{"id":35721,"date":"2024-07-09T12:10:21","date_gmt":"2024-07-09T19:10:21","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/inside.ewu.edu\/mcnair\/?page_id=35721"},"modified":"2024-09-18T09:17:49","modified_gmt":"2024-09-18T16:17:49","slug":"rachael-pentico","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/inside.ewu.edu\/mcnair\/cohorts-2\/2019-2020-cohort\/rachael-pentico\/","title":{"rendered":"Rachael Pentico"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Rachael Pentico<\/h1>\n\n\n
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Rachael Pentico<\/strong> graduated from Eastern Washington University in 2021 with a BS in Biology. Previously, she spent time at Spokane Falls Community College where she focused on economics, with an emphasis on environmental policy. Her research interests focus on ecology and how invasive species and anthropogenic climate change will affect different ecosystems. She wants her education in economics to follow her into her biological studies so that economic factors can help to persuade policy. She worked as a research assistant in Dr. Rebecca Brown’s lab focused on restoring a section of the Palouse Prairie. Rachael presented research at the EWU virtual symposium in 2020: A Review of Plant-Soil Feedbacks and Their Importance For Palouse Prairie Restoration and Management<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For graduate school, Rachael was accepted into the Master’s Program in Natural Resources at the University of Idaho, the PhD Program in Environmental and Natural Resources Sciences at Washington State University Vancouver, the PhD Program in Biological Sciences at Purdue University, and the PhD Program in Ecosystems: Land, Water, and Air at Syracuse University, where she began attending in Fall 2021.<\/p>\n\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n

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2020 McNair Faculty Research Mentor: <\/strong>Dr. Rebecca Brown<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Research Title<\/strong>: Differences in Plant Soil Feedbacks with Respect to Slope Aspect<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Abstract: <\/strong>Plants alter the biotic and abiotic characteristics of the soil they grow in, which can alter future plant survival, through a process known as plant-soil feedbacks (PSFs). PSFs play a key role in plant succession and invasion by nonnative species. Scientists are only beginning to understand how microclimate might affect plant soil feedbacks. In the semiarid Palouse Prairie Ecoregion of the Inland Northwestern US, aspect can affect microclimate, with harsher conditions on south facing slopes. Aspect also is related to plant invasion in this ecosystem, with increased invasion on south facing slopes. My objective was to determine if the effects of aspect on invasive species are mediated by plant soil feedbacks. To test this, I conducted a greenhouse experiment using two native and two invasive prairie species, inoculated with soils collected from north and south facing slopes on Palouse Prairie remnants. Each pot consisted of autoclaved soil from an old agricultural field. The control group consisted of only the autoclaved soil, whereas the slope treatment pots consisted of 20% living soil. There were10 replicates per treatment. Germination and plant growth were measured after five weeks. I found that native species had higher growth rates when inoculated with soil from north slopes while invasive species growth rate was not affected. However, invasive species had much higher germination rates when inoculated with soil from south slopes. These findings suggest that slope aspect influences PSFs and these relationships can help with invasive species management in endangered ecosystems such as the Palouse Prairie Ecoregion.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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12 EWU McNair Scholars Present at EWU Virtual Symposium<\/a><\/h2>\n\n

In June 2021, EWU held the\u00a0CSTEM and McNair Spring Research Symposium. This online event offered a chance for McNair scholars to present their research, as well as attend the Social Justice in Research Panel of EWU McNair alumni now working in academics and education.\u00a0 The mission of the federally-funded TRiO Ronald E. McNair Post-baccalaureate Achievement … Read more<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n
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7 EWU McNair Scholars Participate in Gabriel E. Gallardo Research, Student Leadership, and Advocacy Symposium<\/a><\/h2>\n\n

EWU McNair Scholars Rachael Pentico, Lizeth Ba\u00f1uelos, and Malachi Chukwu presented last week at the virtual Gabriel E. Gallardo Research, Student Leadership & Advocacy Symposium hosted by the University of Washington. Four other EWU McNair Scholars attended: Alexandria Coronado, Wendolyn Martinez, Christina Hudson, and Aulane Mpouli. This was the first annual Gabriel E. Gallardo Research, … Read more<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n
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EWU McNair Scholar Rachael Pentico Accepted by Fourth Graduate Program<\/a><\/h2>\n\n

