Moises Perea-Vega, an assistant specialist at UC Irvine, focuses on land management and ecology research, particularly regarding the impact of climate change on Southern California's local ecosystem. Growing up in a low-income Los Angeles neighborhood with limited exposure to nature, Moises discovered his passion for ecology in the eleventh grade and pursued it by majoring in Ecology and Evolutionary Biology at UCI, despite facing pre-med prerequisites unrelated to his field.

As an assistant specialist, he oversees UCI's natural reserves and manages projects on climate change's effect on the Coastal Sage Scrub plant community. Moises emphasizes that ecology involves significant manual work and aims to share findings to contribute to efficient restoration methods.

He believes hands-on experience and observation of the natural world in classrooms can ignite students' curiosity and inspire climate action through education. Moises acknowledges the role of science communication in helping people understand environmental issues and allocate resources better.

While recognizing limitations in policy influence, he sees sustainability becoming a positive trend and holds hope for the environment's improvement. Moises encourages PK-12 teachers to explore Southern California's natural areas and urges students to consider careers in science, recognizing their crucial role in addressing environmental challenges.