Other Projects

The prairie turnip (Pediomelum escultentum), also known as pomme de terre or tipsin, is a native prairie legume with edible, starchy roots that were a staple food for many Native American tribes. Prairie turnips are long-lived perennial plants that grow only in unplowed, native prairies.

Since 2003, I have assisted Dr. Lisa Castle in her long-term monitoring of prairie turnip populations in Kansas and Nebraska. We have returned to the same field plots, finding and measuring individual plants mapped in the original study. Through this work, we have documented survival, death, and the rare seedling recruitment events. The data we collect each field season provides insights into the population dynamics of prairie turnips and other long-lived perennial wildflowers.

Prairie Turnip Population Surveys

Grassland Conservation StoryMap

I aided Dr. Mike Houts in creating a StoryMap website highlighting his grassland conservation projects. Using maps and images, we brought to life highly technical information, making it more accessible to a wider audience.

My role included:

Designing, building, and editing the StoryMap website.
Technical communication editing to make complex, scientific concepts more accessible to a general audience.
Content creation about the animals featured in each project

Sediment Coring of Kansas Reservoir

I assisted Dr. Ted Harris with his work on examining the history of Harmful Algal Blooms in Kansas Reservoirs. The cyanobacteria responsible for these blooms leave unique pigments and dna in the lake sediments that can inf