2018 Scholars The Garden Club of America
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2018 Scholars The Garden Club of America
From the Scholarship Committee
Seeding the Future
G
CA scholars are seedlings that grow into Scholarship Committee 2017-18
leaders throughout the world’s horticultural Kathy Keller, Chairman
community. The Scholarship Committee is Akron Garden Club, Zone X
extremely grateful for the support club members give, vice chairmen:
enabling The Garden Club of America to offer life- Andrea Stewart, First Vice Chairman
changing opportunities to deserving students whose The Little Garden Club of Rye, Zone III
research will both further their careers and increase the Ingrid Barrett, Fox Hill Garden Club,
body of knowledge in their chosen fields. Zone I
The committee is proud to announce the Class Mary Schubert, Garden Club of Buzzards
Bay, Zone I
of 2018 in the following pages. More applications
were received this year than ever before. There were Anne Gates, Stony Brook Garden Club,
Zone IV
61 applicants for the Pollinator Fellowship, which has
Kathy Keller. Photo by Jane Rogers been one of the most popular scholarships since it was Linda Seelbach, Short Hills Garden Club,
Zone IV
established in 2014. Other popular GCA scholarships support study in urban forestry,
Kay Shiflett, The Virginia Beach Garden
coastal wetlands, and ecological restoration. As you read the scholars’ profiles, you will Club, Zone VII
understand how they are already making a difference and how eager they are to continue
Leslie Marting, Shaker Lakes Garden Club,
their quests to solve some of the problems facing our planet. Learn what steps Uma Zone X
Venkatesh and Angela Merriken, the first recipients of the GCA’s Montine M. Freeman
Claudia Lane, Garden Club of Evanston,
Scholarship in Native Plant Studies, are taking to conserve native plants. We are also Zone XI
excited to report on what former scholars Lauren Ponisio, Elizabeth Kalies, and Andrew
Sell are doing today. zone representatives:
Are Twitter and other forms of connection with current and former scholars helping Anne-Marie Woodhouse, Noanett Garden
Club, Zone I
to promote GCA scholarships? We believe so. The committee works hard to maintain
Jane Ghazarossian, Hortulus, Zone II
relationships with scholars through social media and the GCA scholars’ LinkedIn group,
established last summer. Mary Beth Donohue, North Country
Garden Club of L.I., Zone III
We have much to celebrate! This year marks the 70th anniversary of the Interchange
Fellowship. Our 2018 fellows, Brady Hedgecock and David Bull, join the amazing family Debra Chambliss, Garden Club of
Morristown, Zone IV
of 117 McLaren and Interchange fellows, which began with Daphne Vince-Prue in 1948.
Carolyn Adams, Wissahickon Garden Club,
Many Interchange fellows are leaders at botanic gardens and other horticultural institutions Zone V
throughout the world. Some also have become members of GCA clubs. Kudos are due to
Sherry Locke, Amateur Gardeners Club,
former Interchange fellows Eve Rickenbaker for designing the new scholarship flyer and Zone VI
Stephanie Jutila for serving as the Scholarship Committee’s Zone XI rep.
Lucinda Jones, Twin City Garden Club,
The success of the GCA’s scholarship program is because of YOUR generosity and Zone VII
dedication. Our goals are dynamic. As you may know, the GCA has joined the Seed Courtenay Wilson, Late Bloomers Garden
Your Future initiative to encourage careers in the green industry. Please continue to help Club, Zone VIII
us spread the news about the GCA’s many scholarships as we work to plant the seeds of Becki Stedman, Magnolia Garden Club,
new growth. Zone IX
Tracy Bieser, Garden Club of Dayton,
Zone X
Stephanie Jutila, Des Moines Founders
Garden Club, Zone XI
Sherry Perkins, Woodside-Atherton Garden
Club, Zone XII
The Bulletin :: Summer 2018
Botany
The Anne S. various sizes—from rural village to
semi-urban. Her research seeks to
The Zeller
Chatham understand how acculturation and Summer
Fellowship in cultural values affect ethnobotanical Scholarship in
medical knowledge and practice in
Medicinal Botany these communities. Thiel’s master’s Medicinal Botany
Established in 1997 to protect thesis, based on fieldwork in a Established in 2003, the Zeller
and preserve knowledge about Q'eqchi' Maya village, was centered Summer Scholarship encourages
the medicinal use of plants by around utilitarian aspects of local undergraduate students to expand
providing research support in the ethnobotany and the variation in their knowledge of medicinal
field of ethnobotany for recent cultivation of medicinal plants in botany through coursework or Ezra Houston is an
village home gardens. undergraduate student at Pennsylvania
PhDs or PhD candidates, this internships.
State University, studying forest
fellowship is administered by the
Missouri Botanical Garden.
The Garden Club ecosystems management. His project
of America is titled “An Analysis of Chemical
Katherine Farley is a Compounds in Goldenseal to
PhD candidate in sociocultural
Summer Determine Factors of their Variance.”
anthropology at Washington Scholarship in Goldenseal (Hydrastis canadensis) is
University in St. Louis. Her research Field Botany a native herbaceous medicinal plant
containing three compounds with
is concerned with the emerging
market for wild-simulated ginseng
Established in 2000, this antibacterial properties. Houston
(Panax quinquefolius) and other scholarship is for students interested will analyze the leaves of the plant
medicinal herbs grown in Appalachia. in furthering their knowledge throughout the summer to determine
She is particularly interested in how and experience beyond the regular Tara Neuffer is a senior at the relative concentrations of the
growers acquire knowledge about the course of study in field botany. Brigham Young University in Provo, chemical compounds. Understanding
operation of wild-simulated systems, Utah. Her focus is on public health, the plant structure will allow for a
as well as how value-added qualities women’s studies, and international more sustainable harvest of goldenseal
like wild or wild-simulated adhere development. In connection with for commercial markets.
to products as they travel through her research, Neuffer will live in Kathryn Bagger is an
medicinal plant supply chains. Malawi, assessing the medicinal undergraduate majoring in human
Farley’s research has implications plants administered to women health at Emory University in Atlanta.
for medicinal plant conservation in during pregnancy and labor. She will She is currently receiving training in
Appalachia because wild populations conduct 90 in-depth interviews with properly collecting, identifying, and
of many species are under threat due traditional healers, birth attendants, extracting active compounds from
to overharvesting and habitat loss. and their clients about the medicinal medicinal plants native to Georgia.
