Margie Lodes

High School Apprentice

What do you like about the research process? Do you like it?

“I really like answering questions. I ask a lot of questions. It’s important for climate change that we’re doing research like this that could possibly help agricultural resources in the future. My favorite part is how important the research is. It’s good to have that in mind when you’re doing something like pulverizing soil, to have that motivation that drives you.”

For a high school student, Margie already has extensive experience doing fieldwork through all the various programs at Shaw and Tyson. Inevitably, she’s had her ups and downs.

“It’s really hard to do mundane tasks. You have to come up with ways to combat it. So, we talk to teammates or listen to music or have a popsicle break. (We have Natural Enemies team-only popsicles in the freezer, so please don’t touch them!). It’s really hard to pulverize soil for hours and hours so I go out and weed for a change. But my favorite part is knowing that I’m getting to be part of something that’s really important. I’ve really stepped into the actual scientist community. It makes me feel like I’m getting a head start and that what I’m doing actually matters. I didn’t know coming into my first year if I wanted to do anything science related. Coming in, seeing that I like it and liking it enough to do it a second year was just a huge, huge thing for me.”

Margie 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.