The Echinacea Project is looking for enthusiastic undergraduate researchers for the 2022 summer field season. Our project investigates how small population size and reduced genetic diversity influence individual fitness, population demographics, plant-insect interactions and evolution in the purple coneflower, Echinacea angustifolia. We seek students with interests in plant population biology, evolution and quantitative genetics, pollination biology, plant-insect interactions, and conservation biology. This REU (research experience for undergraduates) is a great opportunity for aspiring ecologists, conservation biologists, and evolutionary biologists to gain field research experience. There are also opportunities for those with quantitative backgrounds (statistics, math, computer science) to gain experience managing data, programming, or modeling. All will learn about the ecology and evolution of plants in fragmented prairies! Read more general information about our field season!
2021 team members Allie (REU), Maris (field assistant), Miyauna (field assistant), and Wesley (REU) collect phenology data on a flowering echinacea
Program Details
The main field season runs June through August. The exact start and end dates are negotiable–this year starting in May may be possible. There is a $600/week stipend and travel expenses to the research site are covered. We provide housing.
Independent project: You will develop an independent research project in consultation with the two principal investigators of the project, Dr. Stuart Wagenius and Dr. Ruth Shaw. You will also get an opportunity to practice informal and formal science communication with other members of the team. Projects can explore questions about the ecology and evolutionary biology of Echinacea angustifolia, other prairie plant species, pollinators, or herbivores. All work occurs in the context of prairie remnants which allows projects to be directly applicable to conservation challenges of habitat fragmentation. Here are some examples of potential projects:
“Performance of hybrid Echinacea plants compared to native Echinacea angustifolia“
“Influence of prescribed fires on the survival of old and young Echinacea angustifolia plants”
“Long-term effects of aphids on survival and growth of Echinacea angustifolia plants”
“Effects of fire on reproduction in common insect- and wind-pollinated prairie plants” (not Echinacea)”
“Trade-off between reproductive success and future reproductive effort in Echinacea angustifolia“
“Influence of fire on the environment experienced by emerging Echinacea angustifolia seedlings”
Qualifications: We are looking for undergraduate students who are willing to work outdoors in adverse conditions, exhibit patience, pay attention to detail, possess good hand-eye coordination and fine motor skills, work well independently and as part of a team, and have a strong interest in scientific research. During the summer, REU participants must be enrolled in an undergraduate institution and be a US citizen or permanent resident of the US or its possessions. Individuals from groups historically excluded from sciences and conservation are particularly encouraged to apply.
No experience is necessary, but you must be enthusiastic and hard-working.
Jay (REU 2019) plants Echinacea seedlings at a local Minnesota high school
How to apply
If you enjoy working outdoors and you are excited to learn about the ecology and evolution of plants in fragmented prairies, please apply for an REU with the Echinacea Project. To apply, please do the following:
a statement that you are eligible for the REU program
your resume
your transcript (unofficial OK)
Ask a professor or employer to email us a letter of recommendation
Send your application via email to echinaceaProject@gmail.com with the subject line “Summer REU intern application” by 24 February 2022 at 12pm (noon) CST. Format your cover letter, resume, and transcript as pdf files. Begin each file name with your surname.
Review of applications will begin on 24 February 2022 at 12pm (noon) CST. To ensure that your application is thoroughly considered, submit by the deadline. However, we will review applications until positions are filled. Please include an email address and phone number where you can be reached during March.
You are welcome to apply to multiple positions with Team Echinacea with the same application. Please indicate which positions you are interested in on the form you submit with your application.
Allie and Wesley (REU 2021) hunt for Echinacea plants in experimental plot p1
More information
First, read about our field season! If you have any questions, contact a team member via e-mail. Read about our lab and field activities on the flog and more about the project’s background.
Please note that the Echinacea Project’s REU opportunity through Chicago Botanic Garden’s “Genes to ecosystems” REU program is the SAME as this opportunity.
