Bridget Wessa Staff Research Associate Jepson Herbarium 1001 Valley Life Sciences Bldg., # 2465 Berkeley, CA 94720-2465 (510) 643-7008 bridge_@uclink4.berkeley.edu

I received my bachelor of art's in bacteriology from the University of California at Davis in 1984 and began a varied career in research which has included working with molecular biology, insect cell culture, protein chemistry and pathology for the biotechnology industry and for grant funded research positions. I took a year away from research to travel. I worked as crew on a boat across the Pacific Ocean from Mexico to New Zealand and then I spent some time in Japan. In 1993 I earned a professional clear secondary level teaching credential in Life Science and Chemistry from Sonoma State University and taught for 2 years in Sonoma County. In 1994 I returned to research and did a short stint in Marine Biology working with Chinook salmon.

I have been a staff research associate for the Jepson Curator, Dr. Bruce Baldwin, since 1995. I am responsible for all stages of providing data for phylogenetic analysis: DNA extraction, PCR amplification, automated sequencing, and data organization. I manage the herbaria molecular laboratory and train graduate students and postdoctoral researchers in our molecular techniques and other protocols pertinent to phylogenetic research.

Recreational interests:

Gardening, photography and Adobe Photoshop, camping, traveling and hanging out with my cats.

Publications:

Baldwin, B. G., Preston, R. E., Wessa, B. L., and Wetherwax, M. 2001

A biosystematic and phylogenetic assessment of sympatric taxa in Blepharizonia (Compositae--Madiinae). Systematic Botany 26: 184-194

Baldwin, B. G. and Wessa, B. L. 2000

Origin and relationships of the tarweed-silversword lineage (Compositae-Madiinae). American Journal of Botany 87: 1890-1908

Baldwin, B. G. and Wessa, B. L. 2000

Phylogenetic placement of Pelucha and new subtribes in Helenieae sensu stricto (Compositae). Systematic Botany 25: 522-538

Baldwin, B.G. and Wessa, B.L. 1997

Origin of Madiinae and Dimeresia from within Chaenactidinae (Asteraceae). American Journal of Botany 84: 176-177

Baldwin, B.G., Armbruster, W. Scott, and Wessa, B.L. 1996

Molecular evidence for independent origins of similar pollination systems and inflorescence architectures in New World and Madagascar Dalechampia (Euphorbiaceae). American Journal of Botany 83: 139

Baldwin, B.G., Kyhos, D.W., Martens, S.N., Vasek, F.C., and Wessa, B.L. 1996

Natural hybridization between species of Ambrosia and Hymenoclea salsola (Compositae). Madroño 43: 15-27.

Naggert, J., A. Witkowski, B. Wessa. 1991.

Expression in Escherichia coli, purification and characterization of two mammalian thioesterases involved in fatty acid synthesis. Biochemical Journal 273: 787-790.

Witkowski, A., J. Naggert, B. Wessa, S. Smith. 1991.

A Catalytic Role of Histidine 237 in Rat Mammary Gland Thioesterase II. Journal of Biological Chemistry 266: 18514-18519.