Chava Weitzman - Ecologist and Evolutionary Biologist
ABOUT CHAVA WEITZMANAfter growing up in New Jersey, I attended the University of Redlands in southern California for my undergraduate education. The Johnston Center for Integrative Studies at U of R offers students an opportunity to build their own emphasis of study. My emphasis included courses in biology, environmental science, chemistry, and sociology, as well as courses with the Sea Education Association (Woods Hole, MA) and independent studies. If your interests are broad and you’re passionate about your work, or you just can’t find a program that suits you, I highly recommend looking into the Johnston Center.
When I graduated from Redlands, I took some time to work in the field of ecology and fine-tune my research interests. During these three years, I assisted on various projects around the world with a variety of taxa. My research on North American tortoises began as a field assistant (Tracy lab, Great Basin Institute, and AmeriCorps) in 2010, leading to my own Ph.D. research, which I completed in 2017. Working with reptiles and amphibians not only got me interested in herpetology, but also disease ecology. And I was thrilled to join the Hawley lab at Virginia Tech in 2019 to pursue more disease research. Beyond work, traveling is a passion of mine, and I especially enjoy when my travels can stem from work and research. I have also become hooked on karaoke, and love most aspects of playing and listening to music. (Photos: Above, jackfruit appreciation, Tetebatu, Indonesia; Right, me and eastern diamondback rattlesnake, Alabama, photo credit Jeff Goessling) |