The Echinacea Project is looking for interested and enthusiastic summer researchers for the 2020 summer field season. Our project investigates how small population size and reduced genetic diversity influence individual fitness, population demographics, plant-insect interactions and evolution in the purple coneflower, Echinacea angustifolia. We are seeking students with interests in plant population biology, evolution and quantitative genetics, pollination biology, plant-insect interactions, and conservation biology. We also encourage statisticians and computer scientists with an interest in ecology and evolution to apply. This REU (research experience for undergraduates) is a great opportunity for aspiring ecologists, conservation biologists, and evolutionary biologists to gain field research experience. There are also opportunities for those with strong quantitative interests to gain experience managing data, programming, or modeling. All will learn about the ecology and evolution of plants in fragmented prairies! Read more general information about our field season!
Program Details
2019 Team members Erin (left,) Jay (center, REU participant) and Julie (right, REU participant) looking for Echinacea amidst corn.
The main field season runs June through August. The exact start and end dates are negotiable. There is a $600/week stipend plus housing and travel expenses to the research site are covered.
Independent project: You will develop an independent research project in consultation with the two principal investigators of the project, Dr. Stuart Wagenius and Dr. Ruth Shaw. You will also get an opportunity to practice informal and formal science communication with other members of the team. Projects can explore questions about the ecology and evolutionary biology of Echinacea angustifolia, another prairie plant species, pollinators, or herbivores. All work occurs in the context of prairie remnants which allows projects to be directly applicable to conservation challenges of habitat fragmentation. Here are some examples of past projects:
“Insect diversity in prairie remnants”
“The effect of remnant size on the diversity of Echinacea-visiting ant species”
“Effect of inbreeding on symmetry of floral display”
“Competition between Echinacea and thistles for pollinators”
“Pollinating bees of Echinacea angustifolia: who gets the job done?”
“Flowering Phenology of the Prairie Forb E. angustifolia in Fragmented Populations”
“Ant species richness and abundance in Western Minnesotan prairie fragmented by large-scale agriculture”
“Invasion by hybridization between native and non-native purple coneflowers”
“Management of invasive tree species in prairie experimental plots”
“The effect of prairie burns on Echinacea flowering synchrony”
Qualifications: We are looking for undergraduate students who are willing to work outdoors in adverse conditions, exhibit patience, pay attention to detail, possess good hand-eye coordination and fine motor skills, work well independently and as part of a team, and have a strong interest in scientific research. During the summer, REU participants must be enrolled in an undergraduate institution and be a US citizen or permanent resident of the US or its possessions. Individuals from groups historically excluded from sciences and conservation are particularly encouraged to apply.
No experience is necessary, but you must be enthusiastic and hard-working.
How to apply
Jay along with the rest of the team plants Echinacea seedlings at a local Minnesota high school
If you enjoy working outdoors and you are excited to learn about the ecology and evolution of plants in fragmented prairies, please apply for an REU with the Echinacea Project. To apply, please do the following:
a statement that you are eligible for the REU program
who will serve as your reference
your resume
your transcript (unofficial OK)
one letter of recommendation (sent by your reference)
Send your application via email to echinaceaProject@gmail.com with the subject line “Summer REU intern application” by 26 February 2021. Format your cover letter, resume, and transcript as pdf files. Begin each file name with your surname.
Review of applications will begin on 26 February 2021. We’ll accept applications until positions are filled. Be sure to include an email address and phone number where you can be reached during March.
You are welcome to apply to multiple positions with Team Echinacea with the same application. Please indicate which positions you are interested in on the form you submit with your application.
More information
First, read about our field season! If you have any questions, contact a team member via e-mail. Read about our lab and field activities on the flog and more about the project’s background.
Please note that the REU opportunity through Chicago Botanic Garden’s “Genes to ecosystems” REU program is the SAME as this opportunity.
Ideal positions for graduates and soon-to-be-graduates interested in plant population biology, evolution, or conservation ecology.
