Category: Introductions

Hello! My name is Shelby – I am currently enrolled in the Ethnobotany program at UAF and this class came highly recommended from my peers! I’m very excited to learn about the flora of Alaska with all of you!
I am currently in the transition process of returning to Alaska from New York, and will be spending the month of July traveling cross-continent back to Fairbanks. I will be living there with my husband, our two dogs, and our cat. Hopefully I can find some unique plants along my journey that I can share with you all. All the best & looking forward to this summer semester!

Hello my name is Shellbie Thompson. I am working on an associate in science degree. I have lived in Alaska for 15 years. I have a family of 7; wonderful husband, 3 beautiful babies and 2 dogs. We love to go outside and enjoy walks and fresh air whenever possible. I am looking forward to learning about Alaska flora.

Hi everyone!

My name is Shellie and I live in Ketchikan, Alaska. I work for UAS Ketchikan in the Maritime department. I am working on an Indigenous Studies Master’s degree through UAF and focusing my studies on traditional plant uses here in SE Alaska. My husband and I moved to Ketchikan 6 years ago from Idaho with our five kids. We love to hike, gather wild foods to eat, and have bonfires on the beach. I love plants and that’s why I am here! Because I don’t have an extensive history in botany, I am looking forward to gaining a more solid understanding of plant structure and reproduction. I am looking forward to getting to know all of you.

I was born in the Yukon, and was raised in the bush by two biologist/botanists, so this feels a bit like coming home:) It will be like hearing my milk tongue again after so long….I learned to say ” Zigadenus elegans Pursh ” before I knew how to tie my shoes. My dad still quizzes me from time to time:) Ironically, both of my folks graduated from UAF in the 60’s. I now live in Juneau. I have albums and albums of botanical photos from all over the world…I even know what some of the subjects are (squinty, smiley emoji here). I have been hard at social sciences for 5 years now academically, and I work with people all day long (and I do love them, I really do), but the idea of spending quality time with plants is positively delicious in contrast right now! I am very much looking forward to this class and exploring with- and getting to know some of you! If anyone is in Juneau, and is interested, we could meetup for collecting and whatnot.

Cheers!

Amy

Hi all!

My name is Elias, and I currently reside in Anchorage, which is where I have lived my entire life (with the exception of my four years in undergrad when I lived in Bellingham, Washington). As I just graduated about a year ago, I am still figuring out what I am doing with my life. I like to spend as much of my spare time as possible outside hiking in the mountains, and I’ve always been curious about the things I see around me on my hikes. I became interested in plants when I took a biology class during my second year of undergrad that focused on basic plant and animal biology, then last summer I got the amazing opportunity to volunteer up at Toolik Field Station helping out with a plant pluck sorting and identifying different tundra plants, which increased my interest exponentially. My microscope is still coming in the mail so I can’t post a picture of it yet, so instead here are some pictures of flowers I’ve seen on my hikes recently and a picture of me from my time up at Toolik last year. I am excited to take this class and learn more about the plants I see around me, and I am look forward to getting to meet all of you!

Hello, My name is Nicole and I’ve lived in Fairbanks for the past 14 years or so. I am originally from Nebraska and graduated from Iowa State with a degree in Animal Ecology Interpretation, but it has been several years since working in that field (I’m now in administration). I was interested in taking this class to refresh my knowledge of local flora. Looking forward to learning more!

I live with my husband and two Bernese Mountain Dogs. I like to sew, learn languages, and photography, as well as do a variety of outdoor activities.

Hi everybody.   I’m Stephanie Zaborac-Reed – known as “Steph” (with a “ph”).   I’m originally from Southcentral Alaska, born in Palmer and raised in Anchorage.   Currently I’m living in the Seattle area with my husband Kevin, our German Shepherd dog Tanzer (German for “dancer”), and four Ragdoll cats (Twitch, Zhiva, Mystie, and Cate).   I’m a sometimes-graduate student, and have been working and volunteering in Estella Leopold’s pollen lab at the University of Washington; I’m also a symphony musician, and have a lot of hobbies.   I’m TOTALLY thrilled to learn more about the botany of Alaska, and I’m looking forward to meeting all of you!

Hello!   I am Jamie Freiman, and I am very much looking forward to taking this class this summer!   I moved to Fairbanks, AK from Akron, OH in January 2011.   Despite being here for several years, I am not very familiar with the local flora.   I am hoping this class will remedy that! After this class, I will be two classes away from completing my Associate’s degree.

I am a school librarian, so I luckily have access to microscopes and dissection kits as needed.   Below, I have my current “microscope” – a macro lens for my iPhone.

Here is my microscope:

Hey Ethnobotany Friends!

My name is Pierette Imbriano, but it would be great if you could call me Pier. I have always been interested in ethnobotany but didn’t have the language to know and articulate it. I was fascinated by natural survival although can’t claim the brave title of survivalist like others in the program. I have worked on farms and obtained a license in aromatherapy where I can practice medicinally. I grew up in a small town in the suburbs, lived briefly in a rural area and for the majority of my life in cities. I’m currently a Brooklynite in New York City but have lived in various places where I learned to love at times being a naturalist, other times a pragmatist and many times just simply adapting. I hope to learn how indigenous cultures live sustainably and interact with botany and hope to be able to adapt these lessons on a larger scale that I can transfer to city planning in NYC. Hopefully accomplishing sustainable climate & culturally friendly universal trends that can be incorporated on individual and greater levels.

On a basic level, I’m hoping to further my study of relationships between people and the earth. I want to reunite with my love of wild plants and ecosystems, while engaging on an intellectual level but mostly appreciating people and living beings w/instinct and common sense on a social, ecological, culturally sensitive/relevant level that will also provide insight into basic economic community insights. While my passion for plants is primarily around the medicinal use, I’m hoping to broaden that view again and love making pragmatic items such as baskets and clothes, toys and jewelry as I had in Minto. I’m looking to understand the socio-economic cultural and ecological connection on many levels from basic necessities to adornments/enhancements, transportation, infrastructure and more. But I’m also looking for other skills as well. I want to learn how to document these individual studies and their connection/relativity to each other in a way I can share where appropriate and approved by the culture and especially in a way where I can pick it up and jump right back into the information in 10 years as if no time has passed. I’m also super excited to learn from each person in this course- everyone is so unique. The material is amazing and I have no doubt meeting everyone in person during field study will be awe-inspiring.