One of the best things about grad school is the opportunity to expand your expertise, learn new skills, and meet other students and faculty working in your area of interest. Adriana will be doing all three – and 
more – this summer as she attends an intensive short course on phylogenetic comparative methods held in Mexico City. Participants were selected from a large number of eager applicants, and chosen specifically for their interest in macroevolution and background in phylogenetics. Adriana is receiving full support for her participation, travel and accommodation – covered through support from NSF.
Topics covered will include phylogenetic tree manipulation, independent contrasts and phylogenetic generalized least squares, ancestral state reconstruction, models of character evolution, diversification analysis, and visualization methods for phylogenies and comparative data — all using R. Collaborator extraordinaire Luke Harmon is one of the instructors.
This workshop will provide Adriana with many of the skills she’ll need as she continues to investigate macroevolutionary patterns and processes in the charismatic Calochortus.