Outreach and scientific communication is an important and valued part of my science. I think it is the responsibility of scientists to communicate their work beyond the academic community and I have regularly sought opportunities to share my work and experiences. I have given a variety of research talks, lab tours and ecology-based lessons to a range of audiences, from elementary school children, to undergraduate and graduate students, the general public, botanical clubs and volunteer docents.
If you know of a group that would like to hear about coffee agro-ecology, food webs, ecosystem services or graduate school and academia, please feel free to contact me!
If you know of a group that would like to hear about coffee agro-ecology, food webs, ecosystem services or graduate school and academia, please feel free to contact me!
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Cherry Blossoms and Integrated Pest Management
Washington DC's famous cherry blossoms are a major tourist attraction and a celebrated sign of spring. Their history also played an important part in establishing inspection protocols for plants and their current upkeep provides a great example of integrated pest management. You can find the blog here. The blog was also translated into Spanish for Extensión en Español, an initiative to increase Extension resources in the Spanish language. You can find the Spanish version here. |
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EcoDia ("Day of Ecology")
Together with labmates from the Perfecto and Vandermeer labs, we organized an annual "day of ecology" for 50 elementary school children at the coffee farm where we conduct our research. Activities and lessons focused on the research we were doing at the coffee farm and science more broadly, with hands-on chemistry and physics activities. You can read more about EcoDia here. |
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University of Michigan Natural History Museum Science Communication Fellow
I visited local schools and public libraries to talk about my research and the beneficial role of insects in the environment. Most events were aimed at elementary and middle-school aged children and I engaged with 100+ individuals at different events. In addition to bringing research materials and insect collections, I developed a matching game to teach visitors about trophic levels and highlight the importance of decomposers in the food web. |
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Biology on Tap
I was one of three speakers who spoke to members of the Huron Valley Botanical Club and members of the general public at the Corner Brewery in Ypsilanti. Michigan. There were more than 75 attendees who came to learn about the "small stuff with a big impact on plants and people." |
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