BotanyMichael Rittmaster
2025 The Zeller Summer Scholarship in Medicinal Botany
Isolation of Bioactive Compounds for Kidney Disease Treatment: Insights from Cherokee Native American and Tibetan Ethnomedicinal Plants
This project focuses on isolating bioactive compounds from plants used in Cherokee Native American and Tibetan ethnomedicine to explore potential treatments for chronic kidney disease. The study targets Humulus lupulus L. (Cannabaceae) (common hop), Trifolium pratense L. (Fabaceae) (red clover), and Elettaria cardamomum (Zingiberaceae) (cardamom) due to their historical medicinal use for kidney health. Using extraction techniques such as steam distillation and gas chromatography, this research aims to analyze these plants for novel chemical structures. The findings have the potential to contribute to drug discovery while also preserving traditional ethnobotanical knowledge.
The Zeller Summer Scholarship in Medicinal Botany
To encourage U.S. undergraduate students to expand their knowledge of medicinal botany by pursuing summer study in various projects, courses, and/or internships with supervision and structure.
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Liv Fragiacomo
The Corliss Knapp Engle Scholarship in Horticulture
Arbuscular Mycorrhizae and Compost Teas as a Biological Replacement to Plastic Mulch Much of...
Emma Greenlee
The Garden Club of America Board of Associates Centennial Pollinator Fellowship
The Effects of Grazing Management on Plant-pollinator Networks and Bee Nesting Habitat ...
Grace Provenzano
The Katharine M. Grosscup Scholarships in Horticulture
Landscape Architecture Thesis Grace Provenzano, a fourth-year landscape architecture major at...
Cassandra Austin
The Corliss Knapp Engle Scholarship in Horticulture
Characterizing the Physiological Response of Ripening Strawberries to Extreme Heat Events ...
Jack Scherer
The Garden Club of America Award in Desert Studies
Soil Microbiomes of the Colorado Plateau Jack Scherer is a first-year master's student in...
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Lucas Belury
The Moore Family Fellowship in The Making of the American Landscape
Flood Justice in the Us-mexico Borderlands: Reshaping the American Landscape Through Flood...
Amanda Martin
The Moore Family Fellowship in The Making of the American Landscape
Greenlining: Civil Rights Struggles Over Access to the Outdoors "Greenlining: Civil...
Nora Heaphy
The Garden Club of America Fellowship in Ecological Restoration
Genomic Evaluation and Monitoring of Assisted Migration Field Trials for a Keystone Northern...
Gabriella Ravin
The Anne S. Chatham Fellowship in Medicinal Botany
Metabolomic Profile and Synergistic Bioactivity of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Si Ni TangThis...
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Carter Oleckna
The Anne S. Chatham Fellowship in Medicinal Botany
“climate Change Impacts on Seagrass Secondary Metabolites: Implications for Medicinal Uses and...
Raelin Kronenberg
The Anne S. Chatham Fellowship in Medicinal Botany
Soil Microbial Affiliations With Three Temperate Forest Herbs, Goldenseal, Black Cohosh, and Wild...
Amanda Thiel
The Anne S. Chatham Fellowship in Medicinal Botany
Mayan Ethnobotany and Linguistic Phylogeny of Psidium GuajavaGuava (Psidium guajava) is a native...
Katherine Culbertson
The Garden Club of America Fellowship in Tropical Botany
Investigating Rainforest Resilience and Barriers to Regeneration in Eastern MadagascarTo better...
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Seth McMahon
The Zeller Summer Scholarship in Medicinal Botany
Role of North Dakotan Medicinal Plants on Gut InflammationOur lab is collaborating with United...
Chris Liazos
The Frances M. Peacock Scholarship for Native Bird Habitat
The Conservation Value of Silvicultural Systems Northeastern Forest Bird Communities During the...
Abby Bressette
The Frances M. Peacock Scholarship for Native Bird Habitat
Associational Effects of Non-native Invasive Shrubs on Food Availability for Golden-winged and...