Alexa Duran Granillo

Adaptable and detail-oriented professional committed to excelling in her professional role. Passionate about leveraging skills and knowledge to drive impactful initiatives that promote sustainability and biodiversity among our state. Seeking a fulfilling opportunity aligned with a passion for environmental stewardship and community engagement.

• I have had the opportunity of doing a Summer Internship with the Arizona Game and Fish Department, in which I assisted a Senior Research Biologist in conducting annual Flat-Tail Horned Lizard Occupancy monitoring in Yuma, Arizona in the Summer of 2020. With this internship being my first paid biology experience, I was able to obtain and expand upon my field work skills and abilities.
• Gained experience tracking reptiles in psammophilic environments.
• Safely processed reptiles including morphological measurements, photographs, and temporary marks.
• Learned skills for using and entering collection data in Survey 123.
• Gained logistical skills for navigating across the Barry M. Goldwater- West Range.
• Skilled in line-transect techniques.
• Conducted 8-on hitches while hiking up to 10 miles per day in 110+ degree temperatures.
• Gained GPS navigation skills.
• Expanded data entry skills.
• Learned to properly identify native reptiles, mammals, and birds in Yuma county.

• Genetics- Studied the basic processes of transmission genetics, mutation, gene expression and regulation.
• Organic Chemistry 1- Studied the chemistry of organic compounds in a laboratory setting.
• Organic Chemistry 2- Observed microscale organic chemical experiments in separation techniques, synthesis and analysis, and reactivity in a laboratory setting.
• Physics 1- Studied general principles of physics such as force, motion, energy, gravity, etc. in a laboratory setting.
• Applied Plant Taxonomy- Learned the morphology, taxonomy, and natural history of flora and vegetation found in Arizona.
• Animal Nutrition- Obtained an in-depth look at nutrition, evolutionary concepts of form and function, plant and animal interactions, and compared the digestive anatomy and feeding habits between domestic and free ranging wildlife.
• Applied Statistics- Assessed statistical methods with applications in the biological sciences and natural resource management using the coding program R.
• Vertebrate Adaptations- Examined the evolution, conservation, diversity, and the physical and physiology of the vertebrate subphylum.
• Applied Herpetology- Acquired a broad knowledge on the evolution, systematics, and ecology of reptiles and amphibians emphasizing wildlife management methodologies in the United States.
• Introduction to Wildlife Management- Assessed the different management techniques of small, big game, and nongame species in the Southwest.
• Structure and Function in Animals and Plants- Gained knowledge on the structural and functional attributes made by desert adapted animals and plants as well as the evolution and adversity a desert ecosystem may face.
• Sustainable Biological Systems- Learned the anthropogenic impacts on ecosystems structure and function as well as the measures taken in ecological risk assessments.
• Wildlife Ecology- Acquired a broad knowledge on conservation genetics, population biology, habitat ecology, ecological communities, habitat fragmentation and connectivity.
• Ecosystem Management and Planning- Assessed principles of ecosystem management and how to better implement policy constraints and planning with Anthropogenic factors on the rise.
• Animal Physiology- Knowledge of major physiological mechanisms and functions in which animals are equipped to survive, thrive, and adapt in different environments.