DaRin Butz Foundation Research Interns

Beau Rass is a third-year undergraduate at DePaul University, majoring in Environmental Science with minors in Biology and Peace, Justice, and Conflict Studies. He is passionate about the complex relationships between human activity and environmental change. Outside of academics, Beau is deeply involved in environmental justice service initiatives and enjoys hiking, museums, and playing guitar. He will be working in the Templer/Hutyra Labs, studying air pollution in urban ecosystems.

Blake Califf is an undergraduate at the University of Tennessee studying Ecology and Evolutionary Biology. He has specific research interests in ecosystem responses and adaptation in the context of global change. Outside of academics, Blake likes to play soccer, go hiking, and fish. As a DaRin Butz intern, he will work in the Taylor Lab and plans on contributing to a better understanding of our biosphere by studying nutrient availability.

Grace Papetti is an undergraduate studying Biology with a minor in Geosciences at Hamilton College. She is passionate about ecology and collects seed data in the local glens on campus. In her free time, Grace enjoys baking, volunteering, and doing yoga. She is excited to work in the Friedman Lab this summer and is ready to continue exploring evolutionary biology.

Isha Saini is a junior at the University of Michigan majoring in Environmental Science and Pure Mathematics, with a minor in Sociocultural Anthropology. She enjoys biking and reading memoirs, as well as listening to live music and just wandering! She is very excited to research the complex system of invasive plants and insects in the LaScaleia Lab, and looks forward to working with caterpillars this summer!

Jenna Coleman is a second-year undergraduate student at Catawba College, majoring in Environmental Sciences and Sustainability. Her interests include botany (especially native plant ecology) and environmental outreach (believing that people care about what they know about). Outside of academia, she loves crafts of all kinds and spending time outdoors— two hobbies that intersect in many ways! She is excited to explore climate impacts on plants in the Taylor Lab.

Katie McGillivray is an undergraduate student at the University of Massachusetts Amherst studying Biology and Natural Resources Conservation. She is specifically interested in the regulatory genetics behind plant growth, and hopes to pursue graduate school and a career in plant biology. She is looking forward to studying the evolutionary biology of grasses and flower morphology in the Kellogg and Gong labs. Outside of academics, she plays the saxophone at UMass and plays the guitar as well!

Maddie Jocek is entering her senior year at Ohio University where she is studying field ecology, with a minor in environmental geoscience. She is passionate about forestry, woody plants, conservation, and geology. She enjoys hiking in the Appalachia foothills of Ohio and loves to share fun facts about plants. She will be working in the Friedman lab studying woody plants.

Olivia Thorgersen is a community college student preparing to transfer to a University of California campus in the fall to pursue her undergraduate degree in Biochemistry. In the LaScaleia Lab, she will investigate physical and chemical plant defenses against herbivory, helping her refine her interests in graduate school. She hopes to earn a PhD in Plant Biology and become a professor, inspiring other first generation students like herself to pursue their goals in academia and beyond.

Aditi Panda is an undergraduate majoring in Life Sciences at the National Institute of Science Education and Research (NISER), India. Her research interests encompass ecology, phylogeny and evolutionary development of angiosperms. She plans to pursue her love for plants in the future as a graduate student. She aspires to work in the tropical forests of South and Southeast Asia and explore their eco-evolutionary dynamics.

Aidan Jones is an undergraduate student at the University of Vermont studying molecular genetics. He is originally from northern New Jersey where he grew up skateboarding. He became interested in plant genetics and molecular cell biology during his undergraduate studies and hopes to pursue either in graduate school. As a DaRin Butz intern, he will be working in the Kellogg lab.

Eva-Sophia Swaddipong is a junior undergraduate at Haverford College majoring in Biology and minoring in Gender and Sexuality Studies. As a Massachusetts native, she enjoys open water swimming and agriculture. They are excited to research speciation and plant pollination through wildflower Phlox at the Hopkins Lab this summer.

