The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Garden opens rare conservation-research opportunity
Grad students gain access to nurturing endangered species.
Working hands-on in the field often provides valuable learning experiences that can’t be replicated in the classroom. That’s the idea behind a new program designed to give grad students the chance to get up close with endangered plants that are at the Atlanta Botanical Garden.
Through the Rare Plant Research and Mentoring for Post-Baccalaureates (RaMP) program, two students at the garden have joined a national cohort working on similar projects at the California Botanic Garden, the San Diego Botanic Garden and The Morton Arboretum in Illinois. The network was established to study the decline of plant biodiversity and to give students who weren’t involved in research at the undergraduate level the chance to do a deep study for one year. The program was also designed to recruit students from low-income households or who are first-generation graduates, as well as those who have been his- torically excluded from the science workforce.
Emily Coffey, ABG’s vice president of conservation and research, said the pro- gram provided an additional benefit.
“We thought it was important to take the lead in training the next generation of scientists,” she said. “We do that by providing unique opportunities for mentees to gain research experience from a wide variety of specialties that you can’t always obtain at one university.”
One of those primary opportunities is working directly with critically endangered plants through the garden’s conservation horticulture pro- gram, part of an emerging field focused on maintaining genetic diversity and protecting the loss of plants in the wild.
“Conservation horticulture allows us to work directly with the plants here at the garden and in the wild,” Coffey said. “We’re trying to protect species in great numbers. We’re working with rare species to ensure we have collections at the Botanical Garden in seed or living plants that will protect the genetic diversity in the wild.”
Barbara Garfinkle, a 2019 biology grad from East Carolina University, was looking for just that sort of program when she came across information about RaMP last year. She joined the ABG in August.
“I didn’t think it was real,” she said. “I found my love of plants during the pandemic while living in Florida. But in college, I didn’t have any research experience. I’m gaining as much knowledge as I can doing a lot of testing, attending a conference and networking.”
Max Meader, a 2022 biology grad from the University of Central Florida, joined in November.
“I’m really passionate about plants and conservation horticulture, but those weren’t things
I explored at my university,” he said. “I knew the Atlanta Botanical Garden has a stellar reputation, and my goal is get a Ph.D. and a job similar to Emily’s. What she does as a leader in conservation is really cool.”
The deadline to apply for the Fall 2024 program is March 15. Applicants must have earned a college degree without extensive research experience in the past four years, be a U.S. citizen and not be enrolled in a graduate program.
“And they have to be really passionate and excited about plant conservation,” Coffey said.