She has been involved in freshmen programs since coming to Loyola in 1997, teaching in first year programs, serving as Core Advisor most years, and serving on the boards of both Messina and the Honors Program. Bernadette teaches Plant Ecology and Plant-Animal Interactions, as well as introductory biology majors courses such as Ecology, Evolution, and Diversity. She regularly teaches the non-majors Environmental Biology course, and has adapted that course for Messina this year. Her research is on the evolutionary ecology of a small mustard, the lyre-leaved rock cress. She is also expanding her research into urban environmental education. In her spare time, she enjoys doing things with her family, singing in the church choir, scuba diving, hiking with the dogs, gardening, cooking, and traveling. Mentor Biography