Last summer, I completed a 9-week internship at the New York Botanical Garden (NYBG). I first learned about the Taft-NYBG partnership and internship opportunities when I was applying to Taft and looking through the Taft website. I thought it was an amazing opportunity to be able to work at such a renowned institution with some of the best scientists in the world. This was the perfect internship because I’ve always had an interest in environmental science and plant biology, and I also wanted to learn more about what it’s like to conduct scientific research.

      At NYBG, I worked with Dr. Brad Oberle, who is an associate curator at NYBG’s Center for Conservation and Restoration Ecology. We conducted research on a family of plants called Bromeliads (the pineapple family!), specifically, the functional traits of different Bromeliad species and how these traits impact their growth cycle and nitrogen use. I participated in a variety of tasks to start and lay the foundation for a research grant, which will carry on for several years.

      Each day at NYBG was different, depending on what we were working on. One day, we might head to the Nolan Greenhouse to collect samples from living Bromeliad plants so we could use the leaves of each Bromeliad species. Another day, I would spend time in the lab, using a grinding machine to grind plant tissue samples and prepare them for nitrogen concentration analysis. Every Thursday, we would attend the Science Seminar that is held at NYBG, where different scientists presented their research. Not only did I learn about parasitic plants, invasive species management, urban ecology, and more, I also gained a better perspective of what it’s like to be a research scientist.

      Research is a very collaborative process, and working together with my mentor and another intern was one of the most fun parts of the internship. All of the people I met at NYBG are so dedicated to their position, and their passion for plants and the environment helps build this extremely supportive community. Through this internship, I learned technical skills working different pieces of equipment in the lab, how to organize a data sheet, and how to write a protocol, all of which I hope to apply to my future research endeavors. More importantly, I also learned how to effectively collaborate and communicate with a team, which I will carry on into other aspects of my life apart from science.