plants prescribed and then collect She will be working with the Quave
Grady Zuiderveen is a Nicki Gustafson is a first- samples of each plant discussed. At
PhD candidate in the Department of Research Group at Emory to study
year master’s student at the College the University of Malawi she will Native American botanical remedies
Ecosystem Science and Management of William & Mary in Williamsburg. aid in testing these specimens for
at Pennsylvania State University. for wounds and infections. Bagger
She is interested in how herbivore their contractile properties. Neuffer will participate in extensive book
His research is focused on the interactions influence plant hopes that her study, one of the first
habitat, chemistry, and genetics of and journal research identifying
reproduction. Her current project is to document plants administered prospective medicinal plants, after
goldenseal (Hydrastis canadensis), looking at the potential for specialist during pregnancy in Malawi, will
which is a medicinal herb native to which she will assist in fieldwork
herbivores to benefit reproductive identify which plant species may be and collection for three weeks at the
the forests of Appalachia. He will be efforts in common milkweed. This contributing to the country’s high rate
working to determine the influence Joseph W. Jones Ecological Research
summer at Blandy Experimental of uterine ruptures. Center in Newton, Georgia. For the
of habitat conditions and genetics Farm, a research institute in Virginia,
on the expression of the alkaloids remaining three months of summer
Gustafson will be working on she will work in the lab studying these
that are associated with its medicinal pollination studies with common
value. The results of this work will plants’ active compounds as well as
milkweed (Asclepias syrica) and proposing possible applications for
help inform decisions about the milkweed longhorn beetles (Tetraopes)
conservation of the species through them.
while mentoring two undergraduate
cultivation. students. She will also be conducting
Amanda Thiel is a PhD a greenhouse experiment looking at
candidate in cultural anthropology how beetle larvae influence asexual
at Washington State University. She reproduction.
conducts research in Guatemalan
Q'eqchi' Maya communities of
The Bulletin :: Summer 2018 
Botany Coastal Wetlands
The Joan K. Hunt female. The results of this project will
be valuable for deeper understanding
Juan Carlos Penagos plants provide a framework for what
and where to conserve, especially in
Zuluaga is a PhD candidate
and Rachel M. of the intricate mechanisms that studying tropical ecology and the Caribbean, which is a biodiversity
Hunt Summer plants utilize to communicate with evolution at Yale University School of hotspot.
their pollinators and ensure successful
Scholarship in reproduction.
Forestry & Environmental Studies.
Zuluaga’s research integrates ecological
J. Aaron Hogan is a PhD
Field Botany Funded by Friends and Colleagues of and evolutionary approaches to
candidate at the International Center
for Tropical Botany at Florida
Established in 2003, this Nishi Rajakaruna understand the breeding systems
International University in Miami.
scholarship encourages the study of the tropical woody genus Ocotea
of field botany beyond the regular
The Garden Club (Lauraceae or laurel family). Through
Working with Drs. Christopher
Baraloto and Oscar Valverde-
curriculum, thus promoting of America molecular analysis, he will aim to
Barrantes, he is interested in the
determine the number of transitions
the importance of botany to Award in Tropical in breeding systems that have occurred
relationships between root functional
horticulture. Botany in this group and the evolutionary
traits and other plant characteristics
in tropical forests. Specifically, in
Established in 1983 and pathways they have taken. His results
collaboration with researchers at the
will contribute to understanding
administered by the World Wildlife the evolution of breeding systems in
Key Laboratory of Tropical Forest
Fund’s Education for Nature Ecology in Xishuangbanna, China,
tropical trees and will advance the
Division, the award supports Hogan is examining how mycorrhizal
taxonomy of Lauraceae.
fieldwork in tropical forests for fungal communities influence root
doctoral candidates in botany. Timothy M. Perez is a function and structure.
PhD candidate at the University of
Miami and affiliated with Fairchild The Garden Club
Tropical Botanic Garden. His project of America
is titled “Predicting the Susceptibility
Anthony Logan Ferrero of Tropical Plants to Climate Change Award in Coastal
is a second-year microbiology major Using Fairchild Tropical Botanic Wetland Studies
at California Polytechnic State Garden’s Living Collections.” Tropical Established in 1999 to promote
University, San Luis Obispo. This plants are believed to be close to wetland conservation through the
summer he will be studying the their high-temperature thresholds,
mechanism and adaptive significance and their heat tolerances may help
support of young scientists in their
of nickel hyperaccumulation in predict which species are most field work and research, this award
Streptanthus polygaloides, a serpentine Jeannine H. Richards, susceptible to climate change. Perez’s is administered by the Center for
species endemic to the western a PhD candidate at the University research will harness the diversity of Coastal Resources Management at
Sierra Nevada foothills. He will of Wisconsin, focuses her research Fairchild’s collections to measure the the Virginia Institute of Marine
perform field collections of S. on tropical forests where high physical characteristics of leaves and Science of the College of William
polygaloides (milkwort jewelflower) biodiversity frequently intersects photosynthetic heat tolerances in & Mary.
in its native range, as well as conduct with rapid deforestation rates. order to understand which species are
a garden study examining factors Shade grown coffee has become in the greatest danger of thermal stress
affecting nickel hyperaccumulation a model system for studying how due to global warming.
in this species, including drought agriculture that incorporates trees
stress and microbial diversity. may serve as substitute habitat
Nichole Tiernan is a PhD
Results may have implications candidate in a joint program by
for forest species. Epiphytes, or
for the use of hyperaccumulators Florida International University
air plants, may be especially able
in phytoremediation, which and Fairchild Tropical Botanic
to utilize shade trees as substrate.
employs living green plants for Garden. Her research focuses on
These plants serve a keystone role,
decontamination. the neotropical genus Plumeria,
cycling nutrients and providing
commonly called frangipani,
food and habitat for invertebrates
Jasen Liu is a junior studying a charismatic tropical garden Johnny Quispe is a doctoral
and birds. Management decisions
biology at the University of California, plant that grows throughout the student in the Ecology and Evolution
alter abiotic environments in coffee
Santa Barbara. His project is titled Caribbean. Although several species Graduate Program at Rutgers
farms, affecting epiphyte assemblages.
