I want to study all varieties of wild flowers and native grasses. I also wish to learn about how the environment affects them and the impact they have on the ecosystem around them. i am also very exited to be part of a team and learn how a research project like this one works!
Statement
I am from Hoffman, MN
In my spare time I like to hang out with friends, run, listen to music, and go hiking to explore the outdoors.
High School Teacher- Peachtree Ridge HS, Suwanee GA
Pronouns: she/her
Research Interests
I want to learn all I can about prairie grass! I currently teach 9th grade biology. This summer I am focused on project based learning and incorporating Team Echinacea’s work into the classroom. I live far from any prairie but want my students to have the opportunity to learn from engaging and inquiry based lessons about prairie ecology.
Statement
I am from Suwanee GA
In my spare time I like to embroider and go on long walks.
As someone coming from a pre-health background, I am still exploring my interests in the different areas of plant research. I am interested in learning more about native plants, conservation, and plant ecology. I am also interested in learning more about human and animal interactions with plants.
Statement
I am from Chicago! I have always been interested in science and biology, so going into pre-med/pre-health seemed like the most rational decision to make. However, after taking more biology classes involving plants and ecology, I became more interested in plant ecology and human-plant/animal-plant interactions.
In my spare time, I like to knit/crochet (would love to get back into embroidery and sewing), spend time by the lakefill, watch dramas, and be a virtual farmer in Stardew. This summer, I would love to explore the garden more and to learn more plant names.
I’d like to pursue more research in pollinator-plant interactions and how the environment can affect pollinator behavior. I’m interested in conservation ecology and I’m excited to study how fire might affect bee nesting this summer.
Statement
I grew up in Texas, but luckily escaped and lived in Illinois for college. I became really interested in entomology and conservation while working closely alongside my professors, and I hope to dive into this intersecting field more in the future!
In my spare time I like to read, draw/paint, watch movies, listen to a ton of music, and go camping.
Today we were visited by Dr. Matt Kaproth, who came up from Minnesota State University Mankato! He is interested in investigating soil properties in our ENRTF pollination study, and we will hopefully see more of him this summer as he samples our sites!
The weather quickly turned stormy, so the team is now stationed at Hjelm, glued to our weather apps.
“Funding for this project was provided by the Minnesota Environment and Natural Resources Trust Fund as recommended by the Legislative-Citizen Commission on Minnesota Resources (LCCMR).”
Friday was my last day at the Chicago Botanic Garden (sniff). I bid a final farewell to the wonderful volunteers and cleaned out all of the miscellaneous papers in my desk, including an article about the top ten bagel restaurants in Chicago.
One great Friday accomplishment was finalizing new driving maps with Lindsey. During the field season, we drive to many remnants, restorations, and experimental plots between Kensington and Hoffman, so a map is helpful for finding sites and plotting efficient routes. We crafted two versions, one with the Echinacea sites that we visit frequently and one more complicated map that includes all the sites for the ENRTF project. The previous version of the driving map was missing some remnant sites like Dog, so we made sure to include all of the places that we visit regularly. On the back, we listed the site abbreviations and full names. I think I’ve been to all of the sites on the Echinacea map, but I haven’t seen most of the newly added ENRTF sites. Hopefully, I’ll get a chance to visit some of them next week in Minnesota!
Lindsey shares the secrets of lamination
Our crowning achievement was laminating the new maps. I had never used a laminator machine before, but fortunately Lindsey is an expert, and she taught me the tricks of the trade. We now have a stack of shiny new driving maps, and I’m very excited to try them out!
This past week, Lindsey and I have been organizing the lab so it will be easy for volunteers to find what they need during the summer. I’ve also documented the status of remnant Liatris and Echinacea harvested from 2020-2022. The locations of data, physical specimens, and datasheets are recorded in readMe files in Dropbox. I’ve also updated all of the demap protocols and saved them in the demap repo in a new folder called learnDemap. Hopefully, it will ease the learning curve for future demappers.
I want to study all of the different native plants to Minnesota and how they can coexist with agriculture. I especially want to get a good understanding of how the natural world works without much outside help.
Statement
I am from Elbow Lake, MN.
In my spare time I like to run, read different books, garden, and hang out with my dogs.
B.S. Environmental Studies, Portland State University, 2023
Pronouns: she/they
Research Interests
I would like to focus my career on fuels reduction, prescribed fire in the west, and fire ecology, possibly doing more biological survey in post burn areas. I have experience in fuels reduction, wildland firefighting, trails, arborism, ecological restoration, and organic farming.
Statement
I am from Portland, Oregon and grew up right outside the city in Beaverton. I have worked all over the Pacific Northwest from Washington to California as well as coastal Maine.
In my spare time I like to read, garden, go camping, and do crafts like carving, crocheting, mending, and weaving.
East of Fairbanks, AK, FFT2 on the Bean Complex Fire
