Conservation and Environmental Sustainability
Program Development & Logistics

The Morton Arboretum

Mentor 

Matthew Lobdell, PhD, Head of Collections and Curator, Collections & Facilities

Company Overview

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. Join our Science and Conservation department to act locally to protect trees in the Chicago region, work globally to prevent the extinction of trees, and to inspire and engage the next generation of tree scientists.

Internship Description

The intern will be responsible for planning a seed collecting expedition that aims to enrich The Morton Arboretum’s world-class living tree collections by focusing on increasing acquisitions of the priority genera of Acer, Amelanchier, Carya, Fagus, Juglans, Magnolia, Malus, Quercus, Tilia, and Ulmus. Arboretum staff plan to travel across North America, Europe, and Asia in order to collect seed from select plant species in their native habitats, allowing their accessioning into the collections of The Morton Arboretum where they will be evaluated and utilized for research, conservation, horticultural introduction, or other purposes. The intern will be provided with a target list for a particular geographic region, and will lead the development of a timeline, itinerary, and budget for a planned expedition to acquire these target taxa. Planning documents for prior expeditions will be provided for reference. In order to create a feasible itinerary, the intern will need to become familiar with relevant botanical and horticultural content through literature searches and other appropriate resources with direction from the mentor.

The intern will gain experience with resources that can be utilized to extrapolate the locations of populations plant species (e.g. herbaria, flora manuals, online biodiversity databases), as well as basic trip planning and budgeting skills. The intern will also gain further exposure to plant life cycles, in particular seed maturation. The intern will also learn of the domestic and international regulations and best management practices for accessing and transporting plant life.

 Qualifications

• Graduate students beyond their qualification exam and postdoctoral scientists are welcomed to apply
• Applicant should have an interest in plant life, particularly in woody trees and shrubs
• Plant identification skills, as well as prior experience with budgeting and trip planning is desirable but not required.

Responsibilities Will Include

• The intern will develop an itinerary and budget for the Morton Arboretum Seed Collecting Expedition planned to occur between 2019-2025.
• The intern will attend appropriate meetings held by the Collections & Facilities Dept. to gain an understanding of institutional culture and functionality.
• The intern will meet weekly with the Curator (one hour) to discuss the project and check in on current progress.