Blue Schade

Undergraduate Fellow, Pawpaw Patrol

“It is a grounding experience. Going out there focused on the minutiae is very calming and relaxing. It makes you view the world a bit differently.”

There is a world scarcely touched by Tyson’s researchers that Blue is privy to observe – the pawpaw patches. As one of just three undergraduate research fellows on Anna Wassel’s Pawpaw Patrol, Blue spends their days among the sprouting buds of Tyson’s forest. The team aims to better understand how pawpaws (native trees) affect the surrounding germination and growth of biodiverse species.

“Two years ago, I applied here to work at Tyson as a TERA. I chose Anna [Wassel]’s team because she said that we would be spending a lot of time hiking outdoors and I knew I would enjoy that field experience more than spending a lot of time in the lab. This year I’m on the pawpaw team again because I had such a great experience two years ago and loved learning from Anna.”

Do you see this research connecting with your future research goals?

“I know I want to do conservation work, and this summer is helping me understand that forest research is one part of a greater whole in that. But I’m actually a marine science major at the University of Maine… there aren’t any oceans in Missouri! In the future, I’d be interested in working with sharks or possibly cetaceans.”