Her talk, "What's Bugging the Forest? " is free and open to the public. It is co-sponsored by the Los Alamos Women in Science organization.
Sandoval will discuss changes in the forest, current forest conditions, and common insects seen in the area since the 2000 Cerro Grande fire and drought in recent years. The bark beetle has been a major concern in the past couple of years, because of the devastating affect it has had on hundreds of trees in the area. She will talk about the conditions that led to the manifestation of the beetle and its current status, and will discuss some of the other insects affecting the forest and their roll in the ecosystem.
Located out of Santa Fe, Sandoval works statewide providing educational programs about tree pests to homeowners and land managers.
Sandoval received her master's degree in forest resources at the University of Idaho, where her research dealt with bark beetles, woodborers and their predators' establishments in intentionally created snags in harvested stands.
For more information on the Extension Plant Sciences Department of the New Mexico State University Cooperative Extension Services, go to http://spectre.nmsu.edu/dept/welcome.html?t=plant online.
Check the Los Alamos Women in Science Web site for more information about upcoming talks at http://nmnwse.org/lawis/lunchtalks online.
The Bradbury Science Museum is located at 15th Street and Central Avenue in downtown Los Alamos. Museum hours apart from special events are 1 to 5 p.m., Sunday and Monday and 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., Tuesday through Saturday.
The Bradbury Science Museum is part of Los Alamos' Public Affairs Office.
For more information, contact Pat Berger of the museum at 665-0896.
Los Alamos National Laboratory, a multidisciplinary research institution engaged in strategic science on behalf of national security, is operated by Los Alamos National Security, LLC, a team composed of Bechtel National, the University of California, The Babcock & Wilcox Company, and Washington Group International for the Department of Energy's National Nuclear Security Administration.
Los Alamos enhances national security by ensuring the safety and reliability of the U.S. nuclear stockpile, developing technologies to reduce threats from weapons of mass destruction, and solving problems related to energy, environment, infrastructure, health, and global security concerns.