The Longcore Lab @ UCLA is located within the UCLA Institute of the Environment and Sustainability. Our focus is on issues of urban nature and sustainability, and applied conservation science. Major themes include:
- measurement and assessment of impacts of light pollution at multiple scales and on wildlife, ecosystems, and humans;
- applied conservation planning using spatial tools to gain insight on and guide conservation action; and
- harnessing emerging or underexploited spatial data sources to leverage against complex conservation or sustainability challenges.
Our current and recent projects include:
- Coast Light (Sea Grant)
- LEDs and Terrestrial Wildlife (Caltrans)
- Central Idaho Dark Sky Reserve STEM Network (Boise State Univ./NASA)
- Heat Resilient LA (Sustainable LA Grand Challenge)
- Los Angeles Landscape History (Haynes Foundation)
- Conservation Planning for Rare Plants on San Clemente Island (US Navy)
Team
Postodctoral Scholar
Sahar Derakhshan joined the lab in January 2022 to work on the Heat Resilient LA project.
Undergraduates
Jules de la Cruz – Jules is a senior undergraduate at UCLA (Class of 2023) majoring in Environmental Science with a concentration in Atmospheric & Oceanic Sciences. Her coursework has covered both the technical and theoretical aspects of the environmental sciences, from climate modeling and GIS to atmospheric thermodynamics and oceanic geochemistry. She has participated in a variety of environmental research projects, from quantifying light pollution in Los Angeles through the Sustainable Los Angeles Grand Challenge to training an AI how to predict the evolution of ice shelf rifts for NOAA, and enjoys working on a variety of topics. She is a UCLA Grand Challenges University Research Scholar, is currently working on the CalTrans LEDs and Wildlife project and is a NASA Light Pollution Ambassador.
Ahalya Sabaratnam is a junior undergraduate (Class of 2024) majoring in Environmental Science and minoring in Environmental Systems and Society. She is passionate about light pollution in terms of education and understanding its impact on humans, and in her free time, she enjoys hiking and yoga. She is a UCLA Grand Challenges University Research Scholar, is currently working on the CalTrans LEDs and Wildlife project and is a NASA Light Pollution Ambassador.
Aslan Li – Aslan is currently a third year Ecology, Behavior and Evolution major and GIS minor at UCLA (Class of 2024). She is interested in geospatial analysis, biodiversity, and conservation, and wishes to continue studying ecology in grad school after graduation. Outside of the lab, she enjoys birding (Instagram: @overthewingssss), hiking, and volunteering at environmental restoration organizations. She is is currently working on the CalTrans LEDs and Wildlife project and is a NASA Light Pollution Ambassador.
Jake Wright – Jake is a junior undergrad (Class of 2024) majoring in Environmental Science and Minoring in Environmental Engineering. He loves cooking, playing intramural sports, and spending time outdoors especially since LA is so much warmer than his hometown of Boston. He’s excited to work on light pollution related projects with the Longcore Lab this year. Jake is a UCLA Grand Challenges University Research Scholar, is currently working on the CalTrans LEDs and Wildlife project and is a NASA Light Pollution Ambassador.
Chloe Belinsky – Chloe is a senior undergraduate at UCLA (Class of 2023) majoring in Environmental Science with a concentration in Environmental Engineering. Her favorite coursework focuses on tropical climates, island ecosystems, and ocean conservation — which she hopes to pursue research in post-grad. In her free time, she enjoys nature photography and making pottery. Chloe is currently working with The Bay Foundation on the Santa Monica Rocky Intertidal Preserve for her senior practicum project, and the Los Angeles Landscape History Project in the Longcore Lab.
Collaborators
Nina Noujdina – Geospatial Analyst. (Google Scholar Publications).
Beau MacDonald – Applied Biogeographer and GIS Analyst at USC Spatial Sciences Institute.
Alumni
Mahliya Purificacion – NASA Light Pollution Ambassador
Ashley Fernando – UCLA Grand Challenges University Research Scholar
Wanting Peng — Visiting Doctoral Scholar
Maria Carias, Shawn Fujioka, Jacob Phaneuf, Megan Potter, Ieva Vaiciunas, Lynn Wilder, Cassidy Wood, and Jacqueline Yu — Preserving the night sky: Monitoring light pollution affecting the Central Idaho Dark Sky Reserve
Eliza Gutierrez-Dewar – Spatial and Temporal Dynamics of Illuminated Boats at Night
Levi Simons, Benjamin Banet, Harrison Knapp, Yu Chuan Shan, Kiana Kerr, Cameron Levine, and Camille Verendia – Coast Light and Park Light
Hannah Aldern, John Eggers, Steve Flores, Lesly Franco, Eric Hirshfield-Yamanishi, Laina Petrinec, and Wilson Yan – Tuning the white light spectrum of residential lamps for reducing nocturnal insect attraction
Jennifer M. Chan, Terry H. Chen, Yuxin Jin, Nicole M. Tachiki, Sara L. Vetter, Megan L. Vyenielo, Gina Y. Zheng – Evaluating Certified Wildlife Habitats and the minds behind them
Lindsay Almaleh, Brittany Chetty, Kathryn Francis, Ching-Sheng Huang, Brooke Pickett, Mike Wright, Robert Freidin, Diane Schreck, Brooke Scruggs, Elise Shulman, Alissa Swauger, and Allison Tashnek – Wildlife Underpass Use and Environmental Impact Assessment: A Southern California Case Study
Tatiana Briones, Wendy Chao, Joshua Cox, Thomas Lau, Alizah Mooman, Amy Sen, and Isabel Sepkowitz – Development of citizen science protocols to measure sound and light levels for bird ecology
Gabriel Albano, Tanya Bitcon, Maanya Condamoor, Sirena Lao, Greg Lopez, Ryan Sokolovsky – Large mammal movement in the eastern Santa Monica Mountains
Brett Bova, Misa Downey, Natalie Marte, Justin Penn, Kirstie Ruppert, Karen Vu, and Shotaro Yamada – Climate change vulnerability assessments for terrestrial and freshwater vertebrates in the Mediterranean Coast Network of National Parks
Margarita Armendariz, Allison Davison, Alessandro Maganuco, and Aaron Whitby – Crow density and anthropogenic subsidies near the Venice, California Least Tern colony
Monica Bartos, Stephanie Falzone, Kaitlin Kelly–Reif, Cassandra Vasquez, Jennifer Ward, Sylvie Dao, Dale Douk, Eric Gumerlock, Stephanie Hoekstra, David Mori, Chay Tang, and Sarah Young – Use of Anticoagulant Rodenticides in Single-Family Neighborhoods Along an Urban-Wildland Interface in California
Travis Longcore 