Research and Image Analysis

The Morton Arboretum

Mentors

Dr. Silvia Alvarez-Clare, Forest Ecologist

Company & Project Background

The Morton Arboretum is an internationally recognized nonprofit organization dedicated to collecting and studying trees, shrubs, and other plants from around the world, to displaying them across our 1700 square acres. Over 1 million people visit our living laboratory each year. In addition to planting trees within the collection, the arboretum seeks to make an impact beyond its borders. The goal of the Global Tree Conservation Program within the Arboretum is  to save threatened tree species from extinction by collaborating with local scientists, students and stakeholders in research projects being conducted in biodiversity hotspots. We currently lead projects in Mexico and Central America.

Internship Description

There are more than 60,000 tree species around the world, which support life on earth by cleaning the air, providing food and shelter to wildlife, protecting watersheds, sequestering carbon, and making humans healthier and happier. However, trees are under threat. There are more than 25% of tree species that are endangered or face serious threats. Join a team of scientists and students working together towards saving the threatened oak species Quercus brandegeei. This species is endemic to Baja California Sur, Mexico, where we are conducting a field exclosure experiment to evaluate the impact of farm animals on seedling survival and growth. As part of this experiment, we have a set of “camera traps” that documented which animals were eating seedlings and how often. Your job would be to work with Dr. Alvarez-Clare processing images, and analyzing data stemming from these images to explore potential solutions to this issue. You will work with other three students from DePaul University and Mexico, who are studying other related questions, such as what is the population structure for this species, what are germination rates, and what are the effects of climate on likelihood of trees to produce fruit.

Specific Objectives

The intern will spend some time exploring the best way to analyze camera trap imagery and will have access to a dataset of already analyzed images to explore if there are trends and answer the following questions:

1.Which animals were visiting the planted seedlings? Species, and individuals.
2.Were they browsing or trampling the plants?
3. Was there a temporal pattern to the visits?
4. Was there a seasonal pattern in the impact?

Success will be determined by the data analysis and the creation of a written report explaining your findings.

Qualifications

• Understanding of basic office platforms (Word, Excel) and preferably some statistical knowledge
• Experience in experimental design and data management would be a plus.
• Any experience with camera trap imagery would be helpful.
• Strong skills in interpersonal relationships, organization, critical thinking, writing, and verbal communication are always desired.