Jazmine Zinachi Harry is an ambitious sophomore at Howard University, majoring in Environmental Science with a double minor in Biology and Afro-American Studies. As part of the Karsh STEM Scholars program, Jazmine plans to advance her academic and professional career in the science community by achieving a combined J.D/Ph.D. degree. Being initially from Kentucky with roots in Nigeria, she has learned how to foster her cultural heritage through her love of environmental science by conducting research and helping with community projects. Beyond academics, Jazmine is always on the run, holding leadership positions in Black Eudaimonia and several environmentally focused initiatives on the Howard University campus and beyond. As a Black Eudaimonia student director, she hopes to substantially impact the environmental justice and sustainability scene in D.C. She hopes to create a future where she advances scientific knowledge and promotes a more just and sustainable world.

Lotus Carlson is a junior from UMass Amherst studying environmental science and chemistry. Joining Templer’s lab this summer, she is currently doing research in Dr. Baoshan Xing’s environmental chemistry lab and has a passion for soil chemistry, remediation, and conservation. Aside from plant & soil science and analytical chemistry, Lotus is an avid enjoyer of cats and death metal.

Oscar de la Torre is a second-year undergraduate student at the University of Georgia studying Biotechnology for plant science and Plant Biology. He is interested in the ecological interactions between plant roots and mycorrhizal communities as well as the genetic optimization of plants and crops for conservation and agricultural purposes. What’s more, he loves spending time outside by playing spikeball, backpacking or hiking.

Serene Omran is an undergraduate student at UMass Amherst studying Biology and Environmental Science. She is passionate about plant biology and loves gardening, baking, and hiking! As someone interested in how cereal crops are impacted by climate change, she is excited to study the evolutionary biology of cereal crops in the Kellogg lab this summer.

Tori Bacall is an undergraduate student at Bowdoin College majoring in biology and environment studies. Outside of class, she enjoys running track and cross country and exploring the Maine outdoors. She is passionate about conducting research that guides environmental conservation, especially in the context of climate change. As a DaRin Butz intern, she will work in the Taylor lab researching how climate change impacts relationships between plants and soil microbes.

Angelique Acevedo is a senior from Cornell University majoring in Environment & Sustainability with minors in Plant Science and Microbial Science. After graduation, she plans to take a gap year working as a Lab Technician studying plant anatomy before potentially applying to graduate school. As a DaRin Butz intern, she will work in the Villouta lab investigating how woody species physiologically adapt to survive freezing temperatures. Currently Angelique is research technician and lab manager in the Onyenedum Lab at NYU.

Daniel Pinckney is an undergraduate at Harvard College studying Environmental Science and Public Policy. He has been fascinated by the outdoors for as long as he can remember and loves hiking, gardening, and biking. An avid environmentalist and urbanist, he is excited to investigate nutrient flows in urban ecosystems with the Templer and Hutyra labs this summer.

Estefania Elejalde Baena is an undergraduate Biology student at the University of Antioquia, Colombia. She is interested in the evolution of floral attributes that have a direct impact on the reproductive success of the plant and that have promoted the fascinating evolution and radiation of Angiosperms, such as floral color. Estefania is currently developing her undergraduate thesis, working with a unique parasite-host system found in the Colombian Eastern Cordillera.  Estefania is currently working on her Master’s degree in the Pabon Lab at the University of Antioquia, Colombia

Kathryn Vanden Hoek is a junior undergraduate student from the University of Missouri – Columbia studying biochemistry. She is passionate about the environment and is interested in how ecosystems are responding to climate change. In the Taylor lab, she will study how plants respond to and influence their environments, particularly in view of global change. Staring Fall 2024, Kathryn is a graduate student in Environmental Engineering at Northwestern University.

Maya Akazawa is an undergraduate student at Oberlin College studying Biology. She grew up in Vermont where she became fascinated with moths and plants, and they became the subjects of many mixed media collage and drawings. As a DaRin Butz intern in the Taylor lab, she will be researching how plants respond to and influence their environments. After college she plans to pursue a career in Ecology.

My Trinh (she/her) is a student at Oberlin College studying Biology and Biochemistry. Having grown up in Vietnam, this plant enthusiast enjoys gardening, painting, drinking coffee, and playing guitar. In the Friedman lab, My will study the evolutionary diversification of plants through structure and development. After graduation, My wishes to pursue a research career in botany or molecular biology. She is excited to be in Boston for the first time. My is a graduate student in the Friedman Lab at the Arnold Arboretum starting Fall 2024.