“Ecological Roles of Floral Pigment are commonly grown, much University. He is investigating the
Richards compares vascular epiphyte
Variation over Ontogeny.” This field remains unknown about them. survival of tidal marshes under
richness, composition, and abundance
season he will be investigating how Tiernan’s research seeks to resolve the two sea-level rise (SLR) scenarios
on small and large farms, and links
pollinator behavior is affected by confusing taxonomy using molecular by installing small weirs along the
environmental conditions favoring
changes in petal pigment of elegant phylogenetics and morphological Raritan River in New Jersey. His
epiphytes to producers’ management
Clarkia unguiculata, a California studies. The revised classification also research seeks to understand the
decisions.
wildflower, as its flowers progress will help inform conservation threats. effects of SLR on marshes dominated
from functionally male to functionally Systematic studies of threatened by common reed (Phragmites australis)
The Bulletin :: Summer 2018
Coastal Wetlands Ecological Restoration Conservation
and smooth cordgrass (Spartina
alterniflora), as well as how these two
The Garden Club Carmen L. Tubbesing is
a PhD candidate in the Department
The Sara
wetland species help marshes keep of America of Environmental Science, Policy, Shallenberger
pace with SLR. The goal of Quispe’s Fellowship in and Management at the University of Brown Garden
research is to assist in the development California, Berkeley. She researches
of policy recommendations for local Ecological the long-term consequences of large, Club of America
and regional planners to ensure the Restoration severe fires in the Sierra Nevada—fires National Parks
conservation of tidal marshes, and
help coastal communities reduce
Established in 2000 and administered that are ahistorical but have become
more common as a result of human
Conservation
flooding and other damage from
by the University of Wisconsin–
Madison Arboretum, this fellowship activity. Specifically she studies Scholarship
future storms through the use of competition between montane shrubs Established in 2010 and
natural defenses. supports specialized graduate studies and young native conifers. This plant
and research in ecological restoration administered by the Student
interaction is poorly understood but Conservation Association (SCA),
and the active healing of land. essential to determining how post- this scholarship encourages college
fire plant communities will change
Julie Larson is a PhD undergraduates, ages 19-20, to
over time. This work will help land
candidate in the Ecology & pursue careers in conservation by
managers foster diverse forests in the
Evolutionary Biology Department experiencing field training while
aftermath of big fires.
at the University of Colorado protecting the treasured resources of
Boulder. An early summer job as America’s national parks through
a restoration technician spurred
her interest in invasive plants and
the SCA’s apprentice crew leader
grassland restoration. As a researcher, program.
she now asks questions about what Blake Toney is majoring
Katherine Culatta is a allows some plant species to persist in environmental management
master’s student in plant biology at in a given environment while others and protection, with a minor in
North Carolina State University. are threatened. In her project, indigenous studies in natural resources
Her project is titled “Taxonomy, Larson explores whether differences and the environment, at California
Population Genetics, and Status in seed and plant traits can predict Polytechnic State University, San
Assessment of Cape Fear Spatterdock grassland species’ chances of storage Luis Obispo. For the past three years
(Nuphar sagittifolia).” Her research or regeneration, and whether seeding Lindsey Hendricks- he has been a Trail Corps volunteer
will inform conservation decisions or grazing practices based strategically Franco is a PhD candidate in the for SCA and has assisted in leading
regarding this aquatic plant endemic on traits can help restore persistent Department of Integrative Biology at extended outdoor trips through the
to the southeastern Atlantic coastal communities. the University of California, Berkeley. university’s Poly Escapes program.
plains. A combined morphological She studies how plant functional Toney’s research experience includes
Riley Pizza is a master’s student
and genetic approach will be used to diversity drives post-fire recovery university-affiliated field and
in integrated biosciences at the
determine the plant’s taxonomic limits of soils in Northern California’s laboratory work with the California
University of Minnesota Duluth.
and describe its genetic diversity. chaparral shrublands. Shortly after ground squirrel and the western
Her research project is titled “Are
Restoration Seed Pools Evolving summer fires, herbaceous plants grow bluebird.
Serina Wittyngham is a prolifically, likely absorbing nitrogen
PhD candidate in biological sciences under Commercial Propagation?” Ella Schwab is a student
Pizza is studying the potential from ash before it runs off to pollute
at the Virginia Institute of Marine nearby bodies of water. She uses herb- at California Polytechnic State
Science, College of William & Mary. domestication of native plant species University. A two-year alumna of
grown on farms for restoration removal experiments to demonstrate
Her research goal is to understand the combinations of plants that SCA’s National Crew Program,
how the chemistry of salt marsh projects. Currently conservationists she has participated on crews
are using seed that is grown and maximize post-fire nitrogen retention
plants can combat herbivory and, in and soil restoration. Hendricks-Franco at Yosemite National Park in
turn, protect shorelines. Herbivory mechanically harvested on farms for California and Olympic National
restoration, but few have considered will assess the impacts of herb removal
of smooth cordgrass (Spartina on roundworms, which are biological Park in Washington state. Schwab
alterniflora) can create patches of whether these seeds are evolving to is majoring in biological sciences.
acquire domestication traits that indicators of soil health and recovery.
denuded marsh. In some patches, An accomplished photographer and
plants are re-growing but are not would reduce their survival in the filmmaker, Schwab has also received
consumed. This study will examine wild. The results of this research will medals in amateur rowing and
if changes in plant chemistry are provide information about how seeds wrestling competitions.
responsible for protecting new plants are collected for restoration purposes.
from further consumption, thus
increasing the resiliency of the salt
marsh.
