Lenny Sciulli
B.S. Plant Sciences, College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, Class of 2024
Project: Lenny will assess campus tree species and rank their potential adaptation to current and future climate. The assessment aims to identify species best suited for planting in the Tucson Basin, and inform replacement planning for historic specimens on the the UA campus. After graduating in Spring 2024, Lenny's arboretum experience paid off as he was accepted to complete an internship at the National Tropical Botanic Garden in Hawaii!
Emmett Bauer
B.S. Plant Sciences, College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, Class of 2026
Emmett's Project: Emmett will research and produce species descriptions for the Campus Arboretum website to enhance his proficiency with botanical terminology, plant ID, and cultivation requirements of campus plants, while also adding to his knowledge about their natural history and ethnobotanical value. After Spring 2024, Emmett moved on to work in the laboratory of Dr. E. A. Arnold studying endophytes and supporting work in the mycological herbarium (another natural history collection).
AJ Vasquez
B.S. Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, College of Science, Class of 2027
Anthropology Minor, College of Social and Behavioral Sciences, Class of 2027
AJ's Project: AJ is researching species information for a dozen arboretum plants. He was drawn to work with the Campus Arboretum because of his love for the natural world and his special interest in plants. He is a plant collector with a desire to add more diversity to the dozens of interesting plants in his current collection.
Abby Denton
B.S. Sustainable Plant Systems, Urban Horticulture Emphasis, College of Agriculture Life and Environmental Science, Class of 2027
Abby's Project: Abby will research and produce species descriptions for the Campus Arboretum website to enhance his proficiency with botanical terminology, plant ID, and cultivation requirements of campus plants, while also adding to his knowledge about their natural history and ethnobotanical value. Abby is fascinated by plants and their properties and hopes to gain experience with the arboretum that expands her understanding of plants and the features that distinguish one species from another.
Daniel Blancas
B.S. Sustainable Plant Systems, Urban Horticulture Emphasis, College of Agriculture Life and Environmental Science, Class of 2024
Daniel's Project: Daniel will research and produce species descriptions for the Campus Arboretum website to enhance his proficiency with botanical terminology, plant ID, and cultivation requirements of campus plants, while also adding to his knowledge about their natural history and ethnobotanical value. He is happy to be working with the arboretum and with Dr. Quist as it gives him an opportunity to improve his plant knowledge to gain teaching/outreach experience.
Maria Ortiz
B.S. Sustainable Plant Systems, Urban Horticulture Emphasis, College of Agriculture Life and Environmental Science, Class of 2027
About Maria: One of the first things I noticed and appreciated about the University of Arizona, was the vastly diverse collection of plants here. Since then, my interest in desert landscapes began. I am looking forward to learning more about this living collection and hope to further develop my skills in public horticulture.
Tesha Banks
B.S. Geography, College of Geography, Development and Environment and B.A. Anthropology Major, College of Social and Behavioral Sciences, Class of 2026
About Tesha: I am a nontraditional undergraduate student pursuing two degrees and working full time. I have been fascinated by xeric plants for several years, and have maintained a long term interest in water conservation, ecological restoration, and the relationship between peoples and their lands. I hope to use my combination of degrees to support the people of southern Arizona in reconnecting with the desert as a home and a place to be cherished. My work with the Campus Arboretum allows me to connect with people and plants, and connect people with plants! Plus, there is nothing more fun than sitting surrounded by a stack of books, researching a certain plant species that we are lucky enough to have right here on our beautiful campus.