One 12-month paid internship starting in June 2020 is available for an individual with interests in ecology and evolution and a commitment to conservation. We are looking to assemble a team of research interns with diverse skills and interests. We encourage individuals with a bachelor’s degree in biology, botany, entomology, statistics, computer science, or a related major to apply. This internship is a great opportunity for aspiring ecologists, conservation biologists, and evolutionary biologists to gain research experience and learn about the ecology and evolution of plants in fragmented prairies
Job description
As a research intern, you will contribute to ongoing research on the conservation genetics, reproductive biology, and demography of the prairie plant Echinacea angustifolia. Summer fieldwork occurs in western Minnesota and greenhouse and lab activities are at the Chicago Botanic Garden. Interns will have the opportunity to conduct an independent research project. This project may involve field research, germinating seeds in the lab, organizing and analyzing a dataset, developing computer software, or other activities depending on the intern’s goals and interests. Potential project topics include: flowering phenology, mating compatibility, plant-aphid-ant interactions, plant quantitative genetics, and plant-pollinator interactions.
Interns, graduate students, volunteers, and full-time scientists convene for the Team Echinacea annual potluck!
As an intern, you will engage in many aspects of scientific research, outreach, and mentoring. Tasks during the summer include database management, experimental plot management, preparing data to use in the field (such as GPS paths), and discussing science with other interns. At the Chicago Botanic Garden, you will participate in a variety of research and conservation-related activities, attend seminars, and interact closely with conservation scientists, graduate students, interns, researchers, and volunteers associated with Plant Conservation Science at the Chicago Botanic Garden and the graduate program in Plant Biology and Conservation at Northwestern. Interns will spend time managing Echinacea Project volunteers and mentoring students. Tasks with volunteers include teaching protocols, answering science-related questions, and preparing samples so volunteers can collect data. In collaboration with the Chicago Botanic Garden, the Echinacea Project hosts a number of high school and undergraduate interns over the fall, winter, and spring. Year-long interns will mentor these visiting interns on independent projects and engage them in lab activities.
Erin (intern 2019-2020) pets a dog that came to greet her during field work.
Desired skills and experience for all applicants include: collecting and managing data, completing tasks independently and on time, conducting experiments, using maps, communicating clearly in writing, paying attention to detail, and working effectively with diverse people, including scientists, volunteers, students, and interns. Additionally, we will assemble a team including interns with complementary skills and interests above and beyond those listed above. Other valuable interests or experience include but are not limited to: performing outdoor physical work in adverse conditions, conducting statistical analyses, computer programming, using R, supervising citizen scientists, mentoring students, conducting artificial crosses, organizing and curating specimens, automating systems, outreach, growing plants, and identifying insects. If you are interested, please apply and let us know what you can contribute!
Read more about what it’s like working and living in Minnesota.
Applications will be reviewed starting 8 March 2020. The salary starts at $12/h. Housing in Minnesota during the summer is included.
Then, in one email to echinaceaProject@gmail.com, send a cover letter, your resume, and a transcript (unofficial OK). Use the subject line: “12-month research intern application” and format your cover letter, resume, and transcript as pdf files. Begin each file name with your surname.
Please ask one of your references to send a letter of recommendation to echinaceaProject@gmail.com.
In your cover letter, please include:
why you are interested
why you are qualified
what are your future plans
when you can start
contact info of your references
your email and phone number
Review of applications will begin on 13 March 2020. Previously this date was 8 March 2020, but due to unforeseen travel we are unable to begin reviewing applications until 13 March. We’ll accept applications until the position is filled. Be sure to include an email address and phone number where you can be reached after March 8th.
Members of groups underrepresented in science are particularly encouraged to apply.
If you are eligible, you are welcome to apply to multiple positions with Team Echinacea with the same application. Please indicate which positions you are interested in on the form you submit with your application.
More information
Read about our field season activities. Read about this project’s background and our papers and learn about our daily activity on our flog. Read more about plant research at the Chicago Botanic Garden. If you have any more questions, contact Stuart via e-mail.
Riley (intern 2019-2020) reaches for measuring tape from Drake (PhD student) while flagging an experimental plot.
