Botany and Plant Ecology Newsletter
August/September 2022

Welcome back to campus!
We wish everyone a wonderful and successful
2022-2023 school year.

We extend a special welcome to our newest
Botany and Plant Ecology majors:
Audrey Alexander
Isabella Davis
Nicole Doyle
Tobias Flores
Madison Goodson
Julia Hall
Kara Hall
Jinni Messenger
Zachary Roper
Levi Spurlock

Let us know how we can help you!

New Assistant Professor

The Botany and Plant Ecology Department extends an enthusiastic welcome to:

Dr. Kerri Mocko

Dr. Mocko has joined the Department of Botany and Plant Ecology as an Assistant Professor of Botany. She specializes in plant ecophysiology and is also trained in plant anatomy and morphology. Dr. Mocko earned a PhD in Ecology and Evolutionary Biology from the University of Connecticut and did postdoctoral research at California State University, Fullerton.

Congratulations to our Spring 2022 graduates. Good luck with all of your endeavors!

From left to right
Front row: Meagan Kaminsky, Christian Phomsouvanh, Jace Van Leer, Idena Muhlestein, David Johnson, Kalab Smith, Cayden Quayle, Dr. Harley
Back row: Dr. Hilbig, Dr. Wachocki, Desiree Rodriguez-Vasquez, Dr. Cohen
Photo Credit: Sonya Welsh

BOTANY made the WSU Announcements!

Botany department professors Bridget Hilbig, James I Cohen and Barbara A Wachocki were awarded a grant of nearly $300K by the National Science Foundation to recruit, retain and support diverse students pursuing the field of botany! Check out the details by clicking on the button below!

Botany and Plant Ecology
Brag Badges

In 2022, the WSU Botany and Plant Ecology program was named #1 in the Rocky Mountain Region by collegefactual.com!

The Young Botanist Award was awarded to one or more of our majors in 2014, 2017, 2020 and 2021!

News From the Herbarium

This year, there are a lot of projects in the herbarium related to plant identification, mounting and digitizing specimens, and reorganizing the herbarium. If you're interested in working or volunteering in the herbarium (i.e., joining all of the excitement!), please contact Dr. Cohen.

Botany and Plant Ecology Graduate News

We received an update from Colleen Mills, a Botany and Plant Ecology graduate. Thanks Colleen!
Below is what she sent us.

Hello from Davis, CA! Life is wonderful here, the weather is amazing, and summer never ends. I wanted to give you an update on how things have gone here in Davis and in the
Buckley Lab.

I’ve been working on a ton of cool projects over the last year. My main focus has been on determining the direct response of stomata to temperature under constant VPD. In doing so, I have become an expert in using a LI-COR (now I understand what’s sitting in the WSU physiology lab). I presented the preliminary results of this at a Gordon Research Conference this summer. That was an incredible experience, and I would recommend it to anyone (even undergrads) who are interested in presenting research and learning about the cutting-edge knowledge in their field of interest. This project will continue and will likely be the subject of my dissertation research!

Another project that I’ve been working on is phenotyping common beans for drought-tolerance as part of a USDA grant. This is the last year of the grant, but it has paid for my summer and has allowed me to learn to use the pressure chamber, an osmometer, and has really helped me gain my footing in grad school research. It’s also allowed me to utilize all of the quotes from Thoreau’s Walden that I had to memorize in high school (if you want lots of bean quotes, you should check it out).

After we finish up the beans, we will be working further on the grant to create a THz radiation sensor for leaf water status. It will be my job to bridge the gap and learn to use the electromagnetic modeling software to figure out how to best design this sensor for leaves of various species.

Other adventures in Davis have included sports. I spent two quarters last year playing for the ecology soccer team, Spherical Cows. I spent part of the winter quarter trying out fencing. I also took up cycling here in the bike capital of America. It’s a cool place to do so since Tour of California passed through here a few times and we also host the US Bicycling Hall of Fame. Even the city logo is a penny-farthing bike!

