Hillsdale College seniors Benjamin Durrington and Anna Talcott presented their projects at the sixth annual Michigan Consortium of Botanists held at Eastern Michigan University on Oct. 24.
At least 30 students and faculty met to discuss and pres- ent research on botany at the regional conference. This year’s topic covered facilitating communication about invasive plants between academics and agencies.
Biology professor Ranessa Cooper and Associate professor of biology Jeffrey VanZant also attended the conference, but did not present research.
In order to present at MiCOB, Durrington and Talcott were required to submitted abstracts of their presentations. Of the presentations given at MiCOB, Durrington and
Talcott were the only undergraduate students to present at the conference.
“It was a little intimidating,” Talcott said. “But it was also fun to learn what else was going on in the botany community of Michigan and to be a part of it.”
In collaboration with faculty from the University of Michigan, Durrington’s presentation dealt with the significance and genetic coat structure of Zingiberales and Commelinales. Durrington said he hopes the research will show an evolutionary relationship between the two plant species.
Adding information on a previously started study, Talcott presented new material on the genetic structure and the cloning abilities of Hill’s Thistle, a plant native to Michigan.
Despite taking months to research, compile, and analyze data on their chosen topics, Durrington and Talcott were asked to sum up their collected information into a cohesive minute presentation.
“Basically you have to pick and choose what you’re going to present, you have to give a sort of overview,” Durrington said. “The details I found for each theses are going to be more important for continuing this research later, but for
a general presentation I am able to express only the most important things.”
Additionally, due to their previously earned Laureates scholarship — an award given to students to help fund their research projects — both students were required to submit reports earlier that week.
“The report was on the same topic, so that was helpful,” Talcott said. “All the work that I was doing for that was preparing me for my presentation, but it was definitely some scrunched time and late nights.”
Despite the challenges presented to the students, Cooper said their presentations went well and both students received positive feedback.
“I was a proud Botany momma,” Cooper said.
Since Durrington and Talcott plan on pursuing a higher level degree after graduation, they both said the opportunity helped prepare them for graduate school and work in the botanical field.
“The conference is a really realistic setting. It’s a time for people to become acquainted with your project and ask questions,” Durrington said. “ Most scientist will publish their data, but as undergraduates that sometimes doesn’t happen. So presenting gives us good, professional experience.”
The students see their opportunity to present at MiCOB as beneficial in preparing them for higher education and their future careers.
“For Benjamin and Anna, who want to go on to graduate school, presenting their findings is a large part of that,” VanZant said. So now that they have already done that, both hope to present their research findings as well. That’s all part of the things you are expected to do as graduate students. So they get lots of early experience doing those things now.”
Cooper said their success as students has a lot to do not only with their experiences, but their work ethic.
“The hard work and the determination they are showing now is really a good indicator of how well they’ll do in a graduate program,” Cooper said.
But for the students their continued fascination with their major and their desire to learn really drives them toward their goals.
“The more there is to know, the more excited I am to know more,” Talcott said.
