About the Reseach Team
Michelle Kenton
Where are you currently?
I am an undergraduate student at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.
What do you study?
I am working towards Bachelor's degrees in Conservation Biology and Data Science, as well as a certificate in Sustainability.
Why are you excited about this project?
I am excited about this project because it is the perfect intersection of my interests. I love learning about plants, especially through statistical analysis. I am also a big fan of citizen science and the engagement of the community, which I think is often an underutilized resource. I hope to continue similar research in the future.
What else?
I am a Wisconsin native. When I am not studying science, I enjoy rock climbing, hiking, and reading. I have an 11-year-old goldendoodle. I hope to one day complete the training to become a master cheesemaker in my free time.
Dr. Rachel Toczydlowski
Where are you currently?
I am a research scientist with the United States Forest Service, located in the Great Lakes Region.
What do you study?
Lots of different things! As an evolutionary biologist, I am broadly interested in understanding the relationships between ecological processes and evolutionary outcomes, especially the determinants and consequences of genetic diversity. I have used common jewelweed (Impatiens capensis) to study the genetic effects of habitat fragmentation on native plants in floodplain and lowland forests in Wisconsin, USA. I have also investigated the drivers of genetic diversity in marine species – everything from penguins and seals to clownfish and diatoms - and will soon be starting on aquatic species in the Great Lakes. I also think a lot about how to make research reproducible, efficient, and open.
Why are you excited about this project?
This project gives me the opportunity to directly involve people from many walks of life in the scientific process. That’s really exciting to me. We also have the potential to develop a new way to distinguish these two species of jewelweed from one another. Finally, I am a sucker for anything jewelweed-related having studied it for my PhD.
What else?
I grew up in Michigan’s Keweenaw Peninsula and have a soft spot for canoeing, foraging, and the Great Lakes as a result. My house is filled with over 100 houseplants, some much older than I am. I am highly competitive (mainly with myself) about the total number of tomatoes I can get my garden to produce each year.
Stephanie Lugo González (former, 2021)
Where are you currently?
I am an undergraduate student at Universidad Ana G. Mendez in Puerto Rico.
What do you study?
I am currently working to earn a Bachelor’s degree in Biology.
Why are you excited about this project?
I’m excited about learning new research techniques and how to modify and apply them in this new virtual reality we are living in. Getting people from different states involved in our project is very thrilling and I can’t wait to start receiving leaves in the mail. I hope this experience will help guide me as to what to do after I graduate.
What else?
I was born and raised in Puerto Rico. I’m a mother of three girls. I enjoy hiking, crafting, going to the beach and spending family time. The area of science I love the most is Microbiology.
Comments
Hi,
I can't seem to add a unique ID to the uploaded record. Can you help?
Sure thing! You should be able to add the observation to our project and then a box to type in the unique leaf ID should pop up. For some reason the app crashes sometimes at this step if you leave the app - so stay in the app until you have all the info filled in and uploaded. Hope that helps! Let me know if you're still having issues.
I just uploaded some photos of a Jewelweed plant I submitted a year or two ago. It did not have flowers this year. The location had Jewelweeds of both species before. I don’t plan to send a leaf, unless you want one.
@darrelltomkins - Apologies for the delayed response (just seeing notification for this one). I wasn't sure if you were saying you recently uploaded photos that you took in a previous year of a plant that you sent us a leaf from, or if you went back to the same population/area this year and took new photos. For our analyses, we need paired data of an iNat observation with photo/s of plant with at least one flower on it (to confirm species ID), and then the uppermost fully expanded leaf from the plant to make a digital scan of for morphometric analysis. Thanks again for your involvement with the project! Feel free to message myself or Michelle (@michelle2890) if you have questions.
Just seeing your response. The photos were from the same population but later in the following year. I didn’t collect any leaves this year, 2023. Thank you. I’ll try to go back next year.
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