C.V.

Academic Appointments

University of Colorado Boulder. 2015-present. Post-doctoral Research Associate in Ecology and Evolutionary Biology (N. Emery, sponsor)

University of Colorado Boulder. 2017. Lecturer

Education

Michigan State University, 2015. Ph.D. in Plant Biology and Ecology, Evolutionary Biology & Behavior Dissertation title: Floral evolution in milkweeds: Evidence for selection past and present (Advised by J. Conner)

University of Wisconsin-Madison, 2003. B.S. in Botany and Environmental Studies (Minor) - Graduated with distinction

Publications

• La Rosa, R.J. and J.K. Conner. 2017. Floral function: effects of traits on pollinators, male and female pollination success, and female fitness across three species of milkweeds (Asclepias). American Journal of Botany. In press.
• terHorst, C.P., J.A. Lau, I.A. Cooper, K.R. Keller, R.J. La Rosa, A.M. Royer, E.H. Schultheis, T. Suwa, J.K. Conner. 2015. Quantifying non-additive selection caused by indirect ecological effects. Ecology 96(9): 2360-2369. PDF
• Conner, J.K., I.A. Cooper, R.J. La Rosa, S. Perez, and A.M. Royer. 2014. Patterns and causes of phenotypic correlations among morphological traits across plants and animals. Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B 369(1649): 20130246. PDF
• La Rosa, R.J., D.A. Rogers, T.P. Rooney, and D.M. Waller. 2004. Does steeplebush (Spiraea tomentosa) facilitate pollination of Virginia meadow beauty (Rhexia virginica)? The Michigan Botanist 43: 57-63.

Fellowships

• MSU Plant Science Excellence Fellowship (2014, 2015)
• MSU EEBB Summer Fellowship (2014, 2015)
• MSU College of Natural Science Dissertation Continuation Fellowship (2013)
• NSF Graduate Research Fellowship Program (2009-12)
• NSF GK-12 Fellowship (2008-09)
• MSU Plant Sciences Fellowship (2006-08)

Awards and Grants

Research:

• T. Wayne and Katherine Porter Fellowship - $2,700 (2008-12)
• MicroMORPH training grant - $2,240 (2011)
• G.H. Lauff Research Award - $600 (2008, 2011)
• Hanes Trust Research Grant - $8,100 (2010)
• Prairie Biotic Research, Inc. - $1,000 (2009)

Travel:

• BEACON travel award (2015)
• Council of the Graduate Students travel award (2014)
• Graduate School travel award (2009-11, 2013-14)
• Ecology, Evolutionary Biology, and Behavior Program travel award (2007-13)
• Paul Taylor Endowment Fund (2007-15)
• International Studies and Programs (2012)
• Kellogg Biological Station travel award (2012)
• College of Natural Science travel award (2009, 2011-12, 2014)

Teaching

University of Colorado-Boulder, Instructor:

• Applied Ecology (ENVS 2000), lectured on ecological principles and applications (2017)

Michigan State University, Instructor:

• Ecology Lab (ZOL 355L), guided students through the process of conducting ecological studies, including: project design, data collection, analysis, and dissemination (2015)
• SpartaNature (NSC 104), developed and presented and inquiry-based module on natural selection in milkweeds for incoming MSU freshman (2013-14)

Michigan State University, Teaching Assistant:

• Plant Biology Lab (PLB 106), course coordinator (2015)
• Plant Biology Lab (PLB 106), led weekly lab and advised >22 small group research projects (2013-14)
• Ecology Lab (ZOL 355L), led weekly lab and advised >24 small group research projects (2012-13)
• Plant Systematics (PLB 418), assisted with field-based course (2010)

BEACON - Center for the study of evolution in action:

• High School Summer Residential Program, coordinated and taught inquiry lessons on evolution and engineering for advanced high school students and incoming MSU freshman (2012-14)

NSF GK-12, Graduate Fellow:

