Erin Hall
Who I am:
Originally, from the suburbs of Philadelphia, I came to San Francisco for my undergrad and never left. I come from a large family, I am the youngest of five kids, all spread throughout the U.S. I recently completed a six-month seasonal research position through the BLM in Salt Lake City, West Desert District. While I moved to Salt Lake for the position, I am now back in San Francisco and I am enjoying being close to the ocean again.
Hobbies:
Baking
I love to bake! It is a great way to connect with people and I greatly enjoy seeing how excited people get when surprised with food.
Hiking
I enjoy being outside and in nature, hence a hopeful career focused on field research. I find that anytime I need to think something over, a walk through Lands End or Sutro Baths usually helps.
Avid Reader
I am a big fan of spending a day off reading in bed with coffee. Goodreads has been a game changer and a fun way to track what I read and share with friends.
Animal Lover
I have two cats, Mango & Moon. I grew up around animals, we had two dogs and my Grandpop had a farm I would visit in the summer. Working with him and spending time on his farm is what inspired me to pursue ecology.
My Master's Research:
I completed my Master's in Biology in May of 2023. I was able to conduct my research through the Suni Laboratory at the University of San Francisco.
In my Master's program, I studied how drought impacted plant functional and reproductive traits. Using a greenhouse at USF I conducted a water limitation scenario using Antirrhinum vexillocalyculatum, commonly known as the wiry snapdragon.
I completed two generations, each consisting of ~400 plants. I investigated growth rate, pollen viability, seed set, and seed viability. During my two years, I also completed two field observations. I sampled pollen directly from the field and examined the viability back in the lab. This allowed me to compare natural pollen viability from the field to the samples from the greenhouse.
With the greenhouse experiments, I learned many new hands-on techniques such as hand pollination, specific leaf area, leaf relative water content, seed and pollen sampling, and all the care that comes with germinating and handling 400+ plants at once.
During my program, I obtained not only my degree but a GIS certificate as well. Along with that, I completed multiple high-level data analysis courses as well.
Past Research:
Pollinator Preference:
In the summer of 2019, I led a field experiment under the guidance of Dr. Suni. We were curious if pollinators varied in specialization at urban versus rural sites. I led a team of eight undergraduates and sampled sites in and around the Bay Area. We collected pollinators at each site and examined their pollen loads once at the lab. Since I was new to pollen and there was limited information online, we created a pollen database by making our own pollen reference slides. This project led to my first publication.
Teddy-Bear Cacti Health Status:
In the fall of 2023, I worked for the Bureau of Land Management in association with GeoCorps America. For three months I lived in the Mojave Desert studying the teddy bear cholla cactus. We investigated population size and health, following an observation completed in 2014. It was an incredible experience being able to continue field research as well as use the GIS certification I received with my Master's Degree.
Sage-Grouse Rehabilitation:
Recently, I completed a seasonal position in Salt Lake City as a Biological Science Technician position at the West Desert District BLM. Sage grouse habitat is limited due to human interaction, and invasive species encroachment. We investigated plant population and diversity at various plots pre-and post-treatment. Treatment included tree mastication and controlled burns. I learned many new plant and grass species, as well as new field techniques while enjoying the Utah mountains and desert.
While here, I completed my red card and F2 certification which allowed me to fight wildfires! I went on a handful of fires during my six months and am very grateful for the experience and lessons I learned along the way.
