Virginia Matzek

Virginia Matzek
Born
NationalityAmerican
Academic background
EducationB.A, M.A, University of California, Berkeley
PhD., 2006, Stanford University
ThesisMorphological, physiological, and biochemical aspects of growth rate in plants (2006)
Academic advisorsPeter Vitousek
Academic work
InstitutionsCalifornia State University, Sacramento
Santa Clara University
Websitevirginiamatzek.com

Virginia Alynn Matzek is an American restoration ecologist. She is an Associate Professor in Environmental Studies and Sciences at Santa Clara University.

Education

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Matzek completed her Bachelor of Arts and Master of Arts at the University of California, Berkeley. In 1998, Matzek was the recipient of the UC Berkely's Outstanding Graduate Student Instructor award.[1] In 1999, Matzek was the recipient of the UC Berkely's Teaching Effectiveness award.[2]

While at Stanford for her doctoral studies, Matzek sidelined as a teaching assistant in the School of Humanities and Sciences.[3] In 2005, Matzek was one of the recipients awarded the Walter J. Gores Award for Excellence in Teaching.[4] After completing her graduate studies at Stanford alongside Peter Vitousek, she joined the Environmental Studies Institution at Santa Clara University as the director of campus and community programs and a lecturer.[5]

Career

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In 2007, while serving as the director of campus and community programs for Santa Clara University's Environmental Studies Institute, she began to teach a course entitled "The Joy of Garbage" which focused on decomposition.[6] This was, however, her last year at Santa Clara University as she accepted a tenure-track position at California State University, Sacramento as an Assistant Professor in Environmental Studies.[7] She proposed to continue the course "The Joy of Garbage" at California State University, Sacramento.[8] She returned to Santa Clara in 2011.[9]

In 2014, she was selected to sit on the board of the California Invasive Plant Council.[10] The year after, she received a $39,643 grant from the National Science Foundation to conduct research on ecological restoration in Australia.[11] She also received funding to study carbon credits associated with forest management strategies in France.[12]

During the summer before the 2016–17 academic year, Matzek set up an experiment to remove and control Brachypodium sylvaticum.[13] As well, during the term she received tenure from the university and was promoted to associate professor.[14] Matzek later was the recipient of two research awards from the California Department of Conservation and the Mid-Peninsula Regional Open Space District.[15]

In 2018, she received a grant to design a policy for accounting for carbon storage in restored and conserved oak woodlands in California.[16]

Personal life

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Matzek describes herself as a liberal and attended the 2017 Women's March with her two sons.[17]

Selected publications

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  • Global patterns of the isotopic composition of soil and plant nitrogen (2003)
  • Carbon sequestration and plant community dynamics following reforestation of tropical pasture (2004)
  • Are you what you eat? Physiological constraints on organismal stoichiometry in an elementally imbalanced world (2005)
  • N: P stoichiometry and protein: RNA ratios in vascular plants: an evaluation of the growth‐rate hypothesis (2009)
  • Climate change's impact on key ecosystem services and the human well‐being they support in the US (2013)

References

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  1. ^ "OGSI Recipients 1998-1999". /gsi.berkeley.edu. Retrieved September 19, 2019.
  2. ^ "TEA Recipients 1995-1996 to 1999-2000". gsi.berkeley.ed. Retrieved September 19, 2019.
  3. ^ "34 teaching assistants to be given Centennial awards". news.stanford.edu. June 11, 2003. Retrieved September 19, 2019.
  4. ^ "Faculty, staff and students honored with Gores, Dinkelspiel, Cuthbertson awards". news.stanford.edu. June 8, 2005. Retrieved September 19, 2019.
  5. ^ "2005 Fall". issuu.com. Fall 2005. Retrieved September 21, 2019.
  6. ^ "Santa Clara Magazine, Volume 49 Number 1, Summer 2007". scholarcommons.scu.edu. Summer 2007. p. 23. Retrieved September 19, 2019.
  7. ^ "2007 Fall". issuu.com. p. 5. Retrieved September 19, 2019.
  8. ^ Catherine Donaldson-Evans (November 1, 2007). "Superhero Science? Zombie Studies? Colleges Offer Offbeat Courses". foxnews.com. Retrieved September 19, 2019.
  9. ^ "2011-12 Undergraduate Bulletin" (PDF). scu.edu. p. 464. Retrieved September 19, 2019.
  10. ^ "Cal-IPC News" (PDF). cal-ipc.org. Winter 2014. p. 11. Retrieved September 19, 2019.
  11. ^ "External Grants". legacy.scu.edu. January 15, 2015. Retrieved September 19, 2019.
  12. ^ "Virginia Matzek awarded funding for restoration study in France". scu.edu. February 7, 2015. Retrieved September 21, 2019.
  13. ^ "Virginia Matzek studies the effectiveness of non-herbicidal methods for controlling invasive grass". scu.edu. October 26, 2016. Retrieved September 19, 2019.
  14. ^ "Congratulations Chris, Virginia, and Leslie!". scu.edu. June 3, 2016. Retrieved September 19, 2019.
  15. ^ "Matzek wins grants totaling $110K". scu.edu. August 8, 2016. Retrieved September 19, 2019.
  16. ^ "Matzek will design state's oak woodlands carbon policy". scu.edu. March 22, 2018. Retrieved September 19, 2019.
  17. ^ "Women's marches live updates: Millions march in L.A. and around the world following Trump's inauguration". Los Angeles Times. January 21, 2017. Retrieved September 19, 2019.
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