Undergraduate Researcher | UC Merced
Developed a data-driven ecology model using the Locka-Volterra equations to simulate rabbit-bobcat dynamics. Fitted parameters to real sighting data via least-squares optimization and projected wildlife population trends. Preprocessed and interpolated sparse ecological time-series to a common grid, normalized data to avoid scale bias, and produced clean input for modeling, enabling stable parameter estimation despite noise and incomplete observations.
Impact/Results: Generated and analyzed population forecasts, simulating future dynamics under different predator-to-prey ratios to predict whether bobcat population would exceed an ecological threshold (200 individuals), providing actionable insight for wildlife-management decisions.