Anna Thomas

Undergraduate Fellow

Anna already has experience as a TERA teen, so her return to Tyson as an undergrad fellow solidifies her identity as a researcher.

What does it mean for you to be a researcher? How do you define that?

“I don’t really think of myself as a researcher.”

But you are!

“Sometimes I feel like I am, but sometimes I’m just grinding dirt.”

Although this isn’t all that Anna does around the plant biodiversity lab, it is the reality of scientific research. Some days are spent literally on the grind, breaking up soil into finer constituents for use in the research gardens or weeding. This is the reality of long-term ecology research, and for Anna, not too much of a chore.

“I’m a hands on person. So when I experience the work myself I learn it so much better than if I’m tested on some classroom curriculum. It’s hard to really develop a rigid curriculum outside. In nature, anything can happen.”

Anna’s project this summer focuses on pollinator visitation rates in the glades and relating them to climate change. The latter could make her work resonate with anybody, but the details are more personal.

“My favorite time is when everything is starting to bloom and the pollinators are everywhere. The bees, butterflies, and the animals that show up in the plots are wonderful. My experiences here were the main reason I decided to be an environmental science major.”

Anna worked with Scott Mangan and Claudia Stein's Natural Enemies team during summers 2018 and 2019. Learn more about their plant-microbial communities research here.