The Bulletin :: Summer 2018 
Desert Studies Garden History & Design Horticulture
The Garden of classes offered by entomologist
Frédérique Lavoipierre. This year
The Douglas Rachel E. Becknell is a
PhD candidate in the Evolution,
Club of America she is contributing to Lavoipierre’s Dockery Thomas Ecology, and Population Biology
Award in Desert Garden Allies program, undertaking
research on the relationship between
Fellowship in program at Washington University
in St. Louis in affiliation with the
Studies specific California drought-adapted Garden History Missouri Botanical Garden and the
Established in 2006 and plants and beneficial insects. The and Design university’s Tyson Research Center.
administered by the Desert public education arm of the program Her project is titled “The Effects of
Established in 2000 to further
Botanical Garden in Phoenix, is to teach the ability of these plants Soil Microbes on the Growth and
to attract and provide habitat for the study of history and design
this award enables graduate Survival of Endangered Astragalus
beneficial insects as a key element in in the American garden and also
or undergraduate students in bibullatus.” Her dissertation focuses
conservation biological control. look to the future of gardens and on the effects of soil microbes, such
horticulture, conservation, botany, their place in the environment, as mycorrhizal fungi and fungal
environmental science, or landscape The Garden this fellowship is administered pathogens, on community dynamics
design relating to arid landscapes
to further their studies of the arid Club of America by the Landscape Architecture in tallgrass prairie restorations and
Foundation. in the reintroduction of the federally
environment, with preference Scholarship in endangered glade plant species
given to projects that generate Garden History Sara Jacobs is a PhD
candidate at the University of
Astragalus bibullatus. This species is
scientifically sound water and plant
management.
and Design at Washington. Her dissertation explores
currently known to exist in only eight
populations in central Tennessee.
the Archives the historic relationship between Becknell will examine whether it
of American landscape and site to propose a
model for how design can engage
possesses species-specific microbes
necessary for its successful long-term
Gardens the social, ecological, and political reintroduction.
Established in 2001, this complexity of cities. Her professional
design experience includes working
scholarship supports independent
at SCAPE Landscape Architecture,
study in the field of landscape where she helped to lead urban
history and design. Preference design and waterfront projects; and
is given to students planning to at OPSYS Landscape, where she used
intern at the Archives of American mapping and visual representation as
Garrett Langefels is a Gardens (AAG) at the Smithsonian media for revealing environmental,
sophomore majoring in landscape in Washington, DC. political, and infrastructural
architecture at Arizona State intersections. Sara has an MLA
University. While interning at the from Harvard University and a BA
140-acre Desert Botanical Garden in architecture and conservation
resource studies from the University Patrick A. Smallwood is
in Phoenix, he will advance his a PhD candidate in the Department
knowledge of desert plants and of California, Berkeley. She plans to
pursue a career in academia. of Plant Biology at the University of
their use in landscape design. He Georgia. His research is focused on
will also focus on sustainability in
desert regions and on new strategies The Catherine the interactions between orchids and
their mycorrhizal fungal partners.
for protecting native bird habitats H. Beattie Specifically, he is interested in how
from the constant threat of human
development. Hoping to make Moeur
Katharyn Gove is a master’s Fellowship the identity of the fungus may
student in the Museum Studies Established in 1983 and change across orchid populations as
Park in Tempe more hospitable for the needs of the orchid change. He
Program at the University of administered by the Center for
roadrunners, for example, Langefels intends to use molecular techniques to
Kansas, where she is focusing on
is working on an exhibition at the
access, inclusion, and representation
Plant Conservation, a network understand how orchid mycorrhizal
park to emphasize the importance of 40 botanical gardens in communities associated with the
within collections. Her interest in
of conserving the dwindling the US and Canada that is yellow lady’s slipper orchid change
horticulture, research, and public
natural desert within the Phoenix headquartered in Escondido, across eastern North America. He
education through digitally accessible
metropolitan area. California, this fellowship hopes that the results of his work
collections aligns with her goals as an
Heather Bendingtree intern at the Smithsonian Institution’s promotes the conservation of will help inform native orchid
is a student in environmental Archives of American Gardens (AAG). rare and endangered flora in conservation.
horticulture at Santa Barbara City She will work on processing and the southeastern United States
College and an ongoing intern at digitizing archival materials as well by supporting field research by
Santa Barbara Botanic Garden, as promoting AAG on social media, graduate students.
where among other duties she is with the hope of reaching a broad
an instructional aide for a series audience.
The Bulletin :: Summer 2018
Horticulture
The Katharine analyzing restoration. Results from Tara Corinne
this study will aid managers of natural Quesenberry is an
M. Grosscup areas in planning restoration activities. undergraduate at the University
Scholarships in Hannah Magney is pursuing
of Kentucky, where she majors in
Horticulture a degree in sustainable agriculture
agricultural education. She has
worked in the agriculture industry for
Established in 1981, this at the University of Kentucky’s
the last several years and is devoted
scholarship is designed to encourage College of Agriculture, Food, and
to the national Future Farmers of
Environment in Lexington. Her dual
undergraduate and master’s America (FFA) organization. Her
major in the interdisciplinary program Megan Bender is a junior
students in the study of horticulture experience has enabled her to see
of the Department of Community studying horticulture at the University
and related fields. that the lack of education is the most
and Leadership Development will of Cincinnati. After graduating
pressing issue facing the industry.
be augmented next year, when as a she intends to pursue a career in
Upon graduation Quesenberry
junior she will be adding a minor either landscape design or public
wants to teach agriculture and be
in plant and soil sciences. Magney horticulture. Having completed three
an FFA advisor in order to do her
believes that the fields of agriculture internships in public horticulture over
part in educating the general public
and horticulture provide bountiful the past two years, Bender will be
and preparing for the future of the
opportunities to begin stabilizing delving into the commercial side of
agriculture industry.
communities through fulfilling the the horticulture industry this summer
need for nutritious food and for a Joshua Hitchner is a master’s by working at a wholesale greenhouse.
connection with nature. Her academic student in landscape architecture She is excited to learn more about
focus is to develop community at Temple University’s Tyler School greenhouse management and diversify
Isabella Garramone is a programs that benefit both the of Art. Hitchner’s focus is on the her skill set with this opportunity.
master’s student at the University of environment and local residents. ecological restoration of landscapes, Funded by Garden Club of Cleveland,
Michigan School for Environment improving sites not only for human Zone X
and Sustainability. Her area of enjoyment but also to enhance the
focus is behavior, education, and
communication. Previously having
ecosystems. During his final year The Loy
of study, Hitchner will investigate
worked in children’s education at both creative solutions for improving McCandless
Longwood Gardens in Pennsylvania degraded landscapes. He hopes to Marks
and the New York Botanical Garden,
she is currently with The Farm at St.
have a positive influence on the
selection of native plants offered by
Scholarship
Joseph Mercy Hospital to research, growers and in turn used in design in Tropical
create, and implement a toolkit-based
system to facilitate collaboration
plans. Hitchner is currently working Horticulture
for a large wholesale nursery in New
among farms that participate in health Jersey.