The Echinacea Project is looking for interested and enthusiastic summer researchers for the 2020 summer field season. Our project investigates how small population size and reduced genetic diversity influence individual fitness, population demographics, plant-insect interactions and evolution in the purple coneflower, Echinacea angustifolia. We are seeking students with interests in plant population biology, evolution and quantitative genetics, pollination biology, plant-insect interactions, and conservation biology. We also encourage statisticians and computer scientists with an interest in ecology and evolution to apply. This REU (research experience for undergraduates) is a great opportunity for aspiring ecologists, conservation biologists, and evolutionary biologists to gain field research experience. This is a great opportunity for those with strong quantitative interests to gain experience managing data, programming, or modeling. All will learn about the ecology and evolution of plants in fragmented prairies! Read more general information about our field season!
Program Details
2019 Team members Erin (left,) Jay (center, REU participant) and Julie (right, REU participant) looking for Echinacea amidst corn.
The main field season runs June through August. The exact start and end dates are negotiable. There is a $550/week stipend plus housing and travel expenses to the research site are covered.
Independent project: You will develop an independent research project in consultation with the two principal investigators of the project, Dr. Stuart Wagenius and Dr. Ruth Shaw. You will also get an opportunity to practice informal and formal science communication with other members of the team. Projects can explore questions about the ecology and evolutionary biology of Echinacea angustifolia, another prairie plant species, pollinators, or herbivores. All work occurs in the context of prairie remnants which allows projects to be directly applicable to conservation challenges of habitat fragmentation. Here are some examples of past projects:
“Insect diversity in prairie remnants”
“The effect of remnant size on the diversity of Echinacea-visiting ant species”
“Effect of inbreeding on symmetry of floral display”
“Competition between Echinacea and thistles for pollinators”
“Pollinating bees of Echinacea angustifolia: who gets the job done?”
“Flowering Phenology of the Prairie Forb E. angustifolia in Fragmented Populations”
“Ant species richness and abundance in Western Minnesotan prairie fragmented by large-scale agriculture”
“Invasion by hybridization between native and non-native purple coneflowers”
“Management of invasive tree species in prairie experimental plots”
“The effect of prairie burns on Echinacea flowering synchrony”
Qualifications: We are looking for undergraduate students who are willing to work outdoors in adverse conditions, exhibit patience, pay attention to detail, possess good hand-eye coordination and fine motor skills, work well independently and as part of a team, and have a strong interest in scientific research. During the summer, REU participants must be enrolled in an undergraduate institution and be a US citizen or permanent resident of the US or its possessions. Members of groups underrepresented in science are particularly encouraged to apply.
No experience is necessary, but you must be enthusiastic and hard-working.
How to apply
Jay along with the rest of the team plants Echinacea seedlings at a local Minnesota high school
If you enjoy working outdoors and you are excited to learn about the ecology and evolution of plants in fragmented prairies, please apply for an REU with the Echinacea Project. To apply, please do the following:
a statement that you are eligible for the REU program
who will serve as your reference
your resume
your transcript (unofficial OK)
one letter of recommendation (sent by your reference)
Send your application via email to echinaceaProject@gmail.com with the subject line “Summer REU intern application” by 1 March 2020. Format your cover letter, resume, and transcript as pdf files. Begin each file name with your surname.
Review of applications will begin on 1 March 2020. We’ll accept applications until positions are filled. Be sure to include an email address and phone number where you can be reached during March.
You are welcome to apply to multiple positions with Team Echinacea with the same application. Please indicate which positions you are interested in on the form you submit with your application.
More information
First, read about our field season! If you have any questions, contact a team member via e-mail. Read about our lab and field activities on the flog and more about the project’s background.
Please note that the REU opportunity through Chicago Botanic Garden’s “Genes to ecosystems” REU program is the SAME as this opportunity.
