20
May 1985 - 16 August 1985
A total of 12 students were selected
to participate in the 1985 program.
Schedule
of Events |
Poster |
Program
Summary
Student Abstracts |
Photo
Gallery
|
Applicant
Pool
130
recruitment posters were distributed to
small herbaria in the US.
Over
168 information requests were recorded.
24
applications were received.
|
Recruitment
Poster
|
Meet
the 1985 RTP participants
and read about their research projects.
Summer
Session Participants
Project Summaries
Director:
Thomas R. Soderstrom
Program Coordinator: Mary Sangrey
PROGRAM
SUMMARY
Collectively,
the 1985 interns curated three plant families
including the Leguminosae, Pinaceae, and Gramineae.
In
the Leguminosae the backlog of specimens
were filed, new folders made, segregate genera
combine, and some indets identified.
Curation
in the Pinaceae included the backlog
of specimens filed, new folders made, the collections
organized in alphabetical order, taxonomy corrected
to current standards, and the cone collection
curated.
In
the Gramineae the backlog of newly mounted
specimens, plus return loans were filed, totaling
7,000 specimens.
In
addition, the interns also volunteered 100 full
days, totaling 800 hours toward assisting with
herbarium management. This is equilavent to
one full time person working 8 hours a day for
5 months. The tasks completed included processing
the accumulation of outgoing exchange, filing
1,500 newly mounted plants in various families,
and all return loans in Mr. Pierces room were
processed.
Lead by Linda Hollenberg, the summer session
included a field trip to the Patuxent River
Park and Jug Bay area, Sunday, 28 July 1985.
CLOSING
COMMENTS
A
meeting was conducted with the participating
interns to evaluate the summer and plan for
next year. Here are the key comments;
-
- - Arrival dates should be standardized with
a core time of 8 weeks. Next year try to sessions
with two start dates, Session I beginning 27
May 1986 and Session II beginning 10 June 1986.
-
- - Offer more assistance to students seeking
housing. Provide a list and support a housing
bulletin board for posting information.
-
- - Include more visual aids in the lectures
and try to standardize the lecture day and time.
The best time is morning 9:00 a.m. for lectures.
-
- - Add a lunch option so as to meet and talk
to different curators.
-
- - The field trips were fun social events but
didn't achieve all they anticipated. Add a collecting
techniques field trip with actual demonstrations.
-
- - The lab visits would be better if they were
reduced to half day sessions with the option
to return in the afternoon.
-
- - Student liked having their own pre-determined
project that was their responsibility, but also
enjoyed the enrichment activities of visiting
the labs and listening to the lectures.
-
- - Some of the project would be better if done
with intern teams of two or more. Next year,
consider assigning more than one intern to certain
projects.
-
- - When begining the project, students want
to meet with the advisor to discuss what's expected
from both the student and advisors perspective.
-
- - Project advisors MUST be in-residence during
the time the intern is there. If the advisor
is gone even one week it can be a problem if
there is no back up.
-
- - It's very important for the intern to have
their own space, preferrably a desk rather than
a stool at a counter.
RESEARCH
TRAINING PROGRAM
PROGRAM SUMMARY
20
May 1985 to 16 August 1985
1985
SELECTION
CRITERIA
Display
of Interest
Course / Lab Work
Field Experience
Interests / Skils
Herbarium Experience
Specific Focus
Recommendations
LECTURE
SCHEDULE
Topic:
Role of Collection
Management at the US National Herbarium
Speaker: Rusty Russell
Date: Wednesday, 5 June 1985
Time: 10:00 a.m. - Noon
Location: Botany Chairman's Office
Topic:
The Herbarium Services
Unit
Speakers: Linda Hollenberg and Debbie Bell
Date: Friday, 7 June 1985
Time: Noon - 1:00 p.m.
Location: Botany Chairman's Office
Topic:
Herbarium Resources
Speaker: Dr. Richard Cowan
Date: Tuesday, 11 June 1985
Time: 2:00 - 3:00 p.m.
Location: Botany Library
Topic:
The Technician's Role
in the Botany Department
Speakers: Susan Wiser, Brian Kahn, and Barrett
Brooks
Date: Thursday, 13, 7 June 1985
Time: Noon - 1:00 p.m.
Location: Botany Fern Lab
Topic:
Lichens
Speaker: Dr. Mason Hale
Date: Tuesday, 18 June 1985
Time: 10:00 - 11:00 a.m.
Location: Waldo Schmitt Room
Topic:
Specimen-level Inventories
Speaker: Allison Slavick
Date: Thursday, 20 June 1985
Time: Noon - 1:00 p.m.
Location: Botany Chairman's Office
Topic:
Micro-computers in
the Museum
Speakers: Ellen Farr and Rusty Russell
Date: Wednesday, 26 June 1985
Time: Noon - 1:00 p.m.