Yusuf Yildirim is an undergraduate student at Harvard College majoring in Integrative Biology and Computer Science, with a deep fascination for plant developmental biology and molecular evolution. Post-graduation, he aspires to further his studies in plant developmental biology or delve into the realm of bioinformatics. This summer, Yusuf will be joining the Hopkins lab, where he will be investigating seed development in various Phlox species.

Ben Tibbetts is an undergraduate student studying Biology at Case Western Reserve University. He is a violinist, plant lover, and particularly interested in the relationship between organisms and their environment. As a DaRin Butz intern he will be working in the Taylor lab investigating the effects of climate change on plants, as well as how plants can influence their surroundings in return. Ben was an Alumni Mentor for 2023 Intern My Trinh.

Cameron Chin (she/her) is a junior undergraduate at UMass Amherst studying environmental science and plant & soil science. Growing up in Boston, she’s enjoyed visiting the urban wilds and local parks to sketch the landscape and wildlife. She plans to go to graduate school to study plant/ microbe interactions under global change factors to work within the sphere of conservation. As an intern in the Templer/ Hutyra labs, she will be researching nutrient cycling in urban soil systems. Cameron hosted an 2023 Intern Event painting wood cookies sourced from the Arboretum. Cameron is currently a research technician in the Templer Lab at Boston University.

Eden Fisher is an undergraduate at Harvard College interested in studying math, plants, rocks, public health, or some combination of the above. She grew up in Rhode Island and likes to spend as much of her time outside as possible. In the Friedman lab, Eden will explore the connections between developmental, phylogenetic, and evolutionary biology. Eden hosted a scavenger hunt for the 2023 Interns.

Emily Lancaster is an undergraduate student at the University of Michigan studying plant biology. She is interested in plant adaptations and the affects of climate change on forest communities. As a DaRin Butz intern, Emily will be working in the Villouta lab investigating winter physiology in plants.

James Fortin grew up north of Boston and enjoys gardening, fishing, and exploring.  He is currently pursuing a Biology major at Williams College.  After graduation, he plans to do fieldwork in evolutionary biology or ecology.  In the Friedman lab, James will study plant morphologies in the context of evolutionary diversification.  He appreciated this opportunity to write about himself in the third person. James is currently a research assistant for the Friedman Lab and for Faye Rosin in the WH Labs.

Joshua Murphy is an undergraduate student at The George Washington University studying Biology. He is interested in plant genetics and ethnobotany. As a DaRin Butz intern, he will be working in the Hopkins lab researching adaptation and speciation in the Texas wildflower Phlox.

Olivia Bronzo-Munich is an undergraduate student at Bowdoin College studying Biology. She is interested in plant-insect interactions and their role in plant and insect adaptation, speciation, and diversification. As a DaRin Butz intern, she will be working in the Hopkins lab researching adaptation and speciation in the wildflower Phlox.

• Burgin GA, Bronzo-Munich O, Garner AG, Acevedo IA, Hopkins R. 2023. Characterizing each step of pollination in Phlox drummondii reveals a single butterfly species predominates the pollinator assemblage. American Journal of Botany. Abstract

William Huntley is a rising senior at Bennington College in southern Vermont, studying biology with a focus in proteomics and plant biology. Originally from southwestern New Hampshire, he enjoys hiking, gardening, and being outside. He is excited to be working in the Moeglein lab researching leaf development.

Aunnesha Bhowmick is an undergraduate student at University of California, Berkeley, studying Molecular Environmental Biology. She is passionate about climate change research especially through the lens of ecosystem ecology and biogeochemistry. As a DaRin Butz intern, she is excited to work in the Taylor lab where she is analyzing remote sensing data to better understand the effects of climate change in the Arctic biome.

Bea Mace is an undergraduate student at the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences at Cornell University studying Plant Science and Climate Change. She is interested in tree physiology, native landscape conservation, and the ecology of natural and cultivated woody landscapes.