• Developed and taught inquiry-based lessons to K-12 students and teachers, and led science lessons in 3rd and 7th grade classrooms in Gobles, MI (2008-09)

Research presented

Contributed:

• Plasticity and specialization in variable environments: adaptation in vernal pool goldfields, SSE annual meeting (presented by N. Emery) (2017)
• Plant adaptation to hydrologically variable environments, Botany annual meeting (N. Emery co-author) (2016)
• Patterns of adaptive trait evolution across the North American Asclepias. SSE annual meeting (poster)(2016) PDF
• The role of flower number on male and female fitness in two milkweed species, SSE annual meeting (J. Conner co-author) (2015)
• Patterns of selection on floral traits through male and female fitness, SSE annual meeting (J. Conner co-author) (2014)
• Phylogenetic comparative analysis of milkweed floral traits: patterns of evolution across the genus Asclepias, SSE annual meeting (poster, J. Conner and M. Fishbein co-authors) (2013)
• Patterns of phenotypic correlations and integration in animals and plants, SSE annual meeting (presented by J. Conner with co-authors: I. Cooper, S. Perez, and A. Royer) (2013)
• Selection on floral traits in two species of milkweeds: testing Bateman’s principle, SSE/ESEB 1st Joint Congress in Evolutionary Biology, (J. Conner co-author) (2012)
• Adaptive floral traits of milkweeds: selection through male and female fitness, ESEB 13th Congress (poster, J. Conner co-author) (2011)
• Selection through male and female fitness: trends over three years in milkweed floral traits, SSE annual meeting (J. Conner co-author) (2010)
• The evolution of novel traits: Floral adaptation in milkweed, SSE annual meeting and ESA annual meeting (poster, J. Conner co-author) (2009)
• The evolution of novel traits: Measurements of selection on floral traits in two species of milkweed, SSE annual meeting, Pollination Ecology Conference, and ESA annual meeting (poster, J. Conner co-author) (2008)

Invited:

• Unusual flowers: identifying adaptive floral traits in milkweeds, Kalamazoo College, Kalamazoo, MI (2014)
• Evolution and adaptation of milkweeds in Michigan, Wild Ones - Calhoun County Chapter, Marshall, MI (2013)
• Studies of adaptation using measures of selection and comparative approaches, Michigan State University, EEBB Colloquium Series (2011)
• Evolution and adaptation in milkweeds, Michigan Botanical Club - Southwest Chapter, Kalamazoo, MI (2010)

Mentoring

Undergraduate research presentations:

• Full sibling determination in Asclepias exaltata, KBS Undergraduate Research Symposium, Michigan State University (poster presented by A. Hall (NCA&T)) (2013)
• The effects of temperature and water type on seed germination in Asclepias incarnata, KBS Undergraduate Research Symposium, Michigan State University, (poster presented by N. Dungee (NCA&T)) (2012)
• Measuring male fitness using molecular tools: testing molecular markers for use in paternity analysis, KBS Undergraduate Research Symposium, Michigan State University, (poster presented by K. Harrison (NCA&T) and T. Davis (MSU)) (2011)
• Factors affecting swamp milkweed pollination, KBS Undergraduate Research Symposium, Michigan State University, (poster presented by S. Williams (Oberlin) and L. Maihofer (MSU)) (2010)

Service and outreach

Links:

• BEACON Researchers at Work: Measuring selection in flowers
• KBS GK-12 Lesson Plans, Keyword: Raffica

Other:

• Science Olympiad State Competition, Event Coordinator for the Ecology C exam, organized graduate student volunteers to create a challenging and inquiry-focused ecology exam (2009, 2010)
• Plainwell Community Schools Science Night, Plainwell, MI, helped set up the events, provided comments on middle school science projects, and judged AP Biology posters (2009, 2010)
• Girls’ Math and Science Conference, East Lansing, MI, developed and presented a lesson on pollination to 6th grade girls (2007)