After a year of having no in-person contact with students, I am happy to say that I now have two enthusiastic women assisting in the lab. Abby and Ritu joined me a few weeks ago to help grow pollinator habitat plants, revitalize the milkweed research beds (that had mostly been abandoned during our COVID shutdown), and assist with outreach events that will start back up this summer. Both students are undergraduates at OU. Abby is an Environmental Sustainability major interested in private land conservation. Ritu is a Biology major who is graduating this spring and will be attending medical school in the fall. It has been a joy getting to know them as we plant seeds, transplant seedlings, and weed the garden beds. I didn’t realize how much I missed interacting with students during the past year!
Priscilla H. C. Crawford 