Ariel grew up in North County of San Diego, CA and transferred to Cal Poly Humboldt for their soils program. Having never been further north than Davis, CA, forestry wasn?t something they had spent a lot of time thinking about. They found an unexpected passion for tree physiology and graduated from Humboldt with a B.S. in Forestry (Soils) in 2017. During their time at Humboldt, they spent both summers assisting professors on various research projects. One of those projects culminated in their senior thesis which focused on what types of landowners joined California?s carbon market and why they were motivated to join. They are now a Master?s student in the Tree Physiology and Forest Measurements Lab with Dr. Lucy Kerhoulas as their advisor. First fascinated by the unique properties of water molecules in their sixth-grade classroom, Ariel now uses deuterium isotopes to investigate the mechanisms of water absorption through foliage, bark, and adventitious roots in the canopy in Picea sitchensis (Sitka spruce) and how water absorption and physiological characteristics interact. They are investigating how Sitka spruce in the coastal redwood ecosystem may be using fog water to reduce water tension throughout the canopy, and how that affects foliar physiology.