Established in 1999 and awarded
Madison Proctor is a junior in even-numbered years, this
care. Garramone intends to become a
majoring in environmental studies Parker Strand is an scholarship fosters the study of
leader in engagement and outreach to
and biology at Hiram College in undergraduate at Pennsylvania
educate communities about their local
Ohio. She currently works at the
tropical ornamental horticulture at
food systems and their impact not State University’s Department of institutions abroad that specialize
college’s James H. Barrow Field Plant Science. He aspires to have a
only at home but also with respect to in the study of tropical plants.
Station, a research and educational management position at a public
the global environment.
facility and wildlife rehabilitation botanic garden and use his influence Benjamin Proulx is a
Keri Plevniak is a master’s center. Last summer she did research to promote the public horticulture master’s student in landscape
student in plant ecology at Cleveland with rhododendron rootstock at the industry to younger generations. architecture with a focus in Latin
State University. Her research 3,600-acre Holden Arboretum. This Strand has spoken at the American American studies at the University
compares the plant communities of summer she will be an interpreter Horticultural Society’s National of Georgia. His research looks at the
restored and unrestored meadows at the Upper Delaware Scenic & Children & Youth Gardening benefits of integrating agricultural
in northeastern Ohio to understand Recreational River, a national park Symposium and is currently employed and ornamental landscapes. He will
how plant traits contribute to in Pennsylvania. Proctor hopes to at Chanticleer Garden, in Wayne, participate in a study abroad program
restoration outcomes. The presence continue her career in environmental Pennsylvania, as a member of the at the University of Georgia’s Costa
and abundance of species along outreach and education, working in visitors service department. Strand Rica campus, where he will work on
with leaf, height, and seed traits will state and national parks. plans to pursue a master’s degree in the redesign of the San Luis Botanical
be studied to assess the impact of public horticulture. Garden. Architecture students from
restoration efforts on the diversity of Funded by Shaker Lakes Garden Club, the University of Costa Rica will
plant establishment. Plant traits and Zone X collaborate on a design proposal for
their relationship to the structure of the Torres riverside community of Los
plant communities can be of value in Cipreses in Barrio México, San José,
Costa Rica.
The Bulletin :: Summer 2018 
Horticulture International Work and Study Native Plant Studies
The Corliss agriculture, such as on-farm habitat
diversification, have the potential
Fayetteville, Arkansas. The signs will
cover concepts such as plant succes-
Knapp Engle to promote viable natural enemy sion, riparian zones, and pollination.
Scholarship in insect populations to benefit both After the signs are installed Caillouet
crop yield and financial return on will research the educational impact
Horticulture investments. Straser aims to provide on visitors.
Established in 2010 to encourage comprehensive insights into the
the development of research, ecological and economic limitations The Garden
documentation, and teaching of current techniques to enhance
biological control. Furthermore, he
Club of America
skills in the field of horticulture,
this scholarship honors the Gisele Nighswander seeks to provide new information Montine M.
memory of the exceptional and
is a master’s degree student in the to help develop more targeted and Freeman
School of Forest Resources & effective strategies in integrated pest
inspiring Corliss Knapp Engle, Conservation at the University of management for the delivery of Scholarship in
a long-time member of the Florida, in Gainesville. Her project, ecosystem services. Native Plant
Chestnut Hill Garden Club
(Zone I). The scholarship is open
titled “The Role of Vegetational
Characteristics and Landscape The Garden Studies
to undergraduate and graduate Established in 2017 to
students, advanced degree
Context in Controlling Arthropod
Pests in Ornamental Gardens,”
Club of America encourage the understanding and
candidates, and nondegree seeking focuses on alpha (site) and beta Hope Goddard development of underutilized
applicants above the high school (structural) diversity and complexity
in various landscape environments.
Iselin Fellowship native plants, this scholarship is
level.
This information can guide the in Public open to college undergraduate and
graduate students, advanced degree
design and placement of ornamental Horticulture candidates, or nondegree-seeking
gardens in residential areas in order Established in 2013 and
to limit pressures from arthropod applicants above the high school
pest herbivory and therefore reduce
administered by the American level to encourage the development
reliance on traditional chemical pest Public Gardens Association, of research, documentation, and
controls. the fellowship furthers the study teaching skills in the field of
of public horticulture through horticulture. It was made possible
Crystal Conner is a first-year experiential learning that takes by utilizing surplus funds from
PhD candidate in plant pathology place at a recognized public garden, the Montine M. Freeman Medal
at the University of Florida. She is botanic garden, or arboretum
conducting research on identifying account and the generosity of the
James Fischer is a PhD blueberry plant genes that are resistant
within the United States. Freeman family.
candidate in the Department of
to bacterial wilt, which is fatal. In Uma Venkatesh, PhD,
Ecology and Evolutionary Biology at
2016 bacterial wilt, caused by the is a post-doctoral scholar in
the University of Kansas. His research
bacterium Ralstonia solanacearum, was the Department of Biology at
focuses on how rising atmospheric
isolated and confirmed on multiple Pennsylvania State University. She
CO₂ can affect leaf development,
blueberry farms in Florida. Conner is involved in the analysis of large-
specifically with respect to the
is studying the blueberry genomes of scale genetic data for the entire
production of leaf hairs (trichomes).
both wild species and cultivars. The collection of over 1,200 species of
These structures play major roles
blueberry industry in North America native and naturalized plants as
in defense against herbivores,
is rapidly growing, projecting a 25% well as cultivars at the university’s
enhancement of water retention, and
increase in production over a four- arboretum. Venkatesh is also studying
production of essential oils. His work
year span, from 750.2 million pounds Olivia C. Caillouet is a the phylogeny, or molecular evolution,
is contributing to a growing base of
in 2015 to 940 million pounds in master’s student in Agricultural and of parasitic plants. This project will
molecular knowledge available to
2019. Fresh blueberry retail sales in Extension Education at the Univer- allow her to rediscover and propagate
plant breeders, horticulturists, and
the US were valued at $1.5 billion in sity of Arkansas. She received her three rare native parasitic plants. In
agronomists. Fischer is also interested
2015. Conner’s research will aid in bachelor’s degree in horticulture and the course of her work Venkatesh
in the imaging of plant structures
the development of disease-resistant aspires to work at botanical gardens or will gather information about the
through electron microscopy and
cultivars. in higher education. She has worked plants’ biology, current status, growth
macro photography and, generally,
in the role of scientific imagery in Rob Straser is a PhD candidate at farms in Mozambique, presented requirements, and performance as
advancing student learning. in the Department of Entomology research in Uruguay, and completed cultivated plants in botanical gardens
at the University of California, internships at farms in California with an eye toward their conservation.
