Botany 2026 šµ
Published:
News
2026
Science Outreach at Fayetteville Schools
Published:
Fayetteville schools reached out to the biology students at the University of Arkansas to show real-world science to elementary and middle school students. So, Dr. Diego Paredes-Burneo, MSc. Jenna Miladin, and I visited John L. Colbert Middle School to talk about our research, fieldwork, and plants in general for 6th-grade students. The main focus of the activity was to show them that plants are made of cells and have a vascular system, just like animals! For this, we used waterweed to show them chloroplasts and cell walls under the microscope, two key differences between plant and animal cells. We also used celery placed in water with food dye to show them the differences between xylem and phloem. With this activity, students were able to see how water moves up the stem, coloring the vessels and leaves, and also observe cross-sections of the celery stem under the microscope to see how xylem and phloem cells differ.
SSB Breakout Meeting
Published:
Conference season started early this year! Part of the Latvis Lab traveled to Baton Rouge, LA, for the Society of Systematic Biologyās standalone conference. It was a great opportunity to discuss the importance of biological collections (museums and herbaria) for scientific research, systematics, and biodiversity conservation. Rachel and Chucks (members of the Latvis Lab) gave great lightning talks about their research on parasitic plantsā evolution and systematics. I also had the chance to meet amazing people from many different places (including many Brazilians!) and to enjoy Louisianaās great food, architecture, and culture. The LSU campus is beautiful, home to a natural history museum and an herbarium with an amazing biodiversity collections from all over the world. It was such a great way to start the year. Thank you for a great conference, SSB!
2025
UARK Herbarium Anniversary
Published:
The UARK Herbarium celebrated its 150th anniversary in 2025. We celebrated it with several events featuring art, music, science, and, of course, plants. We kicked things off with a dinner in a beautiful outdoor space, under the trees and surrounded by fall colors. The event included musical performances, artwork, and scientific talks.
Botany 2025
Published:
Botany is one of the most fun conferences Iāve attended, full of great people and amazing science! I also loved Palm Springs. Being in the desert and seeing all the unique biodiversity was amazing. It took me back to my undergrad days when I was a visiting student at Cal State Fullerton.
Arkansas Native Plants Society - Spring Meeting
Published:
We, the plant people from UofA, took the herbarium van down to Monticello, AR, this past weekend to attend the Arkansas Native Plant Society! We had the chance to learn about diseases affecting the loblolly pine, enjoy fantastic talks from students who received ANPS grants last year, and join several field trips to explore the amazing plant biodiversity in that part of the state. Huge congratulations to this incredible society that truly makes a difference in advancing the study of botany in Arkansas. Also, I bought a really cute hat to support the society! āŗļø
2024
Evolution 2024
Published:
The conference season of 2024 wrapped up with the Evolution conference in Montreal. I presented a talk about species delimitation in Petunia, which you can watch here. Evolution is always a fun conference to attend. I had the chance to see some old friends, make new ones, and witness the amazing science on evolution being done worldwide. Special shoutout to the wonderful societies that organized the conference. Also, Montreal is a beautiful city with stunning sunsets, great food, and beautiful architecture. If you have the chance, visit the Montreal Botanical Garden. Merci beaucoup to everyone!
Botany 2024
Published:
I had the chance to attend the BOTANY conference in person for the first time! It was so much funāI met amazing people, gave my first talk at a conference, and learned so much about the cool science everyone is doing. I was also lucky enough to be part of the PLANTS program, where I got to share experiences with Elizabeth Mandala and Kandiss Dowdell. Big thanks to everyone in the Latvis lab for the company, as well as to the BSA, the PLANTS program, and everyone who made this experience so enjoyable! This was also my first time in Michigan, and we got to see a beautiful sunset at the beach (the water was cold, but it was so worth it!).
I am a postdoc now!
Published:
Great news! Iāve just relocated to Fayetteville, Arkansas, to start a postdoctoral position at Maribeth Latvisās lab at the University of Arkansas. We will focus on the South American Agalinis species, an intriguing system as they migrated from North America to South America, where they underwent two rapid radiationsāone in the Andean region and another in Brazilāand hummingbird pollination evolved at least twice. During my time in Brazil, I had the opportunity to observe A. communis in its natural habitat, which happened to be on my old campus! Iām thrilled to start this new chapter of my academic journey and grateful for the warm welcome by the team at the Latvis lab! Go Razorbacks! š
2023
WANTED šµ Calibrachoa ovalifolia
Published:
Alice and I visited Morro do Osso (Porto Alegre, RS, Brazil) in search of the different morphotypes of Calibrachoa ovalifolia. Alice is using genomic data to determine whether these variations represent merely different colorations (that could change with the individualās age), hybrids between a light and a dark corolla species, or potentially even a distinct species. In the same area, we can also find Calibrachoa excellens - which displays a much darker purple corolla - and Petunia integrifolia. Stay tuned for exciting results coming soon!
Argentina time!
Published:
Thanks to the ESEB Godfrey Hewitt Mobility Award, I had the opportunity to adventure myself in cytogenetics at Dr. Rocio Deannaās lab in Cordoba, Argentina. I spent a month there, where I learned a lot and had the pleasure of meeting some amazing people and collaborators (AmĆ”lia Ibiapino, David Hoyos, Juan D. Urdampilleta). I was fortunate enough to explore the beautiful Argentinean landscape and indulge in its amazing cuisine (š„ media lunas for breakfast - delicious!). I want to express my gratitude to everyone for the warm welcome and the wonderful experience! š
I am a doctor now!
Published:
Thereās nothing better than starting my posts here (although Iām a few months late, haha š¤) by saying that I successfully defended my dissertation! After 4.5 years of hard work, I completed my thesis with five chapters covering several aspects of hybridization in the diversification process of Petunia. It was truly special to share this moment with my family, friends, and the members of the committee: Prof. Dr. Clarisse Palma-Silva, Dr. Alexandre Rizzo Zuntini (who actually encouraged me to create this website!), and Prof. Dr. Nelson Fagundes. Here are some photos from the celebration! A special thanks to my advisor Prof. Dr. Loreta B. Freitas, and everyone who has been part of this journey! š