Juan Garcia-Cancel

Biography
I was born in San Juan, Puerto Rico but was raised in the small city of Caguas. I completed my bachelor's degree in Biology from the University of Puerto Rico at Mayagüez in 2010. During this period, I was able to participate in UPR-Rio Piedras Summer REU in the El Yunque National Forest working with riparian orchids in the Luquillo Experimental Forest under the mentorship of Dr. Elvia Meléndez-Ackerman. I defended my master's thesis in December 2013, at the University of Puerto Rico- Mayagüez. My thesis title was the effect of native and non-native grasses on the native woody species community in the Guánica Tropical Dry Forest, Puerto Rico. After my masters I worked in several projects and organizations such as the NGO Island Conservation, Clemson University and USDA-APHIS as a biological field technician. I currently have a few projects going in the southwest of Puerto Rico with colleagues in the island dealing with tree reintroduction to degraded ecosystems. In my PhD I look forward to expand in restoration ecology, invasive plants and the effects of both on the target ecosystem. My interests include camping, hiking, writing and reading.
Department of Natural Resources Management
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Address
Goddard Building, Texas Tech University, Box 42125, Lubbock TX 79409 -
Phone
806.742.2841 -
Email
nrm@ttu.edu