Dylan is an undergraduate student at Goucher College studying Biology. He is interested in investigating adaptive genetic variance in hardwood trees and understanding forest ecology. As a Darin Butz Intern, he is working in the Grossman lab analyzing the potential effects of climate change on the Maple (Acer) genus. Dylan hosted a 2022 Intern Event on conifer identification. Dylan returned to the Arboretum in the summer of 2022 to work in the curation department as a Hunnewell Intern.

Erica Kirchhof is an undergraduate at Cornell University studying plant sciences with minors in climate change and inequality studies. She is interested in understanding the relationships between plants and the environment through the lens of physiology, ecosystem interactions, and global change. As a DaRin Butz intern, Erica is working in the Kovaleski lab to explore the winter physiology of woody plants in the Arboretum’s living collections. Erica was an Alumni Mentor for 2022 Interns, Ben Tibbetts and Joshua Murphy. She hosted a 2023 Intern Event on tackling the elevator pitch. Erica is currently a PhD student in the Kovaleski lab at the University of Wisconsin, Madison

Jerry González-Cantoral is studying biology at University of San Carlos of Guatemala. His main research is focused on the influence of soil physicochemical properties on secondary metabolites secretion in flowers of the devil’s hand tree (Chiranthodendron pentadactylon). As a DaRin Butz intern, he is working in the Moeglein lab exploring the complexities of leaf formation strategies and bud dormancy. Jerry was an Alumni Mentor for 2022 Interns Eden Fisher and William Huntley. Jerry is currently working for a company called “Special Fruits and Vegetables” in the tissue culture laboratory propagating blackberries, blueberries and raspberries.

Millie studied Physical Geography at Durham University in the UK. Her research focused on land management techniques in the UK and the improvement of Payment for Ecosystem Services schemes in agriculture through interviews, choice and crop modelling. In the Taylor lab, she is working on spatial analysis of warming in the Arctic using remote sensing data Millie was an Alumni Mentor for 2023 Intern Daniel Pinckney. She hosted a 2022 Intern Event on overseas graduate programs.. Millie is currently a Masters by Research student at Durham University in the Department of Geography. She is continuing to collaborate with the Taylor lab on their DaRin Butz internship project ‘Alder in the Arctic’.

As a Darin Butz intern, Nidhi Vinod will examine the impact of climate change on Maples (Acer genus) in the Grossman lab. Nidhi was an Alumni Mentor for 2022 Interns Olivia Bronzo-Munich and Cameron Chin, and 2023 Interns Kathryn Vanden Hoek and Angelique Acevedo. Starting in the Fall of 2021, Nidhi is a PhD student at UCLA in the laboratory of Lawren Sack.

Yanni Pappas is an undergraduate at Northeastern University studying Environmental Science and Political Science. He is interested in understanding the ways that human and natural systems interact, and how that knowledge can be used to help people live more sustainably with Earth’s environments. Yanni is working in the Templer lab studying how air pollution affects urban ecosystems.

• Conrad-Rooney E, Gewirtzman J, Pappas Y, Pasquarella VJ, Hutyra LR, Templer PH. 2023. Atmospheric wet deposition in urban and suburban sites across the United States. Atmospheric Environment. 305:119783 Abstract

Daniel Mindich is an undergraduate student at Harvard College studying Environmental Science and Public Policy. He is interested in conservation, forestry, and environmental policy as well as religion. Danny is excited to work in the Friedman lab.

Dannielle Waugh is an undergraduate at the University of Central Florida, currently obtaining her bachelor’s degree in Biology with a minor in Environmental Sciences. At her home institution, her research focuses on observing the role of plant growth rate in relation to leaf traits and environmental characteristics. Some of her interests are ecology, plant-environment interactions, invasive biology, and conservation. As a DaRin Butz intern, she is working in the Spriggs lab studying the evolution and plant conservation of the chestnuts and ashes (Castanea and Fraxinus).

Emma O’Donnell is an undergraduate student at UMass Amherst, majoring in biology. She currently studies plant regulatory genomics in the model organism grass species Brachypodium distachyon. She’s involved in analyzing how specific genetic mutations affect the secondary cell wall of these plants. As a DaRin Butz intern, she is working in the Hopkins lab.

Erin Wright is an undergraduate at Harvard College. As a DaRin Butz intern, she is working in the Holbrook lab.

