Summary
My name is Lila (Lie-lah) Humlick and I am a first-year master’s student working in Dr. Scott Allen’s Ecohydrology and Ecosystem Processes Lab. I grew up in Zephyr Cove, Nevada and witnessed the climate-driven shifts in ecosystem processes around Lake Tahoe firsthand. This inspired me to pursue a B.S. in Environmental Science at the University of Nevada, Reno, focusing my studies on ecological restoration and conservation. As an undergraduate, I had the opportunity to research and write a journal article on the effects major restoration projects along the Lower Truckee River have on plant water use and how this might change water availability to downstream users in Fallon and Fernley, Nevada.
Now as a hydrology graduate student, I am beginning research with Dr. Allen that aims to determine how diverse organic litter characteristics in forest ecosystems affect soil moisture/evaporation and litter evaporation using an ex-situ-controlled experiment. Results from this research will aid in better understanding the soil water balance in forest ecosystems and create useful data for forest management. In my free time I play in a local folk band with my brother around town, create art when I can, and read from my extensive pile of books.