We have a variety of fun features here on campus including one of the largest tardigrades in the world (picture below, you’re welcome). The university herbarium here is huge in comparison but is still filled with that ever-familiar smell of paper, dried plants, and glue. I’m very glad to have had a chance to work at the WSU herbarium so that I understood what was going on. The arboretum is also a great place to hang out, see beautiful redwoods, and is a great resource for horticulture and research.

I finally wanted to say once again, thank you for the great education at WSU. It has benefitted me so much to have had so many research opportunities, faculty interactions, and intense classes. Undergrad classes here are incredibly easy in comparison, with only graduate classes coming close to what I did at WSU. What I got at WSU prepared me well for grad school. I would not have changed anything.

Looking forward to another year of newsletters from WSU Botany to hear what’s going on there!

Botany and Plant Ecology Advising

Botany and Plant Ecology advisors are assigned by the first letter of the student’s last name.

2022-2023 advisors:

Initial Major Advisor: Dr. Harley
A-D: Dr. Cohen
E-K: Dr. Root
L-R: Dr. Harley
S-Z: Dr. Wachocki
Field Botany Certificate: Dr. Root
Minor, BIS and Departmental Honors: Dr. Harley

NEW! Successful Study - Tip of the Month

Few students were taught how to study—even after 12 years of schooling! Effective study begins with a solid routine, and the basis of that is repetitive review with strategic timing. Actively engage in class and take notes; then, review those notes within 3 to 24 hours, get clarification where needed, and review those notes several times along the way so you aren’t cramming for an exam. By reviewing and getting clarification within 24 hours, you’ll better understand the next lecture and remember it much better. By reviewing it more times, you’ll develop long-term memory and do better on exams. Of course, there’s a lot of refinement we could work out together in an appointment to arrive at a routine that fits you and your schedule.

For more support, email Brian Pilcher, zoology instructor and learning strategist at brianpilcher@weber.edu. Even better: schedule an appointment (no need for an email). I hope to see you soon! Just do it! Like, now.

Photos! Photos! Photos!

Spruce budworm outbreak in the High Uinta Wilderness - The Fall 2022 Plant Ecology class plans to collaborate with the Forest Service to better understand tree mortality.
Photo Credit: Dr. Heather Root

Impatiens
Photo Credit: Dr. Jim Cohen

Bristlecone Pine - Great Basin National Park
Photo Credit: Dr. Sue Harley

Send us your photos!
Have you taken any awesome Botany related photos? We'd love to see them and publish them in the newsletter. Send them to botany@weber.edu and include who is in the photo, if anyone, as well as who took the photo. We’ll include as many as we can.

The speaker on September 23rd will be Rachael Bush,
our very own Botany graduate!

Download the Code Purple app and get up-to-date information and important alerts when an emergency occurs on campus. Read more about it by clicking the button below.

Weber State Votes!

Below is a list of things you can do to make an impact:

1. Register to vote using the QR code or visit https://vote.civicnation.org/register/allintovote_weberstatesuniversity/

2. Pledge to Vote and help WSU win the national competition (even if you are already registered). Use the QR code or go to https://allintovote.org/take-the-pledge/ and choose WSU.

3. If you are doing any programming that could be construed as Voter Education, let the Walker Institute know so they can promote it.

4. See the Voter Tools QR code for additional voter information.

Campus Shuttles and Intercampus Lyft Service

The new UTA all-electric Ogden campus shuttle starts Aug 29, 2022! Now you can park for free at the Dee Events Center and ride the all-electric UTA Wildcat Shuttle for free! This brand-new shuttle bus will quickly whisk you to the Shepherd Union Building, Wildcat Village and the Dee Events Center. No more parking fees. No more waiting for parking. No more stress.

Click below for all of the details.

COVID 19

Click below to find the most up to date COVID 19
information for the WSU community.

Contact the Department of Botany and Plant Ecology

Weber State University
Department of Botany and Plant Ecology
1415 Edvalson St., Dept. 2504
Ogden, UT 84408-2504

botany@weber.edu
801-626-6174

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