Fiona Harrigian is an undergraduate student at Wellesley College studying Biology. She is interested in public health, microbiology, the environment, and the connections between them. As a DaRin Butz intern, she is exploring the connections between urbanization and plants and soils in the Templer and Hutyra labs.

Henry Coe, an undergraduate at Oberlin College, is working in the Grossman lab.

• Grossman JJ, Coe HB, Fey O, Fraser N, Salaam M, et al. Temperate woody species across the angiosperm phylogeny acquire tolerance to water deficit stress during the growing season. New Phytologist. Abstract

Liam Cleary is an undergraduate student at UMass Amherst studying plant and soil science. His current research focuses on the evolutionary relationship between flowering plants and their pollinators. Liam is working in the Friedman lab studying Magnolia macrophylla’s relationship with honey bee pollinators. Liam was an Alumni Mentor for 2021 Interns Dylan Dubay and Yanni Pappas and for 2023 Intern Maya Akazawa. After working as a research assistant at BTI/Cornell University, Liam is a PhD student at Clark University (starting Fall 2022) studying population genomics of Basidiobolus.

Mayerlin Fischbach Barria is an undergraduate student at the University of Central Florida, studying biology with a focus on plant science. Her major interests include understanding ecosystem resilience as well as plant-environment interactions, which she is working on this summer in the Des Marais lab. Mayer was an Alumni Mentor for 2021 Intern Nidhi Vinod and hosted a 2021 event on making an elevator pitch.

Yiling Fang is an undergraduate at Oberlin College studying Biology. She is interested in investigating plant developmental patterns and understanding plant physiology. She is working in the Holbrook lab to understand cavitation resistance.

Andrew Walter-McNeill is a undergraduate at Bowdoin College studying biology and computer science. He helped investigate how certain crops respond to changes in their growth environment (especially those related to climate change) in the Des Marais lab. He spent his spring semester studying the boundary between eucalypt forest and rainforest in northern Queensland. Andrew is currently a Research Assistant in the Axel lab, a neuroscience lab at Columbia University.

Anna Blaustein was an undergraduate student at Bowdoin College where she studied Biology and Earth and Oceanographic Science. Anna worked in the Des Marais lab investigating how CO2 levels affect resource allocation in cereal grain-like grasses. Anna joined the Graduate Program in Science Writing at MIT in the Fall of 2020.

Anny Garcés Palacio is from Colombia at Antioquia University. She is interested in Evo-Devo plants, evolutionary biology, organismic and embryology. Anny worked in the Friedman lab exploring the process of double fertilization in Conifers. Anny was an Alumni Mentor for 2022 Interns Emily Lancaster and James Fortin and 2023 Interns Estefania Elejalde Baena and Yusuf Yildirim. Starting in the Fall of 2022, Anny is a PhD student in Germany in the CEPLAS cluster.

Bridget Bickner studied biology at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, where her research focused on the evolutionary implications of sexual conflict and mating strategies in spiders. In the future, she plans to focus on microevolutionary processes. As a DaRin Butz intern and under an American Society of Plant Biologists fellowship, Bridget worked in the Hopkins lab to locate cis-regulatory promoter mutations related to Phlox drummondii flower color variation. Bridget was an Alumni Mentor for 2021 Interns Erica Kirchhof and Millie Harding. She hosted a 2023 Intern Event painting succulent plant containers. Since Fall 2019, Bridget is a PhD Student in Organismic and Evolutionary Biology at Harvard University in the Hopkins lab.

Derek Schneider is a biology major at Amherst College. As a DaRin Butz intern, he studied speciation in plants in the Hopkins lab.

Emily Brown, an undergraduate student at Boston University, studied Biology with a minor in Anthropology.  She worked on the project “Tree Anatomy and Function” in the Zieminska lab. Emily is a research data coordinator in the Cardiology Department at Boston Children’s Hospital.

Marissa Lee is an undergraduate at Boston University. She worked on a project in the Templer and Hutyra labs.

Matt Fertakos is an undergraduate studying biology at The College of New Jersey. His major interests include ecology, evolution, and conservation. Matt worked in the Spriggs lab studying evolution and plant conservation of the severely threatened chestnut and ash trees. Matt hosted an event for the 2022 Interns. Matt was awarded the 2019 Undergraduate Research Prize by the American Society of Plant Taxonomists for this research. Since summer of 2021, Matt is a PhD student in Organismic and Evolutionary Biology at UMass Amherst.

