About

Freddy Herrera was born in Quito, Ecuador in 1988. The next twelve years of his life were spent practicing the craft of football (aka soccer) until his promising career was cut short because his family moved to Queens, NY. He spent the next year learning English and his family relocated next to Charlotte, NC. Freddy attended East Carolina University where he majored in Biology. Beginning his sophomore year, summer s were spent working with Dr. David Chalcraft in the Croatan National Forest, sampling and collecting organisms in temporary pond ecosystems. In these years, Freddy's passion for playing football outdoors would shift to just plain enjoyment of the outdoors. In the fall 2010, Freddy began his graduate career at UNC-Greensboro. He is currently working on his master's in Biology.

Research Interests

Freddy studies the weedy plant Plantago lanceolata, commonly known as English plantain, with interests in understanding how its flowers change color depending on ambient temperature. In warm environments, all individuals produce lightly colored flowers. However, in cool environments some individuals produce darkly colored flowers while others continue to produce lightly colored flowers. Freddy's research focus is testing whether or not this phenotypic plasticity allows English plantain to colonize new environments.