Stetson University, January 2019 -May 2021

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I began interning with Stetson’s Volusia Sandhill Ecosystem restoration area after completing a semester of volunteer work at the restoration site. For three and half years, I worked with a team of interns and faculty to expand and maintain the Volusia Sandhill, an on-campus native Sandhill restoration area that acts as a refuge for native flora and fauna and as a teaching landscape for the community. My work there includes removing invasive species, propagating and planting native flora, collecting seeds, and cataloging tree growth.

 

In addition to restoration work, I also helped create and host outreach events at the Volusia Sandhill for the Stetson community geared toward inspiring responsibility for natural spaces through the arts. For example, we hosted a watercolor workshop where students had the opportunity to create an artistic interpretation of the landscape. We also hosted a workshop in which students could take photographs, draw, watercolor, collect data, or write poetry in the Volusia Sandhill. The resulting designs were then collaged onto a large tapestry that now hangs in the foyer of the Stetson science building. These events helped us assess the potential of using art as a medium for undergraduate engagement in restoration science. Our team of interns was scheduled to present our findings on creative environmental outreach at the Association of Southeastern Biologists (ASB) 2020 conference but was cancled due to Covid-19. See our presentation below.

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In addition to my work at the Volusia Sandhill Ecosystem, I wrote and designed weekly newsletters for the Gillespie Museum and assisted with the creation of educational materials for people of all ages. For example, I created a set of birthstone postcard coloring pages and an origami bat video. I also worked on an ArcGIS StoryMap highlighting various museum minerals and conducted research on Florida ethnobotanicals to highlight on social media.

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During the summer of 2020 I also initiated Throughline, a Gillespie Museum project that offers a way for the community to connect to nature through creativity. For this project, I designed a website and currently create social media posts about the project and publish weekly art-in-nature prompts during the semester.  See the website here.

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Through my experiences at the Gillespie Museum and the Volusia Sandhill, I have had the opportunity to learn about different ways to engage students of different ages in creative science education and have also had the opportunity to learn the ins and outs of restoration work and the importance of creating urban refuges for native flora and fauna. This work has propelled me into a space of communicating environmental work and providing space for connection to nature through creative mediums.

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