Here’s how science should progress: Bring together the minds and minds-in-training of two great institutions, have them plop down on the cool wet ground of Paint Rock forest, and discuss the future of biology and conservation and how to build a life around it.
Alabama A&M’s new forest dynamics crew — many trying to understand how to further their careers in science — spent much of the morning with University of Georgia researchers as part of a visiting scholars program generously funded by Chattanooga’s Riverview Foundation. We all had high hopes, but I’m not sure any of us realized how successful this program would be.
Famed evolutionary biologist Stephen Hubbell — one of the founders of modern forest dynamics research — led the team of Georgia faculty to the research center and plot he helped create. UGa professors Dr. Shu-Mei Cheng and Dr. Megan Peterson kept us all wide-eyed with the unexpected twists and turns of plant sex and population dynamics, illuminating some of the many perplexing problems of species dynamics in Paint Rock forest. And the new field crew peppered them with questions during and for hours after their talks. This is going to be a great group. Be patient, I expect you’ll be hearing more interesting things from students and faculty soon.
Shu-Mei and Megan and UGa grad student Riley Thoen got proper introductions to Paint Rock. Not only did we get to marvel over beautiful landscapes and mysterious flowers, we also got to meet some of Paint Rock’s most arresting personalities. But as it always seems to do, Crotalus horridus allayed our fears by sitting quietly and passively as we danced around its majestic woods.