Location: Botany Chairman's Office
Topic:
The Endangered Plant
Species Office
Speaker: Jane Lamlin
Date: Monday, 24 June 1985
Time: Noon - 1:00 p.m.
Location: Botany Chairman's Office
Topic:
Types and Nomenclature
Speaker: Dr. Dan Nicolson
Date: Monday, 1 July 1985
Time: 2:00 - 3:00 p.m.
Location: Waldo Schmitt Room
Topic:
Palm Collecting in
Panama
Speaker: Dr. Bob Read
Date: Thursday, 11 July 1985
Time: 10:00 - 11:00 a.m.
Location: Botany Chairman's Office
Topic:
Introducation to Pollen
Morphology
Speaker: Dr. Joan Nowicke
Date: Wednesday, 17 July 1985
Time: 10:00 - 11:00 a.m.
Location: Botany Chairman's Office
Topic:
The Reproductive Biology
of a Perennial Dayflower (Commelina erecta)
in Eastern Texas
Speaker: Dr. Bob Faden
Date: Thursday, 25 July 1985
Time: 2:00 - 3:00 p.m.
Location: Waldo Schmitt Room
Topic:
Field Techniques
Speaker: Dr. Vicki Funk
Date: Friday, 2 August 1985
Time: 10:00 - 11:00 a.m.
Location: Botany Chairman's Office
Topic:
Grasses, Sedges, Rushes,
and Bamboo
Speaker: Dr. Thomas R. Soderstrom
Date: Wednesday, 7 August 1985
Time: 2:00 - 3:00 p.m.
Location: Botany Grass Lab
Topic:
Pest Control and Fumigation
Speaker: Rusty Russell
Date: Monday, 12 August 1985
Time: Noon - 1:00 p.m.
Location: Naturalist Center
LABORATORY
SCHEDULE
The
schedule of activities also featured personalized
time in the different research laboratories
of the Department of Botany.
Site:
Plant Anatomy
Host: Stan Yankowski
Location: W529
Site:
Palentology
Host: Janice Bittner
Location: W400
Site:
Cytology
Host: Royce Oliver
Location: W507
Site:
Functional Morphology
Host: Barrett Brooks
Location: W531
Site:
Type Register
Host: Allison Slavick
Location: W403A
Site:
Inventory
Host: Susan Rechen, Randy Matis, and Chris Tuccinardi
Location: Herbarium
Site:
Algae
Host: Bob Sims
Location: W528
Site:
Greenhouse
Host: Susan Richardson
Location: W412
Site:
Scientific Illustration
Host: Alice Tangerini
Location: W519
Site:
Scanning Electron Microscope
Host: Walter Brown
Location: SEM Lab
Site:
Darkroom
Host: Mary Sangrey
Location: W500A
Site:
Botanical Library
Host: Mrs. Ruth Schallert
Location: Botany Library
HERBARIUM
MANAGEMENT TECHNIQUES - OPERATIONS EXPERIENCE
Each
intern spent one day each week assisting with
the general operations of the US National Herbarium.
Interns rotated betwen the different stations.
Category:
Specimen Backlog
Host: Linda Hollenberg
Location: W513
Summary: The glory of plant collecting is compounded
by the large amount of processing that needs
to take place before the speciment are ready
to be encorporated into the herbarium collections.
Because of this time consuming in-between taks,
many, in fact thousands upon thousands of specimens
are awaiting attention. The intern will floow
Linda Hollenberg's direction in processing several
"problem" bundles of backlog speciment.
The work includes labeling, sorting, and other
tasks involved in preparing specimens for mounting
and filing.
Category:
Specimen Shipping
Host: Elton Witcher and Mr. Hilton Pierce
Location: W409
Summary: The US National Herbarium is a very
active collection. Each year thousands of specimens
are continously coming and going. The intern
will assist Mr. Pierce in wrapping and unwrapping
packages, interleaving specimens, and other
aspects of specimen shipping.
Category:
Specimen Filing
Host: Debbie Bell
Location: W413
Summary: Plant mounting, combine with the return
of specimens from loans, creates a tremendous
backlog of specimens waiting for file into the
collection sequence. Under the direction of
Debbie Bell, interns will assist in filing some
of the families that typically receive little
attention.
Category:
Registration Systems
and Methods
Host: Bessie Perry
Location: W412
Summary: To keep track of the movement of specimens,
a registration system has been developed. The
intern will assist Bessie in processing specimens
for loan, counting specimens for accesions,
and other projects involved with "box"
processing.
Category:
Space Management
Host: Debbie Bell
Location: W413
Summary: In coordination with the clean-up program
underway in the Department of Botany, the intern
will assist in the implementation of projects
to help make the herbarium a nicer place to
work. Some projects include: the development
of a world map showing the herbarium divisions,
the mounting of posters and photographs for
display, and other projects associated with
the herbaroium "Spruce-up" project.
