued urban bee specimens and studied Rocky Mountain bumblebee colonies to determine potential changes in composition over time.

  • Undergraduate Researcher at Boyce Thompson Institute
    Jun 2024 - Aug 2024 · 3 mos

    Boyce Thompson Institute REU + Cornell University's Department of Entomology Developed and tested pest management strategies for maize to replace conventional, environmentally detrimental pesticides in Dr. Jennifer Thaler's lab.

  • Research Fellow at Northwestern University - Weinberg College of Arts and Sciences
    Jun 2023 - Aug 2023 · 3 mos

    Posner Research Fellowship Helped conduct a field study on the distribution of milkweed in an underrepresented Chicago neighborhood for monarch butterfly conservation. Findings were shared with the commmunity with the aim of fostering citizen science.