I was born in Brazil and came to live in the US in 1997. I have a Bachelor's degree in Biology and a Master's in Environmental Biology from universities in Brazil, and a Ph.D. in Botany (Ecology, Evolution and Conservation Biology) from the University of Hawaii. My major interest in Biology is plant ecology. I have done research in the Brazilian Amazon on the role of vines in forest ecology, in Hawaii on forest hydrology, and, here in the Tampa Bay area I studied plant communities on small islands. More recently, I have been interested in using gardening as an educational tool. I teach one biology course through gardening (BSC 1005CH) and am the advisor of the Food For Thought Club at the SP/Gibbs campus.