Sydney E. Ashton

I grew up in a small town in West Virginia, spending much of my childhood outdoors. I could often be found "rescuing" animals who had been grievously wounded by lawn mowers, bring home various critters like salamanders & crawfish to my perplexed but supportive grandparents or using household materials to craft a ship that could traverse white water rapids (or, described differently, a small foil canoe that could float a few yards down the lazy creek behind my house). My "experiments" involved things such as investigating my pet turtle's capacity to learn by measuring the time it took him to complete a homemade maze each day. Unfortunately, that particular experiment was inconclusive as I soon after discovered that he was a young snapping turtle, but that's a story for another day.

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As I continued through high school and college, I was continually fascinated by science. This led me join a lab studying the red-sided garter snake--my first introduction to scientific research. I continued down this path to pursue my PhD; while I'm eager to get back to my roots working with the natural world, I'm grateful for the numerous skills I've honed throughout this process. My dream is to leverage the technical skills gained through research and data analysis and my leadership experience with my enduring interest in nature to make a tangible, meaningful impact in my community.

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Outside of the lab, I enjoy photography (right; middle and bottom), sports (Go Pens!), working on my humble urban garden and playing with data available to the public (for example, see my section on Baltimore tree canopy coverage!). I love Baltimore and when not in the lab, can generally be found either in one of the City's many fabulous parks with my dog or watching Arsenal soccer matches with my fellow Charm City Gooners (where I serve on the board!).