Michelle graduated from the University of California, Los Angeles in June 2020 with a B.S. in Environmental Science and minor in Geography and Environmental Studies. She became interested in urban conservation through her undergraduate research at the Center for Neighborhood Knowledge, a laboratory that examines the socioeconomic formation and dynamics of neighborhoods. From 2018 to 2019, she researched how pocket parks can provide recreational and social benefits to city residents that lack access to green space. The following summer, she participated in an NSF-funded research program (UPIR-REU) to study the anatomy and morphology of borage flowers. These research experiences stimulated her interest in the social-ecological dynamics of urban green spaces. For her senior capstone project, Michelle collaborated with an interdisciplinary team of researchers and non-profit environmental agencies to identify suitable locations to establish urban parks seeded with native plants in the Los Angeles Basin. Michelle is interested in solving urban conservation problems through interdisciplinary research that considers the ecological needs of local biodiversity and the social needs of city residents.
Fellowships & Grants:
National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship. Awarded $138,000. 2022.
Pham, M.A., Gardiner, M.M. OSU College of Food, Agriculture, and Environmental Sciences (CFAES) Research & Graduate Education Internal Grants Program. “Municipal investment in urban greening to support healthy bee communities,” Awarded $5,000. 2022.
OSU Environmental Science Graduate Program Fay Fellowship. Awarded $25,300. 2020.
OSU CFAES Diversity Associateship. Awarded $25,300. 2020.
Ohio State is in the process of revising gift fund terms, including scholarship criteria, to ensure compliance with Ohio Senate Bill 1, passed March 25, 2025 by Governor Mike DeWine. While this work occurs, language referencing protected class status may still appear in some gift fund descriptions, however, the university is not applying protected class criteria in awarding scholarships or in spending program funds, in compliance with federal and state anti-discrimination law. As gift funds are updated using the statutory methods set forth in Ohio law, the gift fund language visible here will reflect these changes.
