This photo shows the ashy shadow of a blue oak that grew in the Cache Creek Wildland Area, then died and fell to the ground and dried out, then burned to ash in a wildfire. The fire was mild, but the wood was dry, so that it burned up completely, leaving only a pale gray mark behind, plus some unburned twigs at the tips of its branches. In spring, the ashy silhouette remained because the prolonged fire had destroyed the seedbank under it, while the outline was accented by the extra-lush growth of grasses around the edge that had been fertilized by the ash.

Past education:

• B.A. Dartmouth College 1990 (English)
• M.A. University of Sussex 1992 (social & political thought)
• J.D. Yale Law School 1995
• Ph.D. University of Connecticut 2006 (ecology & evolutionary biology)

Past positions:

• Associate Professor, UC Davis 2012-2018
• Assistant Professor, UC Davis 2008-2012
• Postdoctoral Researcher, Project based at University of Connecticut and Duke University 2006-2008
• Graduate Research Assistant, Silander Lab, UConn EEB Department 2001-2006
• Asst. Atty. General, Environmental Protection Division, Massachusetts Office of the Attorney General 1997-2001
• Law Clerk, Hon. Michael Boudin, U.S. Court of Appeals 1st Cir