Outreach and Service

A selection of the various outreach and service activities I am/have been involved in over the years. For a more complete account, please see my CV.

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BioBlitz at D-Town Farms

A BioBlitz is an interactive educational event aimed at teaching ecology and biology through hands on experiences. I have served on the planning committee and/or participated in running 5 BioBlitz events at D-town Farms in Detroit, MI. D-Town farm is a large active farm run by the Detroit Black Community Food Security Network (DBCFSN). At our BioBlitz events, we engage students and community members in hands-on experiences with wild life and museum samples while focusing on the ecology and ecosystem services available in their communities. For more information, please see the explanatory video here.

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Associate Documentary Producer

I was lucky to conduct large parts of my thesis work in urban ecology with many urban farmers and gardners in Detroit, MI. I was then also lucky enough to use that experience to help document their amazing work when I served as an associate producer for a documentary on urban ecology and agriculture. The film is from independent Montana film makers High Plains Films and is currently in the editing stage. Check back here for updates and eventual release information!

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K-12 Educational Outreach

Through my work at the University of Michigan museum and my research, my collaborators and I have been invited to give numerous presentations to students of all ages at schools and after school programs in the southeast Michigan area. The pictures to the left show one of those events, a showcase activity for kids attending Ann Arbor’s yearly summer fest event. We have also built class room activities focused on conveying the basics of pattern recognition in ecology.
I have also been invited to speak at local community groups to convey my work to general adult audiences as part of multiple initiatives. Please see my CV for a more complete listing of my activities in this area.

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Graduate Student Government

During my thesis program, I was elected by our student body to represent grad student interests on two departmental committees: (1)The Graduate Affairs Committee which oversees grad student affairs and guides aspects of internal funding & (2)The Executive Committee as a grad student representative regarding broader departmental initiatives.