Nina Tortosa is a first-year graduate student at Sacramento State University studying conservation ecology with a focus in vernal pool research. For her master’s project, she will be studying the effects of competition and predation on large branchiopods in California vernal pools. She has two years of experience working in ecological conservation, including riparian native plant restoration, field research and data analysis, wetland elevation (RTK GPS) vegetation surveying, and raptor handling. 

Prior to working in conservation, Nina spent seven years working in agricultural crop research. This included managing a program to collect large descriptive data sets for protecting new vegetable varieties in North America and Mexico. Nina changed her career when she realized she wanted to make a bigger difference in the world and help with the fight against climate change. She hopes to work as a conservation ecologist and help educate others on the importance of habitat and species preservation.