Hey, my name is Leah Rose and I am an intern from Lake Forest College! During the last few weeks, I have been working with Stuart Wagenius and Michael LaScaleia to research pollen limitation in Echinacea angustifolia to see if there is an effect on lifetime fitness when the flowers are loaded up with pollen and when they don’t get any pollen. I have loved getting a hands-on experience with researching these important native plants and helping make an impact on conservation of our native prairies! As a future high school biology teacher, experiencing science and conducting research is very important to me and I want to show my students that they can be a part of research such as this in the future. Science is for everyone and introduces you to people and subjects outside the usual scope of our lives!
Here is a picture of me totally beating Emma’s achene count! #winning
Every summer the Echinacea Project provides employment and internships for undergraduate students, recent graduates, graduate students, and others starting or expanding their science or conservation careers. Our summer researchers receive training, gain skills, and get much and diverse experience. In turn, summer field researchers contribute immensely to the project. We accomplish a lot every summer.
It’s time to prepare annual reports to NSF for our two long-term awards through CBG & through UMN. The period covers 1 April 2017 through 31 March 2018. So, here’s a brief recap of activities from the past 12 months including the summer 2017 field season.
Last spring we were busy in the lab. Led by interns Amy & Scott, volunteer citizen scientists at the Chicago Botanic Garden started cleaning heads harvested in summer 2016 to count all of the achenes to generate a detailed and precise dataset of annual plant reproductive fitness. We were way behind because of the huge flowering year in 2015. We worked all fall & winter and we are in good shape now. Led by Tracie, we are cleaning 1148 heads harvested from plots in 2017, which we will finish over this summer.
Several undergraduate students have worked on projects in the lab, including Nicolette, Ashley, Marisol, Nina, Trevor, and now Danielle. They are all gaining experience, learning a lot, and contributing to science! Graduate students are hard at work too. Lea has analyzed all of her summer phenology data on Solidago & Liatris. Kristen is working on the bee collection from last summer with Mike. They are both making research plans for summer 2018.
Last December, we submitted a paper to Oikos titled “Pollinator-Mediated Mechanisms for Increased Reproductive Success in Early Flowering Plants.” We haven’t heard anything for 101 days & wonder if it has disappeared into a black hole.
Our team accomplished a lot in summer 2017! The 2017 summer team, shown below, included three undergraduate students (Ashley, Will & Wes), a high-school student (Anna), two graduate students (Lea & Kristen), and two recent college grads (Tracie & Alex)–not to mention the usual suspects, Gretel, Ruth & Stuart. We summarized progress on many summer projects last fall & made flog posts. Here are links to the updates organized into six groups.
First, we measured survival, growth, and flowering effort of our model plant, Echinacea angustifolia, in several experimental plots. The earliest was established in 1996 and the most recent in 2015:
Second, we measure other traits in these plots, including flowering phenology. We also have some treatments, such as pollen addition and aphid addition, which we apply every year. Will has super-cool estimates of the heritability of flowering timing. He is polishing the manuscript and will submit it soon. Amy W. has a manuscript in review that quantifies reproductive synchrony in the 1996 cohort of plants. She estimated how much within-year synchrony (daily phenology) and among-year synchrony (annual flowering) contribute to long-term mating opportunities.
Third, we make observations of Echinacea plants in natural prairie remnants in our study area, including flowering phenology, survival, reproduction, and incidence of disease. Scott is investigating effects of fire on population growth rates in our remnants using a life-table response experiment approach. While she is on sabbatical, Amy D. is analyzing the seedling establishment dataset.
Sixth, we are worried about non-native Echinacea plants that are used in restorations and how they impact populations of the native Echinacea angustifolia. We have several ongoing experiments that investigate a population of Echinacea pallida introduced within our study area.
As we gazed upon an apple in the eye of a dying bonfire, Stuart tried to recall an old tale from Laura Ingalls Wilder, about a boy who left a whole apple in a fire in an effort to cook it. Or was it a potato…?
Today, Amy, Jame and Will first did total demography at KJs (where you can’t shift your weight without accidentally crushing another tag), hitting 99 points, then did demography at the flowering plants on the North side of Aanenson. This task kept them busy until lunch time. Meanwhile, I went to Staffanson to collect data for Lea’s aster phenology experiment. There are still two flowering Liatris plants on the East transect, with Solidago plants in all stages of flowering. At lunch, we discussed the ways that time travel can, will, and probably has already, impacted and improved research by the Echinacea Project.
