Jenifer Gray

Jennifer Gray, Bachelor of Science, Field Biology, 1999
Biology 101 Lab Coordinator, Ohio State University
and previously
Field Botanist, The Nature Conservancy

While I was growing up in rural southern Ohio, I spent a lot of my time outside and was always interested in the natural world. When my parents moved to the area from Cincinnati, they purchased many field guides in order to learn more about the area, and it is common practice at our house to grab a field guide whenever we find anything we aren't familiar with. After growing up in this atmosphere, it seemed a natural progression to enter a field biology program so I could be officially qualified to, of all things…work outside!

I began working for The Nature Conservancy the summer prior to my graduation from O.U., and I continued to work for them after graduating. At the Edge of Appalachia (EOA) preserve in Adams County (OH), I assisted with general maintenance, trail up-keep, invasive species removal, and monitoring trails for ATV disturbance. I participated in the yearly vegetation sampling for an ongoing forest burn study, which involved identifying species in the herb, understory, and overstory layers. I collected and prepared many plant specimens for the EOA herbarium and maintained the herbarium database. I also spent a great deal of time updating historical records of state threatened or endangered plants for Ohio's Natural Heritage Database (for example, the wood lily, Lilium philadelphicum, pictured to the right). This last task was one of the most enjoyable. I was able to spend entire days hiking through the forest or EOA's many prairie openings, looking for plants that most people have never had the chance to see. In some cases, the last recorded sighting was 20 or more years ago. It was always exciting to find the plants I was looking for--and even more exciting to discover increased and thriving populations where, at last sighting, there had only been two or three individuals.

After working in Ohio for about a year, I took a position as a summer field botanist with the Nature Conservancy of Missouri. I worked with two other seasonal botanists to install and sample all the plots for the first year of a large pine-savannah restoration. We used GIS and GPS systems to assign plot locations and helped to design the herb sampling methods. We were also responsible for entering and analyzing all data collected and identifying any unknown plants found in our plots. I enjoyed working in Missouri and found the challenge of learning many new species in such a short time very exciting. Along with the plants, there were lots of interesting mushrooms, insects, and other animals to observe, and in keeping with my field guide tradition, I made a point of looking up anything I wasn't familiar with. Some of our most interesting days of sampling were those when we discovered copperheads or a timber rattlesnake in our plots.

After returning from Missouri, I moved to Columbus and continued to work for The Nature Conservancy through their Ohio field office. I worked mainly on mounting plants for the EOA herbarium and updating the database. I also had the opportunity to do seasonal sampling at the Morgan Swamp and Darby Creek preserves, and to take botanical inventories at new or potential preserve sites.

I am currently employed by the Ohio State University's Introductory Biology Program as the course coordinator for Biology 101. I was initially hired as the Associate Course Coordinator. My duties in that position included the lab set-up and maintenance for approximately 64 sections per week of Bio 101 lab. I also assisted with the training, evaluation, and supervision of Graduate Teaching Assistants and cared for the many large "microcosm" tanks housed in our labs. In my present position as Course Coordinator, I am responsible for the supervision of all of the above tasks, as well as many others. I coordinate the lecture and lab portions of the course, schedule labs, assist professors with the logistical aspects of teaching a class of ~ 700 students, and assist students with any course concerns that may arise. I also work to keep our current teaching materials up to date and assist with the revision and design of the Biology 101 lab manual.


			Jennifer Gray, Bachelor of Science, Field Biology, 1999 Biology 101 Lab Coordinator, Ohio State University and previously Field Botanist, The Nature Conservancy While I was growing up in rural southern Ohio, I spent a lot of my time outside and was always interested in the natural world. When my parents moved to the area from Cincinnati, they purchased many field guides in order to learn more about the area, and it is common practice at our house to grab a field guide whenever we find anything we aren't familiar with. After growing up in this atmosphere, it seemed a natural progression to enter a field biology program so I could be officially qualified to, of all things…work outside! I began working for The Nature Conservancy the summer prior to my graduation from O.U., and I continued to work for them after graduating. At the Edge of Appalachia (EOA) preserve in Adams County (OH), I assisted with general maintenance, trail up-keep, invasive species removal, and monitoring trails for ATV disturbance. I participated in the yearly vegetation sampling for an ongoing forest burn study, which involved identifying species in the herb, understory, and overstory layers. I collected and prepared many plant specimens for the EOA herbarium and maintained the herbarium database. I also spent a great deal of time updating historical records of state threatened or endangered plants for Ohio's Natural Heritage Database (for example, the wood lily, Lilium philadelphicum, pictured to the right). This last task was one of the most enjoyable. I was able to spend entire days hiking through the forest or EOA's many prairie openings, looking for plants that most people have never had the chance to see. In some cases, the last recorded sighting was 20 or more years ago. It was always exciting to find the plants I was looking for--and even more exciting to discover increased and thriving populations where, at last sighting, there had only been two or three individuals. After working in Ohio for about a year, I took a position as a summer field botanist with the Nature Conservancy of Missouri. I worked with two other seasonal botanists to install and sample all the plots for the first year of a large pine-savannah restoration. We used GIS and GPS systems to assign plot locations and helped to design the herb sampling methods. We were also responsible for entering and analyzing all data collected and identifying any unknown plants found in our plots. I enjoyed working in Missouri and found the challenge of learning many new species in such a short time very exciting. Along with the plants, there were lots of interesting mushrooms, insects, and other animals to observe, and in keeping with my field guide tradition, I made a point of looking up anything I wasn't familiar with. Some of our most interesting days of sampling were those when we discovered copperheads or a timber rattlesnake in our plots. After returning from Missouri, I moved to Columbus and continued to work for The Nature Conservancy through their Ohio field office. I worked mainly on mounting plants for the EOA herbarium and updating the database. I also had the opportunity to do seasonal sampling at the Morgan Swamp and Darby Creek preserves, and to take botanical inventories at new or potential preserve sites. I am currently employed by the Ohio State University's Introductory Biology Program as the course coordinator for Biology 101. I was initially hired as the Associate Course Coordinator. My duties in that position included the lab set-up and maintenance for approximately 64 sections per week of Bio 101 lab. I also assisted with the training, evaluation, and supervision of Graduate Teaching Assistants and cared for the many large "microcosm" tanks housed in our labs. In my present position as Course Coordinator, I am responsible for the supervision of all of the above tasks, as well as many others. I coordinate the lecture and lab portions of the course, schedule labs, assist professors with the logistical aspects of teaching a class of ~ 700 students, and assist students with any course concerns that may arise. I also work to keep our current teaching materials up to date and assist with the revision and design of the Biology 101 lab manual.
Environmental and Plant Biology \| OU Front Door
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