From Christmas Tree Farm to National Recognition: Biological Sciences Student Wins Award for Plant Research

Growing up on a Christmas tree farm in Rhode Island, Aislinn Mumford spent her childhood exploring the outdoors, captivated by the plants around her.

“As soon as I knew that I could be a botanist, I knew that’s what I wanted to study forever,” she said.

Now a third-year PhD candidate studying botany, she recently won a $1,500 award from the Botanical Society of America (BSA) for her research on fruit color and nutritional signaling in Palicourea, a genus of tropical flowering plants.

Mumford conducts her research in Dr. Laura Lagomarsino’s lab. Her focus is on how fruit color might help attract birds by signaling nutritional benefits. She plans to use her award money to buy a high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) column. This equipment will allow her to analyze the fruit’s nutrients and better understand why certain birds might be drawn to particular fruits.

“I’m definitely fortunate to receive the award," said Mumford. "The Botanical Society of America is a great community with so many resources. Botany conferences are also a fantastic way to meet people in the field."

Mumford hopes to continue this path and fulfill her dream job of working at a herbarium.