Riverside. His research focuses on and Puerto Rico. Her project will
understanding under what conditions implement educational signage at the
alternative management strategies in Botanical Garden of the Ozarks in
The Bulletin :: Summer 2018
International Work and Study Landscape Architecture Native Bird
Heritage Wrest Park in Bedforshire. complex material ecologies. Hong’s patterns have changed over the past
He has volunteered at Kew Gardens project aims to investigate the hidden two decades, Wohlfeil hopes her work
and worked for a commercial histories of materials used in the will aid avian conservation efforts.
garden center. Beyond gardening construction and manufacturing
and horticulture, Bull worked of Roman architecture and urban Logan Maxwell is a
at Christian Aid in London as a infrastructure. Moreover, she will master’s student at the University
Humanitarian Risk, Security, and examine how specific materials of New Hampshire. Her project
Programme Officer; served as a digital have shaped and been shaped by is titled “Fitness Consequences of
communications officer for Voluntary contemporary shifts in climatic zones, Hybridization in Saltmarsh and
Services Oversees; and was involved geopolitical territories, regional to Nelson’s Sparrows.” Maxwell’s research
Angela Merriken is a with in-country programs in Latin global economies, and emergent will use field-collected demographic
horticulture and landscape design America. Along with his horticultural technologies. Her research will data in combination with molecular
student at St. Louis Community background and work experience, begin with the study of a single genetic tools to study outcomes
College–Meramec in Kirkwood, David brings great enthusiasm for material—one that is environmentally of hybridization in these two tidal
Missouri. Her research will contribute spending a year in the US. and symbolically foundational to marsh birds, which are threatened by
to the development of a threatened the history, present, and future of sea-level rise. She will evaluate their
plants of the Ozark Plateau garden at The Royal Rome—Carrara marble. drivers and patterns of hybridization
in the center of the hybrid zone
Shaw Nature Reserve, operated by the Horticultural Society
Missouri Botanical Garden. Merriken The Frances through a lens of local adaptation
Interchange Fellow within a changing environment. The
will establish a working list of rare and
endangered plants for inclusion in the
M. Peacock results will help enable predictions
garden. This rare-plant research will Scholarship about adaptive capacity and
be used to create interpretive materials for Native Bird population viability into the future.
that will help connect the garden
audience to Shaw Nature Reserve’s Habitat The Garden Club
conservation efforts. Established in 1994 and of America Board
administered by the Cornell Lab of
The Garden Club Ornithology in Ithaca, New York,
of Associates
of America the scholarship is awarded to college Centennial
and the Royal seniors and graduate students for Pollinator
Horticultural Brady Hedgecock, a recent
the study of habitat-related issues Fellowship
that will benefit threatened or
Society graduate of North Carolina State
University with a degree in general endangered bird species and inform Established in the spring of 2013
and administered by the Pollinator
Interchange horticulture, has a passion for public land management decisions.
Partnership, this fellowship
Fellowships horticulture and a special interest in supports one or more graduate
the ginger family (Zingiberaceae). He
Established in 1948, these two students to advance the knowledge
seeks to hone his practical skills in
fellowships provide for a reciprocal horticulture and gain experience in of pollinator science. It was made
exchange of British and American botanical curation, with the eventual possible by generous gifts given in
students in horticulture, landscape goal of becoming a garden director. honor of the GCA Centennial by
architecture, and related fields to members of the Board of Associates.
study and intern in each other’s The Rome Prize Kristen M. Lear is a PhD
country for one year. Fellowship candidate in integrative conservation
The Garden Club of in Landscape at the University of Georgia Warnell
Martha Wohlfeil is a School of Forestry and Natural
America Interchange Architecture PhD candidate at the University of Resources. Her project, “Assessing
Fellow Established in 1928, this fellowship California, Davis, studying avian and Developing Critical Foraging
Habitat for an Endangered Pollinating
provides American landscape biogeography in the Great Basin, the
David Bull will spend a year at architects the opportunity for largest area of contiguous watersheds Bat,” focuses on conservation of the
Longwood Gardens, beginning in advanced study at the American in North America. Her project, titled Mexican long-nosed bat (Leptonycteris
September, doing a variety of rotations Academy in Rome. “Potential Mechanisms of Within- nivalis), a key pollinator in US and
among their extensive collections, Season Elevational Movement of Mexican ecosystems. Lear will use
special exhibits, and annual events. Zaneta Hong is an assistant Passerine Species,” identifies a novel an interdisciplinary approach that
David has degrees or certifications professor in landscape architecture at pattern of upslope movement in combines the natural and social
from Shrewsbury College, University the University of Virginia. Architects some bird species and aims to better sciences to investigate the bats’
of Exeter, Edinburgh Botanic and designers routinely reorganize understand why this does or does not foraging ecology and understand how
Garden, Capel Manor, and English the earth’s matter and form, using occur. Also studying how avian flight to develop and implement programs
The Bulletin :: Summer 2018 
Pollinator Research Summer Environmental Studies
that restore critical foraging habitat
in northeastern Mexico. Her research
The Clara Carter The Garden nutrients. Commonly found on dairy
farms, dung beetles can minimize the
will directly inform on-the-ground Higgins Summer Club of America environmental impact of raising cattle
conservation efforts for the species. Environmental Awards for by consuming and redistributing
animal waste. Identifying the abilities
Pamela Blackmore is a Studies Summer of other members of their microbiome
master’s student in landscape architec-
ture at Kansas State University. Her
Scholarship Environmental will increase our understanding of
project, “Butterflies, Tallgrass Prairie, Established in 1964 to encourage Studies how microbes regulate agricultural
waste, helping us to predict how
and Green Roofs,” evaluates the college students to further their Scholarships disturbances—like antibiotic use
butterfly communities of two urban studies and careers in the field or climate change—may alter this
Established in 1993, this
green roofs planted with native prairie of ecology, this scholarship offers important dynamic.
vegetation compared to nearby urban scholarship encourages
opportunities to gain knowledge Funded by Green Spring Valley Garden
native prairie and protected tallgrass undergraduate summer studies in
and experience beyond the regular Club, Zone VI
prairie sites. Since urbanization is a fieldwork, research, or classroom
curriculum.
