Plant Biology and Wildlife Conservation Education

[Past Projects]

Dr. Randy Mitchell and Rebecca Eagle

Would you like an opportunity to be part of a lab that plans to SAVE THE WORLD?! Then our interdisciplinary lab is the place for you! Currently, we have eight undergraduate students working on various degrees (biology, geology, chemistry, and biomechanics). We all support each other in EVERYTHING we do. We would love to add YOU to our crew! *I support independent undergraduate research ideas within the scopes of our lab!*
  1. Phytoremediation of lead-contaminated soils: Approximately 400 plants grew in our greenhouse in high levels of lead (plus the control, lead-free)! We chemically isolate the lead from the plant tissues and analyze by ICP (Inductively Coupled Plasma). To date, we have found several native species and a food species having high concentrations of lead in the tissues! Needs for this project: digesting and refluxing plant tissues, lab clean-up, data entry, analyzing data, and writing reports. Potential future projects: grind, digest, isolate lead from root tissues of plants, data entry, analyze data and write reports.
  2. Plants on Mars/Super Powers of Plants Part 2: I want to play with the idea of plants surviving on Mars. Plants survive in extreme environments on Earth and often multiple environmental stressors work to increase survival against the odds. This fascinating fact about plants suggests the possibility of plants tolerating certain environmental conditions on Mars. We will grow plants in NASA-approved regolith and subject them to several Martian conditions, assessing the impacts on plant growth! Ideally, all undergraduates working on the Mars project will participate in BURS Biology Undergraduate Research Symposium before they graduate (held in spring semesters). Needs for this project: reliability and dedication to care for plants, thorough data keeping, accurate measuring, data entry and analysis. Lab clean-up is an ongoing duty and part of all research.
  3. Conservation Education at Cleveland Metroparks Zoo: My proposed research focuses on understanding individuals who actively participate in advocating for wildlife conservation at Cleveland Metroparks Zoo, where I am a Biomimicry Education Fellow. Specifically, I will investigate higher-level advocates: Zoo Crew (teen volunteer program), Young Professionals (20-40 year-old professionals who advocate at CMZ), and Advanced Inquiry Program (Master’s degree students from Miami University) through surveys, interviews, social media analytics, and behavioral observations. Needs for this project: survey development, interview transcription/coding/categorization (TBD), social media tracking (i.e. frequency of specified types of shared posts during a specified time period), behavioral observations in person (i.e. making notes of personal interactions, physical actions, etc.), data entry, data coding, data analysis, report writing, and potentially more!
  4. Biomimicry Education and Outreach: As a Biomimicry Fellow, I do a lot of public outreach in Northeast Ohio (zoos, museums, public and private K-12 schools and universities, Women in Science events, NASA-Glenn, non-profit art groups, community centers, etc.). Our lab students are always welcome to join!
Words from current students: “Having the opportunity to participate in the tiered mentoring program has exposed me to an extensive amount of lab experience that I otherwise would not have had, improving my capabilities in a lab environment on both a conceptual and practical level. The program has also provided an excellent collaborative atmosphere in which I am able to make meaningful contributions to ongoing research projects and receive valuable guidance and support on any projects I choose to undertake on my own.” Gavin DeMali, 2nd year Tiered Mentoring student “I would like to start out and say that I have had a great time in the tiered mentoring program. Everyone was so welcoming and willing to help me out, which means a lot to me. Rebecca never has a problem assisting me with information on the lab or any questions in general. Her bubbly personality makes me feel at home and in a safe environment. Each person I have met in the lab has unique attributes that make working there all the more enjoyable. Not only do the people make the experience rewarding, but the lab’s organization as well. Whenever I have ran samples late I end up doing my homework in between, so it creates an atmosphere of productivity. Not to mention, I appreciate the diversity in plants that are tested. Also I love how we are able to take some plants home! One thing I would change about my time with the tiered mentoring program is the time I spent. I would like to dedicate more time in the lab and eventually come up with a research proposal that I can conduct myself! Thank you for this cool opportunity!” Olivia Orr, 1st year Tiered Mentoring student “I believe the tiered mentoring program is a great asset to the university and every research lab. Throughout my past years of doing research, I have gained multiple skills that will benefit me in a future job or in life in general. One of the main reasons why I got my environmental science internship was that I had experience working independently and also with a team within our research lab. I was able to tell my employers that I had experience working with chemical equipment which helped me in the field as well. It has not only helped to open doors for my future career but has also further my education. I am very fortunate to have the opportunity to work in our research lab and I highly recommend anyone who is interested to explore their options.” – Stephanie Sawicki
Click here for other information about Dr. Mitchell’s lab.