Now, was that potato story the tale of Almanzo…?
We saved harvesting in experimental plots for the afternoon. Lots of plunder was taken from P1, but it seems like something is consistently beating us to the punch in P2. Today, as well as the last few times we’ve gone, rodents (or somebody else) have eaten off parts of the Echinacea heads and left them, with broken achenes, strewn about the plot. We’re trying to recover these heads so we can accurately assess the seed sets of these experimental plants as a proxy for their reproductive fitnesses, but alas, they are no longer of this world. But don’t worry too much, because the interns will think of something clever to get around this (gulp). Meanwhile, I went back to the Dermatology clinic in Alexandria (my third time this summer — a hat trick), where the doctor and I assessed phenology on my worts.
But wait, I’m still not sure if it was apples, or potatoes in that story…
After work, we went to Elk Lake and grilled some vegetables while watching high schoolers dive (fall off) the diving platform there. In what is either a testament to or indictment of our cooking, the vegetables actually turned out a lot better than anybody expected. The fare included marinated eggplant, zucchini, cauliflower, tomato, corn, leeks, onions, watermelon, cheetos, and for those who love the taste of living creature, burgers. After this, we returned to the Hjelm house, where we lit bonfires in the backyard with some remaining buckthorn and two thirds of a bottle of lighter fluid. In a fashion almost as circular as this flog post, Stuart began to tell us the story of Almanzo —
Ah, yes, there was also the tale of the milk-fed pumpkin…
Other highlights:
Talking to the four-wheel man at KJs
Stuart’s watermelon-seed spitting
Finally learning whence the wind comes. It comes from Wind Cave. In fact, that’s why it’s called wind — it’s named after the cave.
Other lowlights:
Amy’s potty-mouth at P2
Grilled watermelon
Tomorrow is Will and Jame’s last day of the field season. Next week they begin classes, although they’ll still try to skype in to help with seedling searches.
Candid shot of Jame enjoying Kendrick Lamar’s masterpiece album Good Kid, M.A.A.D City.
Stuart, mid-spit
Jame is now the third-tallest team member, after Will, and bonfire.
There are opportunities to work on the Echinacea project as a volunteer, a research intern, summer field researcher, REU intern, graduate student, undergraduate lab investigator, short-term undergraduate intern, K-12 educator RET participant (Research Experience for Teacher), research collaborator, or visiting teacher/researcher. We’ll post information as new opportunities become available, but feel free to contact us.
If you are enthusiastic and want to gain field research experience, please read about summer field research positions available for this summer. These are great internships or summer co-ops for those interested in one or more of these topics: insects, plants, ecology, evolution, conservation biology, habitat fragmentation, pollination, tallgrass prairie, and geographic information systems (GIS). We welcome applications to these positions from anyone. We encourage members of groups underrepresented in science to apply to all positions. Some spots on the summer team are reserved for undergraduate students through the NSF-funded REU program…
REU (Research Experience for Undergraduate) participant
The Echinacea project offers several REU summer field research positions. Please read the general description for summer field research positions and note the details for both REU programs. All REU participants must be enrolled as an undergraduate student during the upcoming summer and must be a U.S. citizen or permanent resident. Students in groups underrepresented in science are encouraged to apply.
Postdoctoral researcher
A postdoctoral position is available on the Echinacea project. The postdoc will collaborate with Stuart Wagenius (Chicago Botanic Garden) and Ruth Shaw (University of Minnesota) on quantitative genetic and demographic studies of the fragmented population and associated field experiments and will have the opportunity to participate in developing evolutionary models that incorporate our accumulating understanding of genetic and demographic processes within the study system. There is considerable potential for the postdoc to develop further research projects pertinent to the overall goals of this study.