driver of habitat loss, it is essential to work in environmental studies
understand how habitat for polli- Gauri Kambhatla is a beyond the regular curriculum.
nator communities in cities can be sophomore studying computer science
improved. One potential solution is and cognitive science at the University Christian J. Moore is
to use green roofs and other green of Michigan. She is passionate about currently a fourth-year undergraduate
infrastructure to make cities more interweaving artificial intelligence landscape architecture student at
hospitable to pollinators. with sustainability to create solutions The Ohio State University. His
to the major issues of climate change: project, “People of the Grassland:
how AI and machine learning can be A Comparative Study of Volga
used to combat or prevent damage German Communities and Ecologies
to ecosystems worldwide. She will be in Saratov Oblast, Russia,” explores
studying in Denmark and modeling the relationship between cultural
glaciers to learn about their formation, identity and grassland landscape
typologies. This work is part of a Mary Devlin is a senior in
preservation, and destruction; their the Environmental Earth and Soil
part in our global climate system; and larger investigation into landscape
architecture’s role in the design Sciences program at California
the effects of climate change on them. Polytechnic State University, San
She will be doing fieldwork in the and development of agricultural
communities. Through this research, Luis Obispo. Her project is titled
glaciers of Iceland, creating models for “Implications for Better Management
glacier behavior and learning on-site. Moore intends to gain a better
understanding of the common of a Threatened Habitat—California’s
Jordan Sims is a rising junior environmental challenges facing these Serpentine Grasslands.” This summer
Kristen Birdshire is an she will investigate how nutrient
environmental sciences master’s majoring in ecology and evolutionary communities across international
biology and minoring in biochemistry borders. enrichment in serpentine soils affects
student at the University of Colorado the ability of non-native invasive
Denver. Her research, titled and cell biology at Rice University
in Houston, Texas. She has spent grasses to become established in
“Influences on Wild Bee Richness and them. Serpentine soils, typically
Abundance Along an Urban-Rural a semester developing an effective
method for isolating viruses from heavy-mineral-rich and nutrient-poor,
Gradient,” focuses on native and are a refuge for rare and endemic
exotic bees in a dry montane climate. coral mucus, which is secreted by
stressed corals. To continue this plants in California, but nutrient
The study seeks not only to define deposition from human activity, such
these population metrics along the project, she will travel to Mo'orea
in French Polynesia to explore how as fossil fuel combustion and use of
slope, but also to determine each bee fertilizers, could change their nutrient
species’ physiological and ecological viral abundance in coral mucus
changes during coral bleaching. This balance. Understanding how nutrient
characteristics in terms of its ability enrichment influences competition
to promote or undermine survival research aims to answer big picture
questions about the health of coral between non-native and native grasses
in the urban landscape. Ultimately will inform future management of
Birdshire’s research will identify ways reef ecosystems in rapidly changing
California’s serpentine grasslands.
to enhance bee populations and environments. Alison Moss is a junior
pollination in Denver’s city center. studying microbial ecology at Towson
University in Maryland. This summer
she will investigate the metabolic
activity of bacteria found in the dung
beetle gut. Like humans, dung beetles
host symbiotic bacteria that assist
in digestion and provide essential
The Bulletin :: Summer 2018Summer Environmental Studies Urban Forestry
The Caroline Hallie Fischman is a
junior concentrating in ecology
Camille DeSisto is a junior
at Harvard University studying
Thorn Kissel and evolutionary biology at Brown integrative biology with a secondary
Summer University. She is currently studying concentration in environmental
the effects of Hurricane Irma on sand science and public policy. This
Environmental dunes at Sapelo Island, Georgia. Her summer she will expand upon a
Studies project will specifically look at the project she started last year, studying
Scholarship role of sea oats (Uniola paniculata) in
promoting dune recovery. Sea oats are
the invasive strawberry guava in
Madagascar. The goals of the project
Established in 2004, this commonly planted in the southeastern are to understand animal-mediated
scholarship promotes environmental US for dune restoration, and this dispersal networks, impacts of the
studies for residents of New Jersey research will inform conservation strawberry guavas on floral and faunal
Amy M. Blood is a PhD
or persons studying in the state. practices. community structure, and the genetic
candidate studying urban forestry in
diversity throughout the country.
The Elizabeth The field work for this project will be
the Geospatial and Environmental
Analysis Graduate Program at Virginia
Gardner Norweb conducted primarily in Ranomafana
National Park, but Camille will also
Tech. She repurposes underutilized
Environmental collect data in other national parks in
datasets to address large-scale urban
forestry challenges. She will be com-
Studies Madagascar.
bining ground based measurements
Scholarship The Garden Club and geospatial data from multiple
Established in 2005, this cities to develop a classification
scholarship encourages
of America Zone of different forms, structures, and
undergraduate summer studies VI Fellowship in configurations (a “typology”) of the
landscape types present in urban for-
doing fieldwork, research, or Urban Forestry ests. She will develop a classification
Natalie Kashi is a doctoral classroom work in environmental Established in 2005 for advanced system for these types and qualitative-
candidate in the Natural Resources & studies beyond the regular undergraduate or graduate ly assess their unique ecohydrological
Earth Systems Science PhD Program curriculum. students to study urban forestry characteristics. Understanding where
at the University of New Hampshire. and related subjects, this fellowship these landscape types occur in urban
She studies peatland development is administered by the GCA in environments may improve storm-
in response to permafrost thaw and, water management and related tree
collaboration with Casey Trees, planting and conservation policies.
specifically, how nutrients released
from permafrost thaw impact
Washington, DC.
microbes that produce and consume Danica Doroski is a PhD
Kaitlyn Pike completed her candidate at the Yale School of
methane, an important greenhouse BA in environmental studies at
gas. This research has important Forestry & Environmental Studies.
