Outreach

The Melibee Project team has engaged public audiences in our research through a variety of public events, workshops and courses. Many of these events helped to recruit citizen scientists for our monitoring program. Other events helped raise awareness about invasive plants, and others simply shared our new insights and wonder on Alaskan berries, pollen, or pollinators.

Here are some of the outreach highlights:

Colors of Nature Science Cafe

May 2013 in Fairbanks, Alaska

Ever stop to wonder about those pollen grains getting moved around by wind, water or insects? Under a microscope, each grain is a work of art, with intricate shapes and surprising colors. At this coffee house science-art event, we shared the beauty of pollen through their research on plants and pollinators. Christa Mulder and Katie Spellman showed images of the spectacular shapes that pollen grains come in and discussed why these shapes are important to plant reproduction. We projected microscopes on the wall and the crowd was  able to explore the hidden beauty of pollen from Alaskan flowers.

USA Science and Engineering Festival

Spring 2012 in Washington DC

The Melibee Project was part of an exhibit on pollination where around 700 people observed pollen under a microscope, looked at a collection of Alaskan pollinators, and compared the flavor of Alaskan blueberries to commercial blueberries.   The verdict: of 250 people surveyed, 69% thought the Alaskan berries have more intense flavor, 74% thought commercial berries were sweeter.

Invasive Plants of Alaska For Educators (ED595)

Summers 2011-2013 at University of Alaska Fairbanks Summer Sessions

Melibee Project partner educators investigated the invasive plants of Alaska in this three day field course. The course covers the ecological and societal impacts of invasive species, identification of problematic invasive species of Alaska, and methods for invasive plant control.  The course includes hands-on use of inquiry-based lessons from Alaska-based invasive plants curricula. Participants  travelled to UAF’s long-term ecological research sites to conduct field work at Melibee Project sites and were trained in the phenology monitoring protocols. Educators completed the coursework by submitting regular citizen science data observations, engaging their students in Melibee Project research, or creating a lesson they piloted in their classroom based on current Alaskan invasive plants research. Instructors: Katie Spellman, Christine Villano, Christa Mulder.

Workshops for Land Managers

April 2012 in Bethel, Alaska; March 2010 in Dillingham, Alaska

The Melibee Project provided a platform to extend our research to land managers in parts of Alaska where subsistence berry resources are particularly important. To date, these remote locations have few non-native plant species that have been introduced. Our workshops brought together environmental program leaders from villages in the Bristol Bay region (partnering with the Bristol Bay Native Association and the Alaska Association of Conservation Districts) and the Kuskokwim River watershed region (partnering with the Kuskokwim River Watershed Council and the UAF Cooperative Exstension) to learn about invasive plant ecology, identification, early detection, monitoring, and management. All participants were trained in Melibee Project citizen science berry phenology monitoring protocols. Instructors: Katie Spellman, Blaine Spellman, Gino Graziano.