From Plant Press, Vol. 26, No. 3, July 2023.
Savannah Mapes, Virginia Institute of Marine Science (VIMS) graduate student and NMNH-Department of Botany summer intern, shared research on phytoplankton at an Expert Is In session in the Ocean Hall, NMNH on Friday, June 16. She talked about the important role phytoplankton play in our everyday lives and showcased the ecological and financial impact of harmful algal blooms. Though microscopic, they play an enormous role in sustaining life on Earth. There was a lot of interest from school aged children to adults. The microscopes with live algal cultures were a hit as well as Mapes’ bioluminescent phytoplankton costume!
As part of her graduate research, Mapes studies the life cycle of Alexandrium monilatum, a bioluminescent species of dinoflagellate that produces toxic blooms in the lower Chesapeake Bay. She hopes to uncover clues in the life stages to determine why this species creates harmful blooms.
On May 24, Sylvia Orli gave the presentation “Digitizing the US Herbarium” virtually in the DigiTIPS 2023 meeting series. Digitizing to International Imaging Performance Standards (DigiTIPS) is a series of seminars organized by the Society for Imaging Sciences and Technology (IS&T). Orli’s talk was part of the Innovations and Special Projects session which highlighted organizations and practitioners using innovative or specialized methods for digitization, as well as those working with unique or unusual collections, or under special circumstances.
Laurence Skog and Judith Skog (Research Associate) continue to spend most Wednesdays volunteering in the herbarium at George Mason University (GMUF) as they have since the beginning of the pandemic in 2020.
Comments