Current research in the Shebitz Lab at Kean University:

1. Monitoring the spread and affects of invasive plants in Union County Parks
   
2. Assessing the effectiveness of various restoration methods for controlling garlic mustard (Alliaria petiolata) along the Elizabeth River
   
3. Calculating carbon sequestration in mitigated and natural wetlands
   
4. Determining the affect of pollutants on native and invasive plant germination and growth
   
5. Evaluating species richness and environmental characteristics in an urban watershed using a BioBlitz approach

Ethnobotany

1. Evaluating the effects of traditional burning practices on beargrass (Xerophyllum tenax)
   
2. Assessing the nutritional value of the Pacific Northwest Native American root crops
   
3. Integrating traditional ecological knowledge into the restoration of ethnobotanically significant plants

Daniela Shebitz is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Biological Science at Kean University where she teaches courses such as Ecology, Applied Ecology, Medicinal Botany and Urban Ecology. She is also chairing an initiative to develop a Sustainability Science Major at Kean. Daniela is the co-Chair of the Institute of Urban Ecosystem Studies (IUES) and of the Sustainability Task Force at Kean University.

Her research focuses on the interactions between people and their environment, ranging from Native American land management techniques and plant uses to the spread and control of invasive species in urban ecosystems. She earned her Ph.D. in Ecosystem Science from the University of Washington, Seattle in 2006. Her B.S. (1997) and Master's Degrees (2001) in Environmental and Forest Biology are from the SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry in Syracuse, New York.

Daniela Shebitz, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor, Ecology
Kean University, Biology Department