Nathan Bourne (C’11), who graduated with a degree in Environmental Studies: Ecology and Biodiversity, began a post-baccalaureate fellowship with the Sewanee Herbarium and Sewanee Environmental Institute earlier this summer. Here until December, Nathan will continue research he performed as an undergraduate, contributing to the Flora of the Domain project, and will contribute to the development of a Sustainability Master Plan for the university.
As a student, Nathan spent a summer internship working with the Herbarium, quantifying distinct plant communities and the species that dominate those communities. Building on that work and the work of the Herbarium staff that has for years been collecting, mounting, and cataloguing plant species and specimens with the ultimate goal of creating a complete Vascular Flora of the Domain, Nathan will assist Dr. Jon Evans and the Herbarium staff with the composition of that flora for publication. While the flora publication is the main goal of his work with the Herbarium, Nathan is assisting in other Herbarium projects as well. One such project has been the creation of a Herbarium blog. This blog will serve as a vehicle through which the Herbarium can communicate information about upcoming events, present plant-related news, and present information about Sewanee’s unique flora in an engaging, accessible, and instructive format. Additionally, Nathan will be assisting with and leading a number of Herbarium sponsored events throughout the semester.
