Miami University Locale: Nepal Study: Integrating community forest ecological and ethno-botanical knowledge for biodiversity conservation.
Ms. Shrestha’s study applies state-of-the-art methods to address the practical question of how to scientifically map biodiversity and conservation, and at the same time map what the indigenous population knows about the landscape, its contents and its uses. The goal is to develop a scientifically and culturally informed conservation plan for a remote biodiversity hotspot in the eastern Himalayas. Her work has received the Richard Evans Schultes Award from the Society for Economic Botany and a Dissertation Fellowship from the National Science Foundation.
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Anita Varghese
“Ginger”
University of Hawaii Locale: India Study: Community-based ecological monitoring and its implications for conservation in the Nilgiri Biospehere Reserve
Ms. Varghese’s valuable case study links science-based research with traditional plant knowledge to assess the status of two medicinally important species in India’s Western Ghat’s region. By examining the motivations and practices of indigenous harvesters of medicinal plants, and tracking the impact of harvest methods on plant populations, her research will yield direct insight for improved conservation of ecologically and culturally important medicinal plants and their habitats.
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George Meindl
“Milkwort jewelflower”
University of Pittsburgh Locale: California & Pennsylvania Study: Assessing the potential for cascading effects of heavy metal soil pollution: plants and pollinators
Mr. Meindl focuses his research on the extent to which soil chemistry influences both plant morphology and tissue chemistry of flowering plants that vary in their affinity to serpentine soil, and whether these changes result in reproductive isolation between closely related populations through altered plant-pollinator interactions and/or gamete incompatibility.
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Lisa Offringa
“Black Pepper”
City University of New York Locale: Thailand Study: Identifying plants used by traditional healers for the treatment of dementia
The prevalence of dementia is increasing worldwide in both industrialized and developing nations. Memory impairment, in excess of what is considered normal for age, is the most common symptom of Mild Cognitive Impairment (MCI). Plant compounds are the starting point for many current therapies for dementia. The objective of Ms. Offringa’s research is to investigate Thai medicinal plants with the potential to slow the progression of MCI to dementia, and treat the memory loss that accompanies this disorder.
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Aurélie Jacquet
“Himalayan Birch”
Purdue University Locale: Nepal Study: Neuroprotective effects of Nepalese traditional medicine on Parkinson’s Disease models
The natural and social diversity of Nepal represents a great opportunity to research a wide range of traditional medical treatments. Ms. Jacquet focuses her research on the discovering whether the plants used in Nepalese traditional medicine have a high potential to alleviate neuron death and changes in brain cells associated with Parkinson’s Disease. Her study is designed to meet the United Nations’ Millenium Development Goal #1: “Eradicate poverty and hunger,” by initiating new discussions in the field of public health policy, and the preservation of traditional practices.
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Samantha Davis
“Jewelweed / Spotted Touch-Me-Not”
Wright State University (OH) Locale: Ohio Study: The direct and indirect effects of plant invasion on a rare woodland butterfly
Ms. Davis documents how the rampant spread of garlic mustard contributes to the decline of the rare “West Virginia White” butterfly, driving out native host plants on which this woodland pollinator depends. She is among the first to document such a relationship. Her work serves as a model for other conservation and habitat restoration studies.
