María C. Tocora ( she/her), Frederickson Lab

What do you study? I study how animals, plants and microbes have evolved together, and how these interactions can help them adapt to their environments.

What does this mean you do day to day? I work with ants and their microbes, so I spend a lot of time elbow deep in leaf litter and rotting tree trunks. These ants end up getting squished for DNA extraction and sequence analysis, and so I spend lots of time at my computer, processing data and thinking about how my work fits into what others are doing.

When you aren’t elbow deep in mulch, how do you spend your time? Whenever I’m not working, I enjoy doing nature walks, and walking around Toronto parks (usually looking for rotting wood and leaf litter that could be good for finding ants). I also like teaching my lab mates Spanish and listening to podcasts about science and women’s studies.

Why did you take on this committee work? As a proud Latinx in STEM, I constantly strive to make science a more inclusive and open field. I’m involved in an initiative—called the Neotropical Ants Study Group (@HormigasN on Twitter)—that promotes and supports open access science by organising seminars and talks with top scientists in multiple languages to encourage minority groups to enrol in STEM. Working on the department’s Mental Health Committee and EEB Allyship Network, I want to promote and support mental wellness as a daily-life priority, and provide a safe and welcoming space, where everyone can feel they belong, be heard, and supported.

As a member of this committee, what relevant training have you received? Identify, Assist, Refer, SafeTALK: Suicide Alertness for Everyone, and Sexual Violence Disclosure Skills.

How would I find you if I need to? If you are interested in contacting me, please email me (maria.tocora@mail.utoronto.ca). I am most available for in-person and online meetings on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays.