I’m the outgoing lead research assistant on the Echinacea Project. I started as an REU student in 2021, stuck around to work in the lab, came back for summers in the intern role, and got a master’s degree out of the arrangement, to boot! This June marks four years for me with Team Echinacea, and it was four years well spent. I’ll be moving to the San Francisco Bay Area later this summer, and will dearly miss the summer crew, the field work, and the prairie. But I’m looking forward to seeing everyone the first week and wishing you a fantastic summer! Don’t be a stranger, now.
Pronouns: she/her
Research Interests
My thesis focused on the heritability of fire-stimulated flowering in Echinacea, which I think is pretty neat. I enjoyed using our awesome experimental plots to look into how parent and offspring plants might be behaving similarly (or not!) in response to burns. And of course, fire itself is an amazingly cool experimental treatment. How lucky I’ve been to work with it. In general, I’m interested in population dynamics, cue-based/synchronized reproduction (masting, and more?), and fire ecology.
Statement
I’m from Chanhassen, MN, but I’ve spent the last 6 school years in Chicagoland. I feel lucky to have spent my summers up in Minnesota, as I love the prairie and the lakes and the people. I love to cook, I love to fish, and I love to fish and then cook the catch! I’d highly recommend this to current and future team members. Team Echinacea has canoes!
This one got sent back into the lake instead of going in the frying pan. Go make some more bass! (5.9 lbs, but who’s counting)
I am an graduate student at Northwestern University / Chicago Botanic Garden, pursuing a M.S. in Plant Biology and Conservation, and have worked as a research assistant and a lab manager for Team Echinacea. My thesis research will focus on Asteraceae species presence and richness in remnant and restored prairies in western Minnesota.
Pronouns: She/They
Research Interests
I am very much interested in restoration ecology and land management. Prairies have always had a special place in my heart and were one of the first ecosystems I truly fell in love with. I hope to create practical and functional conservation plans for protecting our prairies, the most endangered ecosystem in the world, in the future.
Statement
I grew up in southeast Iowa, but have been living in Illinois for the past 3 years. When I’m not working I love to be paddle boarding, hammocking, cooking, reading, or snuggling my 6-year-old tuxedo cat named Mo.
My cat Mo!Me at the Orchid Show at Chicago Botanic Garden
I am a high school science teacher from La Salle High School in Yakima, Washington. Before I was a teacher, I was an ecologist studying plant communities in savanna landscapes. At La Salle, our campus contains nine acres of restored riparian habitat that we manage in partnership with the Yakama Tribal Fisheries Project. My goal this summer is to participate in and learn from Echinacea Project’s ongoing activities and to develop a long-term research project to bring home for science students at La Salle.
I’m a junior in Environmental Science at Western Washington University, expecting to graduate winter quarter 2025.
Pronouns: He/Him
Research Interests
I’m very interested the ecology of botany, mycology and soil. I’d be very interested in learning about how invasive species and fire ecology affect community structure of prairie ecosystems.
Statement
I’m currently going to school in Bellingham, WA but I grew up in Eden Prairie, MN, glad to be back in the plains.
In my spare time I like to rock climb and kayak, birdwatch, forage mushrooms, read, and play banjo and guitar.
I graduated from Smith College this spring with a B.A. in Biology and concentration in Biodiversity, Ecology, and Conservation.
Pronouns: any pronouns
Research Interests
I am interested in botany and entomology, particularly plant-insect interactions such as pollination and herbivory. I am also interested in taxonomy and biodiversity and enjoy learning about organisms that fill unique biological niches.
Statement
I am from Boone, North Carolina and grew up exploring the biology of the southern Appalachian mountains. I love hiking, hammocking, and spending time in the woods. I also enjoy playing music and painting.
I graduated from Alaska Pacific University in 2022 with a B.S in Marine and Environmental Science with a concentration in Ecology and minored in Mathematics for Environmental Science. Currently I am an incoming graduate student at Northwestern University / Chicago Botanic Garden, pursuing a M.S. in Plant Biology and Conservation starting this fall.
Pronouns: She/They
Research Interests
I am very much interested in restoration ecology and land management. Prairies have always had a special place in my heart as my mom worked to restore the 20 acres of prairie surrounding my childhood home. My biggest interest is looking into plant-pollinator resources post fire.
Statement
I grew up in southeast Iowa, but have been living in Illinois for the past year and half. While there I worked for a land management company specializing in prairie restoration, invasive species removal, commercial herbicide application, and prescribe fires with many of the projects being contracted by Illinois Department of Natural Resources.
When I’m not working I love to be paddle boarding, hammocking, cooking a large meal, reading with my toes in the grass, or snuggling my 5-year-old tuxedo cat named Mo.
I did my undergrad in journalism and environmental science at Northwestern University, graduating in 2023. I also did my master’s at Northwestern, and defended last Tuesday (June 4, 2024)! This summer I’ll be finishing up my revisions to get my degree at the end of August
Pronouns: She/her
Research Interests
My thesis focused on the heritability of fire-stimulated flowering in Echinacea, which I think is pretty neat. I enjoyed using our awesome experimental plots to look into how parent and offspring plants might be behaving similarly (or not!). And of course, fire is super neat. As time allows, I’d love to expand upon my thesis work to make it more robust, including looking into selection of phenotypes, phenotype expression of plants in remnants, comparing remnants, and more.
Statement
I’m from Chanhassen, MN, but have spent the last 5 school years in and around Chicago. I feel lucky to continue to spend my summers up in Minnesota, as I love the prairie and the lakes and the people. My favorite activity once I get home from work is cooking with friends, and I hope to do lots of that this summer. I’m also looking forward to fishing with folks on the crew, and hopefully taking home the catch and making a meal of it. Yum!
Me pondering an Echinacea (purpurea, shhh) after graduation at the Chicago Botanic Garden
I graduated from the University of North Carolina at Charlotte. I majored in Biology and minored in Environmental Science.
Pronouns: She/Her
Research Interests
I am interested in learning more about the effect of prescribed burns on pollinator species.
Statement
I am originally from Charlotte, North Carolina, and I currently reside in Dallas, Texas.
In my spare time I play a mean game of Wordle (I usually get it in 3 or less attempts). I enjoy jigsaw puzzles, reading, talking to my houseplants, and watching reruns of Star Trek. Live long and prosper.
I Graduated University of Minnesota Class in 2022 with a B.S. in Ecology, Evolution, and Behavior, and a B.A. in Classics (aka. Latin). Currently I am a graduate student at Northwestern University/Chicago Botanic Garden, pursuing a M.S. in Plant Biology and Conservation.
Pronouns: He/Him/His
Research Interests
I am interested in restoration ecology, in particular for grassland ecosystems like prairies. Bees have always had a special place in my heart, especially the ground-nesters! Much of my the data for my master’s thesis will be coming from Echinacea Project’s ENTRF study on bees and fire in prairies.
Statement
I grew up in Saint Paul, Minnesota, and remained in the area until I moved to Chicago to start my M.S. When not in the field, I like to run, climb, get on the water in any capacity, make my own kombucha, read, and hang out with my pet python!
