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Gina Mantica

PhD Candidate | Science Communicator | Dancer

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Publications

Click through to see my peer-reviewed publications, science journalism articles, and blog-style posts.

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Check out these cool ✨ F A I R Y T A L E ✨pumpkins! 😍 Did you know that pumpkins change color, just like leaves do, in the fall?🍂 Most pumpkins start off green 💚and change to the beloved #jackolantern orange🧡. How do pumpkins change color? 🤔 . . . . . . Pumpkins produce a green pigment 💚 called chlorophyll. You might’ve heard of chlorophyll before-it’s a chemical in plants 🌿 necessary for capturing light energy from the sun ☀️. The plants then use this light energy to turn carbon dioxide and water into food! 😋 When fall arrives and the days get shorter🌘, pumpkins have less chlorophyll molecules because there isn’t as much sun for them to absorb😱. Less chlorophyll means less green pigment, and thus the shift of color✨! The orange pigment 🧡 shines through when there is less chlorophyll due to molecules known as carotenoids (which are also found in carrots! 🥕) . . . . . . . What color pumpkin is YOUR favorite?! Comment below! 💃🏼

✨F A M I L Y ✨

#mondaymotivation 🙏. I see so many posts with this hashtag about fitness and physical health💪, but your mental health is important, too! 💕

South African dung beetles compete fiercely for the chance to eat the poop 💩 of other animals. . . . . . When a beetle comes across a pile of dung 💩in the savannah🌾, it quickly cuts off a piece, rolls it into a ball, and heads off in reverse with its stinky prize, away from other hungry beetles👏. . . . . . To efficiently escape with their trophy🏆, the beetles move in a straight line, orienting themselves with celestial objects such as the sun☀️ or moon🌙. However, new research suggests that the beetles can also steer based on changes in wind 🌬direction. CLICK THE LINK IN MY BIO TO LEARN MORE! ✨

One with the animals🙏 . . . . . . . . . . #winslowfarmanimalsanctuary #animalsanctuary #donkey #science #scientist #dance #dancer

Our skin saw the sunlight for the first time in what feels like forever. ☀️ Also, we saw SEALS!😍

I haven’t danced in a month because I chipped a bone in my wrist when I fell down that flight of stairs at #birdsongmeeting2019 😭🙈. But, my hard cast is finally off, and I AM READY TO MOOOOOVE✨💃🏼 Flashback Friday to the class where I was dancing with a broken wrist before I went to the doctor 🤦🏼‍♀️ ... . . . . ... #Repost @jazzincdance with @get_repost . . . No copyright infringement intended. For educational use only. Music by James Morrison Choreography by Stephanie Heroux . . . #jazzdance #bostondance #gottadance #gottajazz #leaveitallonthedancefloor #soulfulsundays #dancesmarter #dancestronger #dancelonger #fitbodies #jazzdiva #feelthefloor #makeitcount #contemporaryjazz #justdance #whatsyourwhy #hozier #movement #itjustfeelsgood #inthegroove #inthemoment #dancehere #dancenow

Had an amazing time presenting my dissertation research 🔬 for the first time at #birdsongmeeting2019 🐦! It was also our first conference as a lab (minus our PI). Peep the second picture 👀 to see the beautiful view I had 🏞 before I slipped and fell down a whole flight of stairs😂.

I can’t wait to share the project @amberleilaniphotography and I have been working on💃🏼👩🏼‍🔬. They say “don’t become your work”, but why not become a bird?🐦 Makeup by the always lovely @leslie_anne1987 💋

Too bad I can-CAN’T move my legs after this weekend😂. Had an amazing time performing with @jazzincdance at @mfaboston 💃🏼. Go check out the newest exhibit, “Toulouse-Lautrec and the Stars of Paris” to learn more about the can-can, serpentine dance, and the celebrity culture of 19th century Paris!✨

🥚🌡➡️🐣🏃‍♂️ What’s the story behind these emojis? Read my latest piece on research from @fiuinstagram in Outside JEB to find out! LINK IN MY BIO👆

Sorry not sorry that my Instagram feed is slowing becoming pictures/videos of dancing and ice cream-that’s ME! 💃🏼🍦

In the wise words of Mr. @dierksbentley “some days you’re just alive, and some days you’re living.” 💐

Thank you @cb_scoops for the AMAZING ice cream pizza!🍦🍕😍 20 minutes after picking it up, and it’s half-gone (shouts out to my coworkers for the assist). #notsponsored #icecream #icecreampizza

Happy anniversary, ya goof. A little over 4 years ago, I told my mom I would never find my “person” when I transferred back to my all-women’s college. My mom said “just you wait, Gina. I bet that you’ll find the one out there.” Sure enough, like always, my mom was right. . . . . When I first met you in that coffee shop, I thought two things: 1) wow he’s such a hipster, sitting there in an olive-colored beanie and 2) I feel like I’ve known him forever. I’m still not sure how it’s possible to feel like you’ve known someone you’ve only just met, but I’m pretty sure that means I found the one whom my soul loves. I love you💕