Research forum held at Cypress Grove Nature Park
JACKSON, Tenn. — Local professionals and researchers got the opportunity to come together at a local park in the Hub City to share data and recent projects.
Tuesdays presentations covered park visitor data, as well as archaeological and ecological research at Pinson Mounds. And: the discovery of a new species of wasps at Cypress Grove Nature Park, alongside an inclusive summer research experience for college students.
“This summer, our research focused on aquatic ecosystems in Jackson, Tennessee,” said Melanie Vanstry, Natural and Physical Sciences, Lane College. “We have the biology students collecting water samples and sediment samples and completing a metagenomic study.”
Other research shows climate change over the past 100 years.
“They found that we actually have a delay in winter and a delay in spring and this is affecting the growing season for the area,” Vanstry said.
According to the students’ research, it shows meteorological spring versus the calendar spring is delayed by 30 days.
Darius Mullin, recreation coordinator at Cypress Grove Nature Park, said the goal of this forum was for researchers to build connections with each other.
“I think that’s really important for the scientific process, but it also just strengthens connections within our community,” Mullin said.
The forum was held in the Sandy MacDiarmid Educational Classroom and allowed for open discussions following the presentations.
To learn more about research efforts at Cypress Grove Nature Park, click here.
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