Science Night!: Virtual Talks from Blandy Environmental Science Graduate Students
Did you know that Blandy is home to a vibrant research community? It’s true! Find out what Blandy’s amazing ecology and environmental science graduate students are up to in this series of short and sweet virtual talks.
How to “tune in”: Expect to receive a link to the Zoom meeting during the week of the program through the email used in Eventbrite at registration. Can’t find it? Check your spam folder, or email public programs coordinator Ariel Firebaugh alf7f@virginia.edu to request a new link. Still having trouble? We hope to livestream the program on Blandy’s Facebook page.
Registration required.
- Ethan Skuches- Tupelo Tree Restoration Ecology. It’s no secret that the Earth’s climate is changing. In response to global changes, our forests are changing too. We’re seeing plant species ranges shift in response to a warming and changing temperature regime. What do these changes mean for how we think about restoring a landscape? Join Blandy graduate student Ethan Skuches to learn about his research in restoration ecology and restoration genetics. Ethan specifically works with the tupelo tree, and he spent this past fall collecting over 3000 tupelo tree seeds across its native range in eastern North America. Join us to learn about the plan for all these seeds, and what we hope they can tell us about the future of restoration projects!
- Mia Murray- Going on a Butternut Hunt: The Quest to Save Virginia’s Remaining Butternut Trees. The native Butternut tree (Juglans cinerea) is a tree that was never dominant on the landscape but has served as an important ecological, cultural, and medicinal staple in the eastern forests of the US for centuries. Since the 1960s, populations have been decimated by an invasive fungus known as the Butternut Canker Disease. Despite the ongoing research efforts that have gone on across much of its native range, knowledge on Virginia butternut’s distribution, health, and potential resistance is poorly understood. Join Blandy graduate student Mia Murray to learn more about how she plans to tackle these questions and how you can join her efforts in the search of butternut trees across Virginia!
