Chicago Botanic Garden Spring 2020

chicagobotanic.org 19 Christopher Mann Master’s, September 2019 Mann started working as a student trainee for the U.S. Forest Service mid- way through his one-year applied sci- ence master’s program. Today, at the Rocky Mountain Research Station in Fort Collins, Colorado, Mann collabo- rates with foresters, biologists, and ecologists on research projects across the country, including a 20-year study of historic wild re and controlled burn sites in Black Hills National Forest. By analyzing patterns of fuel accumulation in highly combustible forests and mod- eling scenarios for where and how of- ten to introduce human-induced res, Mann and his colleagues inform prac- tices to help land managers prevent devastating, large-scale wild res. Planning to transition to a permanent role within the U.S. Forest Service, Mann credits the graduate experience with helping him develop integral re- search skills and gaining entry to a sought-after career. Professional devel- opment workshops, research seminars, and social events throughout the program kept him engaged and closely connected to faculty and peers, while the internship sharpened his research skills. “ e supportive environment at the Chicago Botanic Garden helped push and promote the de- velopment of my career interests,” Mann said. “I went into the pro- gram with the mindset of wanting to learn and do everything. Faculty and sta really had a hand in further narrowing my focus to wild re ecology and encouraging me to pursue this in- terest.” Lauren Audi Master’s, August 2018 Within a month of completing her two-year thesis-based master’s degree, Audi landed something of a dream job: genomics lab manager at the American Museum of Natural History in New York. Overseeing research activities across three labs, Audi supports 20 curators and their research teams as they conduct genetic studies of or- ganisms across the biologic spec- trum, from sh and mammals to parasites and algae. As principal in- vestigator on a project in partnership with the museum’s anthropology and objects conservation department, Audi is applying the genomic sequencing skills she developed as a graduate stu- dent to trace the ancestry of hide, hair, and bones found in cultural objects such as ceremonial masks, rugs, armor, and other tribal artifacts. is research will inform the renovation of the mu- seum’s Northwest Coast Hall, a project co-curated by Nuu-chah-nulth artist and cultural historian Haa’yuups (Ron Hamilton). Audi’s interest in genomics grew out of her investigation of the widely domes- ticated tree crop breadfruit (Artocarpus altilis) with advisor Nyree Zerega, Ph.D., director of the graduate pro- gram. Conducting eldwork in Hawaii and the Caribbean island of St. Vin- cent, Audi gathered more than 300 specimens of the plant and used phylo- genetic methods to trace speci c variet- ies to their evolutionary origins in the Paci c Islands. “All the tools I learned in the master’s program working on plant systems I’ve been able to apply to other systems along the evolutionary tree,” she said. More than 90 degrees have been awarded Continued on page 20 conservation studies into action