Phipps Conservatory Announces 2023 Botany in Action Fellows
For Immediate Release: Mon., April 24
Contact: Joe Reed | Director of Marketing and Communications
412-622-6915, ext. 3801 | jreed@phipps.conservatory.org
Phipps Conservatory Announces 2023 Botany in Action Fellows
Grant Fellowship Program Supports the Plant-Focused Research of Eight Doctoral-Level Students
Pittsburgh, PA – Phipps Conservatory and Botanical Gardens is pleased to announce the 2023 roster of Botany in Action Fellows. This group of eight scientists represent universities from across the country with research topics varying from identifying changing in the Wabash River’s Vascular Plan Flora to community-based forest restoration in Hawaiʻi. Underwritten in part by The Garden Club of Allegheny County, the Botany in Action Fellowship program will support their work through research grants and science communication training.
Current fellows and their research topics follow:
James S. Barnes, University of Virginia
Attention in the Schoolyard Garden: Pop-up Plant Biodiversity and Its Effect on Student Mental Health
Manuel Bernal Escobar, University of Miami
Exploring Endemism Through a Permanent Forest Dynamics Plot at the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta, Colombia
Camille DeSisto, Duke University
Ethnoecological Networks: Integrating Diverse Knowledge of Lemur-Plant Interactions to Advance Rainforest Habitat Restoration
Lauren Nerfa, University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa
Human Dimensions and Ecological Outcomes of Community-Based Forest Restoration in Hawaiʻi
Lydia Soifer, University of Florida
Impacts of Land Use Change on Epiphyte Diversity, Distribution, and Ecosystem Function in Panamai
Cassandra Ziegler, Duquesne University
Evaluating the Impact of Ecological Forestry Gaps on Avian Diet Composition in Western Pennsylvania Forests
Since its inception, Botany in Action has aided 77 doctoral-level students representing 36 universities and working in 29 countries. Beyond their field work, fellows’ accomplishments include mentorship of other students the creation of a botanical field guide, a photography website, and various teaching modules and outreach devoted to making science more accessible to the public.
For more information about Botany in Action, visit phipps.conservatory.org/BIA.
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About Phipps: Founded in 1893, Phipps Conservatory and Botanical Gardens in Pittsburgh, PA is a globally recognized green leader with a mission to inspire and educate all with the beauty and importance of plants; to advance sustainability and promote human and environmental well-being through action and research; and to celebrate its historic glasshouse. Encompassing 15 acres including a historic 14-room glasshouse, 23 distinct indoor and outdoor gardens and industry-leading sustainable architecture and operations, Phipps attracts more than half a million visitors annually from around the world. Learn more at phipps.conservatory.org.
Watch TEDx: What We Can Learn From an Old Glasshouse: A look at the evolving way we connect people to nature at Phipps, demonstrate how human and environmental health are inextricably connected, and show that to age gracefully, we must continually reinvent ourselves to evolve with the rest of the world.
