Clarice is a second-year graduate student studying the phyllotaxis of the spiral gingers (Costus, Costaceae). Their research interests are fundamentally in plant diversification, ranging through perspectives including the morphoogical, developmental, and ecological.
They received a Bachelor’s of Science in plant biology from the University of Texas at Austin, after which they trained as a lab technician before joining the Specht lab. Their studies of plant evolution started in collections-based research with the Missouri Botanical Garden as an undergraduate, during which they accidentally adopted an ever-expanding fondness for aroids. At Cornell, they remain fascinated by monocot morphology, and they are currently working on characterizing the developmental trajectory of spiraling shoot growth in Costus, as well as investigating the evolutionary history of the shoot growth patterns in this group.
When not staring very, very hard at meristems, they occupy themself with creative writing, establishing professional connections with all the cats that live on their block, and a rotating armory of artistic pursuits. They collect empty glass jars and are much better at sawing plants in half than putting forth any conscious effort to keep them alive.
Find them on twitter @monostichies, or standing at the edge of any given pond, looking for duckweed.