Ms. Laura Urban, a graduate student at the University of Connecticut (UConn) in the Department of Plant Science and Landscape Architecture with a focus on geospatial analysis of plant systems in the Northeast. As part of her involvement in the regional USDA Hatch grant and the National Needs Fellowship, she developed a geoprocessing toolbox that integrates high-resolution land cover data, habitat suitability rankings, pollinator foraging distances, and connectivity analyses to provide a comprehensive evaluation of pollinator habitats along transportation corridors.

Under the advisement of Dr. Julia Kuzovkina is a Professor in the Department of Plant Science and Landscape Architecture at UConn. She specializes in restoration ecology and has led numerous projects focused on establishing native plant communities. Notably, she directed two initiatives funded by the New England Transportation Consortium aimed at promoting the use of native vegetation along roadsides throughout the region.