Writing & Speaking

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Academic writing

Taste of Life: science outreach made delicious
Plants, People, Planet, 2019

• We describe how food-based science outreach combats plant blindness, the condition in which people neither notice nor appreciate plants.

Farmer perspectives on oca (Oxalis tuberosa Molina; Oxalidaceae) diversity conservation: values and threats
​Journal of Ethnobiology, 2016

• We use qualitative research to understand why farmers are motivated to grow so many varieties of this Andean tuber crop, as well as to understand why they believe oca’s diversity is threatened.

Genetic basis for folk classification of oca (Oxalis tuberosa Molina; Oxalidaceae): implications for research and conservation of clonally propagated crops
Genetic Resources and Crop Evolution, 2016

• We use ethnobotanical and molecular genetic methods to compare how farmers distinguish among varieties of this Andean tuber crop with measured genetic differences, and we apply our findings to questions about crop evolution and conservation.

Diversity of Oxalis tuberosa Molina: a comparison between AFLP and microsatellite markers
Genetic Resources and Crop Evolution, 2015

• We compare two different molecular marker methods for learning about genetic diversity of clonally propagated crops.

The accuracy of plant identification in a longitudinal ethnobotanical project in coastal Ecuador
Alternative and Integrative Medicine, 2015

• We compare different methods for research about traditional environmental knowledge and herbal medicine through a case study in Ecuador.

Applied writing
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The Farm at St. Joe’s 2017 Annual Report 

• I developed and led a program-wide evaluation and shared my findings in The Farm at St. Joe’s first ever annual report.

Agrobiodiversity Catalogs

• I created books to share my dissertation research with participating farmers in Cusco, Peru. Please email me directly if you would like to see a copy. I wrote these in Spanish.

Phul Maya's Journey

• In collaboration with Nepali colleagues, I helped an elder from Bhutan record her history in a book, illustrated by her grandchildren. Please email me directly if you would like to see a copy. We wrote this in English and Nepali.

History of Soledad Grande 

• I worked with Guatemalan elders to create a book about the founding and history of their community. Please email me directly if you would like to see a copy. I wrote this in Spanish.

Presentations

My work on the following topics has been shared with both academic and applied audiences, including at annual meetings for the Society of Ethnobiology, Society for Economic Botany, and Botanical Society of America; Chicago Plant Science Symposium; University of Michigan Food Sovereignty Conference; and meetings for Master Gardeners. Please contact me if you’d like me to present to your organization.

Significance and conservation of heritage foods

• Many foods with deep cultural value are in danger of extinction due to a complex interplay of social, environmental, and economic factors. I discuss the roles these foods play in communities and agricultural systems, as well as creative initiatives to preserve them for future generations.

Communication across knowledge systems

• We can learn much about agrobiodiversity through Western science and through traditional folk knowledge, but we can learn even more – and have a greater impact on conservation – by integrating these knowledge systems. I discuss strategies for facilitating communication among holders of different types of knowledge, as well as for synthesizing findings across knowledge systems.  

Food-based science outreach

• Using food to engage the public about biodiversity makes learning celebratory, delicious, and relevant. I discuss my work with Taste of Life, a collaborative project aimed at developing and delivering food-based science outreach events. 

Methods for characterizing crop diversity

• Crop diversity can be characterized with respect to genetics, biochemistry, physical attributes, and folk classification. I describe tools and methods for describing and measuring crop diversity, with particular emphasis on molecular genetic markers, folk classification, and their relationships.

For a full list of my publications and presentations, please see my CV.