• Spriggs EL, Fertakos ME. 2021. Evolution of Castanea in North America: restriction-site-associated DNA sequencing and ecological modeling reveal a history of radiation, range shifts, and disease. American Journal of Botany 108: 1692-704.

Zhe He is a recent graduate from Wheaton College with a chemistry major and biology minor. Zhe worked in the Holbrook lab to help characterize vascular xylem vulnerability to cavitation. In the Walhout lab at Wheaton, she studied the diffusion of rhodamine b in polyelectrolyte solutions. Since Fall 2019, Zhe is a PhD Student in Organismic and Evolutionary Biology at Harvard University in the Holbrook lab.

Asa Peters from Newton, Massachusetts was a student at Connecticut College studying botany and music technology. He is interested in botany, ecology, and also ethnobotany. Asa worked in the Wolkovich lab. Asa started a MS program, Critical Ethnic and Community Studies, at UMass Boston in the Fall of 2020.

Ashley Bang was an undergraduate at Brown University studying Geology-Biology. She worked on the ‘Air Pollutions in Urban Ecosystems’ project in the Templer and Hutyra labs. Originally from Hong Kong, Ashley is interested in studying the shift in ecosystem interactions and functions that have been caused by anthropogenic activities. Ashley was awarded a Fulbright scholarship for marine conservation & ecology research in Taiwan in the Fall of 2019.

• Hundertmark WJ, Lee M, Smith IA, Bang AHY, Chen V, Gately C, Templer PH, Hutyra LR. 2021. Influence of landscape management practices on urban greenhouse gas budgets. Carbon Balance Management.

Emily Rosa is from Northern California and was an undergraduate at Sonoma State University in Environmental Studies and Planning with minors in Biology and Geography. Emily worked in the Zieminska lab. Emily was an Alumni Mentor for 2021 Intern Bea Mace. Emily is the Natural Resource Manager at the Travis Air Force Base.

• Ziemińska K, Rosa E, Gleason SM, Holbrook NM. Wood day capacitance is related to water content, wood density, and anatomy across 30 temperate tree species. Plant Cell & Environment 43: 3048– 3067.

Jack Smith was a Harvard undergraduate studying Environmental Science and Public Policy. Jack worked in the Friedman lab exploring plant morphology and development.

Jack Smith was a Harvard undergraduate studying Environmental Science and Public Policy. Jack worked in the Friedman lab exploring plant morphology and development.

Jessica Leslie is a graduate from UMass Amherst, where she was a Biology major with a certificate in Civic Engagement and Public Service. She is interested in plant-insect interactions, plant adaptations, and plant speciation. Jessica worked in the Hopkins lab. Jessica is a PhD student at the University of California, Berkley in the Molecular and Cell Biology program starting in Fall 2019.

Juliet Bramante was a Harvard undergraduate working in the Hopkins lab. Juliet helped to identify cis regulatory changes responsible for color variation in Phlox drummondii.

Sruti Pandey is an undergraduate student at Boston University studying biology. She worked with Dr. Losada in the Holbrook lab and quantitatively studied the vascular system of transgenic Nicotiana plants using confocal microscopy. Sruti was an Alumni Mentor for 2021 Interns Jerry González-Cantoral and Aunnesha Bhowmick. She hosted a jeopardy game for 2021, 2022, and 2023 Interns. After working as a research associate at a biotech company called Fluent BioSciences, Sruti is a PhD student at the University of Michigan.

Vivien Chen was an undergraduate at Boston University studying Earth and Environmental Sciences with a minor in Biology. Vivien worked in the Holbrook lab to determine whether a correlation exists with phloem size and ploidy in three species of white magnolias. In the Templer and Hutyra Labs, she studied the effects climate change has on nonstructural carbohydrates in hardwood trees.

• Hundertmark WJ, Lee M, Smith IA, Bang AHY, Chen V, Gately C, Templer PH, Hutyra LR. 2021. Influence of landscape management practices on urban greenhouse gas budgets. Carbon Balance Management.