Background
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| With my professor Dr. Rick Norskov and classmates in the Smokies! |
After graduating Southern in the spring of 2017, I continued my search for specialization at Andrews University in Michigan, where I earned a master's in biology in summer 2019. There, among the diverse biology faculty, I finally settled on plant biology as a career. The problem was there was no botanist on staff! Very kindly, paleontologist Tom Goodwin took me under his wing. He guided me on a project centering around the seasonal diet variation of a local squirrel species, the thirteen-lined ground squirrel (Ictidomys tridecemlineatus). It was an excellent intersection of his expertise (squirrels) and my growing interests (botany).
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| Dr. Goodwin and I |
During my time at Andrews, I worked as the Head Teaching Assistant of the freshman Anatomy and Physiology labs. This included preparing chemicals, organizing supplies, and answering student questions. Furthermore, I supervised up to six undergraduate TA's and delivered short lectures to my students. Enrollment ranged from 60-100 students a semester. This experience cemented for me my interest in science education as a career.
Standing on a strong biological foundation, I was thrilled to be admitted to the Plant Biology Ph.D. program at the University of Georgia (UGA) in the fall of 2019. I worked with Dr. Chris Peterson to study the impact that wind storms and salvage logging have on herbaceous diversity and composition. That's a mouthful, so let's break it down! I like to describe herbaceous species as any green leafy plant that grows close to the ground and doesn't have bark - think wildflowers, vines, or poison ivy. Salvage logging is when landowners drag away trees felled by the windstorms to sell at market. If a windstorm is followed by salvage logging, herbaceous species will likely experience more damage than if there had been a windstorm but no logging. At least that's what I hypothesized! Practically speaking, my fieldwork involved me hiking around the woods identifying plants to see a) which herbaceous species and b) how many of each herbaceous species were present in areas of forest that had experienced just windstorms or windstorms plus logging. My dissertation centered on trying to see how differing types of forest (i.e. varying light levels) and differing time lengths affect the growth of herbaceous species. I graduated with my doctoral degree in May of 2024! Through the process, I gained valuable skills in plant identification, good field practices, and experimental design.
At UGA, I have had three years of experience teaching undergraduates both basic and advanced plant biology courses. My favorite parts have been leading field trips to the State Botanical Garden of Georgia, UGA Greenhouse, and UGA Herbarium. I've also loved overseeing experiments about photosynthesis, respiration, and transpiration, where students can see with their own eyes the processes happening. I love providing students with the opportunity to actively experience science first-hand with all of their senses. Helping "light bulb" moments happen is the best part of my chosen career.
Standing on a strong biological foundation, I was thrilled to be admitted to the Plant Biology Ph.D. program at the University of Georgia (UGA) in the fall of 2019. I worked with Dr. Chris Peterson to study the impact that wind storms and salvage logging have on herbaceous diversity and composition. That's a mouthful, so let's break it down! I like to describe herbaceous species as any green leafy plant that grows close to the ground and doesn't have bark - think wildflowers, vines, or poison ivy. Salvage logging is when landowners drag away trees felled by the windstorms to sell at market. If a windstorm is followed by salvage logging, herbaceous species will likely experience more damage than if there had been a windstorm but no logging. At least that's what I hypothesized! Practically speaking, my fieldwork involved me hiking around the woods identifying plants to see a) which herbaceous species and b) how many of each herbaceous species were present in areas of forest that had experienced just windstorms or windstorms plus logging. My dissertation centered on trying to see how differing types of forest (i.e. varying light levels) and differing time lengths affect the growth of herbaceous species. I graduated with my doctoral degree in May of 2024! Through the process, I gained valuable skills in plant identification, good field practices, and experimental design.
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| Dr. Peterson and I |
Going forward, I look forward to engaging in science communication both inside and outside of the classroom, with students and the general public. More on that soon! Want to chat plants, or some other wonderful tangent with me? Don't hesitate to reach out! austin.menzmer@gmail.com