Congratulations to EWU McNair Scholar Rachael Pentico! Rachael has been accepted by the Environmental and Natural Resources Sciences PhD program at Washington State University, Vancouver with full funding. She has also been accepted by Purdue University with full funding, Syracuse University, and by the University of Idaho. Rachael is majoring in Biology at Eastern Washington … Read more<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n
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EWU McNair Scholar Rachael Pentico Accepted by Purdue PhD Program<\/a><\/h2>\n\n

Congratulations to EWU McNair Scholar Rachael Pentico! Rachael has been accepted by the Biological Sciences PhD program at Purdue University with full funding. In addition, Rachael has two prior acceptances, one from Syracuse University’s (SUNY) College of Environmental Science and Forestry for a PhD in Ecosystems: Land, Water, and Air, the other by the University … Read more<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n
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EWU McNair Scholar Rachael Pentico Accepted to SUNY PhD Program<\/a><\/h2>\n\n

Congratulations to EWU McNair Scholar Rachael Pentico! Rachael has been accepted by Syracuse University’s (SUNY) College of Environmental Science and Forestry for a PhD in Ecosystems: Land, Water, and Air. Rachael has also been accepted by the University of Idaho in their Masters of Natural Resources Program. \u00a0Rachael is majoring in Biology at Eastern Washington … Read more<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n
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EWU McNair Scholar Rachael Pentico Accepted to the University of Idaho Masters Program<\/a><\/h2>\n\n

Congratulations to EWU McNair Scholar Rachael Pentico. Rachael has been accepted by the McCall Outdoor Science School at the University of Idaho in the Masters of Natural Resources Program. Rachael is majoring in Biology at Eastern Washington University. She also spent time at Spokane Falls Community College where she focused on economics, with an emphasis … Read more<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n
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EWU McNair Scholars Present their STEM Research and Experiences<\/a><\/h2>\n\n

Despite COVID-19, EWU McNair Scholars have persisted through their virtual research internships during the summer of 2020 and now are presenting their research throughout the year. In addition to Ashley Destin and Rachael Pentico presenting at the Murdock College Science Research Conference in the Fall of 2020, three McNair Scholars have presented within their departments … Read more<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n
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EWU McNair Scholars Present at Murdock College Science Research Conference 2020<\/a><\/h2>\n\n

Despite COVID-19, EWU McNair Scholars have persisted through their virtual research internships during the summer of 2020 and continued to present their research throughout the year. This last fall, two EWU McNair Scholars presented at the Murdock College Science Research Conference. This Northwest specific undergraduate conference focuses on sharing and advancing new knowledge in the … Read more<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n
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EWU McNair Scholar Rachael Pentico Completes Summer Research Internship<\/a><\/h2>\n\n

Congratulations to EWU McNair Scholar Rachael Pentico for completing her EWU McNair Summer Research Internship! Rachael did field research this summer on the Palouse Prairie under the mentorship of Dr. Rebecca Brown in the Department of Biology. Rachael presented her preliminary research from Spring 2020, A Review of Plant-Soil Feedbacks and Their Importance For Palouse … Read more<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n
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Nine EWU McNair Scholars Present at Baylor McNair Research Conference<\/a><\/h2>\n\n

From looking at community perceptions of reentry barriers to formerly incarcerated people to the impact of chemical weathering from Mount St. Helen’s on streams, EWU McNair Scholars have been hard at work researching all summer under the guidance of their mentors. On October 1st and 2nd. Nine of these scholars presented at the 2020 Virtual … Read more<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Rachael Pentico Rachael Pentico graduated from Eastern Washington University in 2021 with a BS in Biology. Previously, she spent time at Spokane Falls Community College where she focused on economics, with an emphasis on environmental policy. Her research interests focus on ecology and how invasive species and anthropogenic climate change will affect different ecosystems. She wants her … Read more<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":9086,"featured_media":0,"parent":35686,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"wpo365_audiences":[],"wpo365_private":false,"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-35721","page","type-page","status-publish"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/inside.ewu.edu\/mcnair\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/35721"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/inside.ewu.edu\/mcnair\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/inside.ewu.edu\/mcnair\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/inside.ewu.edu\/mcnair\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/9086"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/inside.ewu.edu\/mcnair\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=35721"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/inside.ewu.edu\/mcnair\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/35721\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":37043,"href":"https:\/\/inside.ewu.edu\/mcnair\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/35721\/revisions\/37043"}],"up":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/inside.ewu.edu\/mcnair\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/35686"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/inside.ewu.edu\/mcnair\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=35721"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}