Volunteer at the Chicago Botanic Garden
Many volunteers help with all aspects of research at the Chicago Botanic Garden, September through May. We always need help 1. cleaning seedheads, 2. scanning, counting, and weighing seeds, and 3. extracting DNA & running PCR. We also usually have a few other projects going on involving microscope work, curating our insect collection, working in the molecular lab, taking photographs, database maintenance, web development, or something else. Also, we can always use help with data entry! Let Stuart know your interests, skills & expertise and we’ll see how you can help the Echinacea project!
Callin assesses reproductive status of an Echinacea plant
Graduate student
There are several ways for graduate students to get involved in the Echinacea project. Ruth and Stuart advise students in several programs. Current students are working on a variety of thesis projects. Please contact Ruth about programs at the University of Minnesota. Please contact Stuart about programs at Northwestern University and at the University of Illinois–Chicago. Please contact Stuart about working at the research site.
Undergraduate during academic year
If you are a current undergraduate student interested in an independent study or a short-term internship (e.g. J-term), please contact Stuart at the Chicago Botanic Garden or Ruth at the University of Minnesota.
We are seeking highly motivated Chicago-area undergraduates interested in gaining experience and training in molecular genetics and population biology research. We are studying how pollen moves in prairie plant populations using Echinacea as a model species. We collected seeds from tagged plants and are using DNA fingerprinting techniques to determine which nearby plant is the pollen donor for each seed. There are a number of aspects of this research that students could turn into an independent research project for academic credit. Past students have presented their work at conferences and written up their project as part of their senior thesis.
For more information or to apply, please email Stuart at the Chicago Botanic Garden.
K-12 science educators
Are you a K-12 science educator interested in gaining summer field research experience? Please consider this paid professional development opportunity that involves collaborating with Echinacea project research scientists.
During a summer at the research site in western Minnesota, teachers will participate in the design and implementation of new experiments, assisting with ongoing field projects, modeling or analysis of experimental data, or other activities that will contribute to the Echinacea project. Teachers will develop a plan to bring their new experiences and knowledge at the emerging frontiers of science back into their classrooms (with funding to support the plan!). Teachers may also help develop a summer research program for their students. We are looking for educators interested in integrating research and education about one or more of these topics: insects, plants, pollination, ecology, evolution, habitat fragmentation, conservation biology, modeling, geographic information systems (GIS), computer modeling, spatial mathematics.
If you are interested, please contact Stuart with a brief email explaining your interests and qualifications. We are particularly interested in working with teachers at urban or rural schools and those at less well-endowed school districts. We urge Teach for America teachers to apply. Also, we encourage the participation of science educators who are members of underrepresented groups. Contact Stuart before 22 November to be considered for a position during the next summer. Note: Applicants must be U.S. citizens or permanent residents and be currently employed as a K-12 science teacher or community college science faculty.
Get involved with the Echinacea Project at our field site or in our lab at the Chicago Botanic Garden. Please contact us if you have any questions.
Summer 2023 teams says, “Echinacea!”
Team Echinacea strives to create an inclusive, collaborative, stimulating, positive, fun, and productive environment for all regardless of race, ethnicity, gender, age, sexual orientation, and economic background. We welcome and encourage individuals from groups historically excluded from sciences and conservation. If you are interested in learning about and contributing to science and conservation, please join our team. We are committed to recruiting, training, and supporting individuals interested in science, education, and conservation from diverse backgrounds.
Year-Round Positions Interested in lab and field work? Here are the ways you can do both!
Research intern. Applications closed for 2024. Check back next year!
Graduate student at Northwestern University and University of Minnesota. Applications open for 2024-2025 academic year. Applications for the Northwestern M.S. program are due February 15th. Applications for the Northwestern Ph.D. program are due December 1st.
Post-doctoral researcher (none currently available).
Investigate ecology and evolution in fragmented prairies as a member of Team Echinacea. Join us!
Research interns 2019-20 Erin (far left) and Riley (far right) at the Chicago Botanic Garden with undergraduates from Carleton College (Jack, Eli, Emma and Julie)