DePaul University, where she is now Her project uses data from recent tree
implications for managing greenhouse working toward an MS in sustainable
emissions in the restoration of plantings in cities across the US to
management. In collaboration with evaluate tree diversity on a regional
wetlands. the city forester of Highland Park, and national scale. While tree planting
Illinois, her research will analyze
The Mary Soren Struckman is a the conditions of preserved private
efforts have increased in recent years,
information on them is often siloed by
T. Carothers senior with a biology major and a
minor in applied statistics at the
trees on properties undergoing municipalities, making it challenging
construction. These trees, classified as
Summer College of William & Mary in heritage trees by the city, are protected
to identify national trends or make
city-by-city comparisons. By working
Environmental Virginia. He will be part of a research under ordinances before, during, with municipalities and nonprofits,
team studying leaf chemistry and
Studies insect herbivory and their effects on
and after construction. The aim of
this research is to develop a better
this project will help consolidate
Scholarship common milkweed (Asclepias syriaca) understanding of how redevelopment
and synthesize data to illuminate
patterns in species composition
Established in 2005, this demographics. He will be using field impacts trees by species and how both
data to create a computational model that can inform future tree planting
scholarship is for undergraduate municipalities and homeowners can projects and improve such programs
of milkweed population dynamics more effectively protect their urban
students who are doing summer to determine the effect of temporal nationwide.
fieldwork, research, or classroom forests.
variation in leaf traits and of herbivory
work beyond their regular on population growth. This area of
curriculum. research has strong implications for
monarch butterfly conservation and
the restoration of pollinator-friendly
habitats.
The Bulletin :: Summer 2018 Hull
The Elizabeth Mississippi River and broad water
issues in New Orleans. Her garden
Eileen Prendergast
Glencoe, IL
Abernathy Hull project, the Propagators, began in Proposed by Toni Harkness, Lake
Awards 1999. After Hurricane Katrina it Geneva Garden Club, Zone XI
evolved into the Edible Schoolyard, a
In addition to announcing program integrated into the academic Eileen Prendergast, director of
scholarships, the GCA recognizes curriculum in four schools serving education at the Chicago Botanic
individuals who work with children from kindergarten to eighth Garden, has dedicated 23 years
children under 16 to inspire “their grade. Other initiatives are a sweet to encouraging children to view
appreciation of the beauty and potato festival, meet-the-farmer days, the natural world as a joyful place
composting workshops, and family Al Salopek where they can indulge their
fragility of our planet.” Awardees Wellington, FL
food nights. curiosity. Programs that are often
are proposed by a GCA club or club Proposed by Elizabeth Thebaut, Garden intergenerational serve 130,000
member. Jane Jackson Club of Palm Beach, Zone VIII people each year. Weekend family
Maurice Cullen Mill Neck, NY classes target children aged four to
Al Salopek, affectionately known to
Virginia Beach, VA Proposed by Augusta Reese, North ten. Nature Nights, Little Diggers,
children in Palm Beach County as
Proposed by Allison McDuffie, The Country Garden Club of Long Island, and Leave No Child Inside are other
“Al the Bee Man,” has a mission: to
Virginia Beach Garden Club, Zone VII Zone III popular programs. Prendergast’s
educate, raise awareness, and demys-
Inspiring Nature Play Conference is a
Maurice Cullen, a teacher for more Jane Jackson is an educator at heart, tify the honey bee for children while
highly valued resource for preschool
than 17 years, says, “I want to and her love of nature is infectious. helping them connect to nature. In
teachers.
teach science all day! Life Science is She has spent time at The Nature 2009, realizing that the plight of the
about anything alive.” His lessons Conservancy and the New York honey bee illustrates an important
incorporate everyday observations Restoration Project. More recently she lesson for humankind, he set up his
that help his students see the delicate founded and administers the North own nonprofit, Bee Understanding.
relationships among all things living. Shore Land Alliance’s Walk in the Salopek employs multi-sensory tech-
His classroom is full of plants and live Woods and Other Cool Things to niques, using props, role-playing, and
animals that are incorporated into his Do Outside programs. Jackson also hands-on activities that make learning
lesson plans. Activities include raising designed and teaches the Long Island fun. One such program is the Gift of
and releasing oysters, collecting trash Water Education Program, with its Bees, which he developed to reinforce
from local waterways, and improving focus on the sole source aquifer that the idea that “the sustainability of the
bird habitats. Cullen understands the is the area’s drinking-water source. world we live in will be determined
importance of developing curricula to Additionally, she has spearheaded by what we do now with the young
foster future environmentalists. Earth Day celebrations, introducing people growing up.” His personal
underserved youth to a 70-acre presentations and outreach programs
reach over 10,000 students annually.
Emi Yoshimura
preserve near their homes, by planting
Los Angeles, CA
trees and revitalizing the area after Funded by Ridgefield Garden Club, Proposed by Ann Murphy, Pasadena
Hurricane Sandy. Zone II Garden Club, Zone XII
Funded by South Side Garden Club of
L.I., Zone III Mollie Parsons Emi Yoshimura is the director of
Santa Fe, NM education at Descanso Gardens, a
Emily Goodwin Martin Proposed by Carol Ann Mullaney, Santa 150-acre botanical garden in Los
Hood River, OR Fe Garden Club, Zone XII Angeles County. Her 15+ years of
Proposed by Elizabeth Evins Martin, experience in museum education
Mollie Parsons is the education
Peachtree Garden Club, Zone VIII have resulted in innovative science-
director for the Santa Fe Botanical
Garden (SFBG), where she initiated oriented programs exploring the
Emily Goodwin Martin is a passionate
Garden Sprouts and the Children’s interconnectedness of the plants
environmentalist. She began her
Karin Giger Eustis Discovery Nature Zone, both of and animals that make their home
career as a marine biology teacher in
New Orleans, LA which engage pre-school children at Descanso Gardens. Habitat
San Francisco, later teaching estuarine
Proposed by Cathy Pierson, New in hands-on exploration of the Detectives, a program for children
ecology to grade school students. In
Orleans Town Gardeners, Zone IX environment. For elementary and from kindergarten through the second
2011 she founded Cascade Mountain
middle school children, field trips to grade, explores the garden as a wildlife
Karin Giger Eustis has been a School at the base of Mt. Adams in
both SFBG and its second property, habitat. Seeds of Wonder is an exercise
hands-on leader in gardening and the Columbia River Gorge, Oregon.
the Leonora Curtin Wetland Preserve, in creating habitats, and Harvest
environmental education for 30 This outdoor science school offers a
have varied in focus from soil studies Garden introduces the planting and
years. As president of the Louisiana range of day and overnight science-
to assessing the health of the garden’s harvesting of personal food gardens,
Children’s Museum, she oversaw oriented educational programs geared
orchard. Parson’s innovative work has underscoring the “pleasure of dirty
experiential learning about the to children aged 6 to 15.
served more than 1,500 students in hands.”
the Santa Fe school system.
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