About Me
Hello! My name is Andrew Centanni, and I'm a biologist from the Sonoran Desert. I created this site for my students, my community, and anyone else interested in learning about plant and animal life. Scroll down to learn more about my background and credentials ⇩
I was born with a love for the living world which eventually led me to study Animal Physiology & Behavior at ASU, after which I received my Master's degree in Secondary Ed.
Early in my teaching career, I was tasked with teaching botany to at-risk youth at the alternative public school where I worked. Knowing almost nothing specific about plants (having spent my academic career studying animals), I reached out to professors such as Liz Makings at ASU to help me build my new botany curriculum. The resulting semester of lessons kick-started my passion for plants.
Years later, I began writing a Zoology/Botany curriculum for my new work site, based on the unique educational experiences I'd had up to that point. I began teaching this curriculum in 2019, but was quickly interrupted by the COVID-19 pandemic.
After spending the '20-'21 academic year teaching virtual lessons, I decided to begin taking landscaping courses from the Desert Botanical Garden's Desert Landscape School to learn practical horticulture techniques that I could teach my students once they came back in person. Concurrently, I began renovating the school's garden space, which featured a run-down greenhouse, a dilapidated patio, and a large plot of bare dirt.
In May 2026, I completed my Master's program and received my degree in Plant Biology & Conservation. A manuscript written from my thesis, "The Zingeria Model System," is currently under review for inclusion in the journal The American Biology Teacher.
A future goal of mine is to carry out the methods outlined in my thesis with my students using a Sonoran Desert species, Xanthisma gracile, in place of Zingeria.
In the fall of 2023, I began my second Master's degree in Plant Biology & Conservation at ASU. Working in the lab of Dr. Changbin Chen, I studied the cytogenetics of a grass called Zingeria beibersteiniana, with a focus on how it could be used as a model organism for teaching cell division (and much more) in a secondary education setting. By the fall of the following year, I'd received my full professional credential from Desert Landscape School.
Whether you are a student, parent, or community member, I hope that through this website, you're able to find resources that help you learn more about wildlife and horticulture in the Sonoran Desert and beyond.
As I continue to further my education and professional development, I will upload new resources to help you further your own education as well.
Thanks for reading!