{"id":21431,"date":"2026-03-24T09:06:37","date_gmt":"2026-03-24T13:06:37","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/web.uri.edu\/cels\/?p=21431"},"modified":"2026-03-24T09:21:25","modified_gmt":"2026-03-24T13:21:25","slug":"ava-russell-heads-to-harvard","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/web.uri.edu\/cels\/news\/ava-russell-heads-to-harvard\/","title":{"rendered":"URI\u2019s Ava Russell Heads to Harvard Arboretum for Plant Science Internship"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Blending the study of plant science<\/a> and biology<\/a> has given University of Rhode Island junior Ava Russell a comprehensive lens for understanding life\u2014an approach she will carry into an internship at Harvard University\u2019s Arnold Arboretum studying how plants develop and evolve over time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The competitive DaRin Butz Internship involves 10 weeks of research at Harvard University\u2019s Friedman Lab. <\/em>Russell, a junior from North Scituate, describes the opportunity as both exciting and pivotal for her future. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThis opportunity is a huge step towards my goals of applying to plant biology master\u2019s programs, pursuing a Ph.D. in a related field, and eventually teaching and conducting research,\u201d she said. \u201cThe Arnold Arboretum is a leading institution in plant science, and the skills I\u2019ll learn there will add to my skill set as a learner, researcher, and science communicator.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Friedman Lab examines patterns in plant morphology, anatomy, and physiology to better understand complex evolutionary lineages. \u201cI\u2019m excited to learn from Dr. William Friedman and his lab members because of their curiosity, experience with resin microscopy, and passion for science communication,\u201d she said. While there, Russell\u2019s research will focus on evolutionary history and plant development.<\/p>\n\n\n

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URI junior Ava Russell blends plant science and biology to study how plants grow and evolve.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

At URI, working in Professor Camilo Villouta<\/a>\u2019s Controlled Environment Agriculture lab has given Russell invaluable hands-on experience across all stages of the research process. \u201cWorking closely with his graduate student Deniz Camli-Saunders and developing independent and collaborative research projects over the past couple of years has built my confidence in the lab and grown my skillset as a researcher,\u201d Russell said. \u201cUnder their mentorship, I\u2019ve learned so many new techniques, equipment, and lab skills that I\u2019ll use at every step moving forward in my career.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In addition to strengthening her technical skills, the experiences have deepened her appreciation for the broader scope of plant science. \u201cSomething unique about plant science as a field is its range,\u201d she said. \u201cThere is almost always a connection between plant systems and all other aspects of an environment. There is always something to be curious about in plant science\u2014no matter which discipline you approach it from.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n

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Russell prepared, stained, and analyzed this micrograph of cross sections of Vaccinium corymbosum buds.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

Her academic path at URI has further fueled her passion for interdisciplinary and hands-on approaches. \u201cTaking BIO 101 with Dr. Daniela Lopes Paim Pint<\/a>o opened my eyes to biology and enhanced my passion for plant science,\u201d she said. \u201cWorking with Dr. Pinto as an Undergraduate Learning Assistant, while doing research in Dr. Villouta\u2019s lab, expanded my interests in plant systems. I have also taken courses with Dr. Neils-Viggo Hobbs<\/a> and Dr. Patrick Sorensen<\/a> that broadened my interests and pushed me to explore a wider range of research opportunities for this summer.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Russell encourages prospective students to consider the versatility of plant science as a major. \u201cPlant science is a diverse field,\u201d she said. \u201cThe major is great to consider for double majoring. It can complement many different studies like landscape architecture, biology, environmental science, conservation, and more.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cRemember to keep an open mind, talk to professors, go to office hours, email faculty about their projects, ask around, and be curious,\u201d she added. \u201cSmall steps are better than no steps.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

URI junior Ava Russell, a double major in biology and plant science, was selected for the competitive DaRin Butz Internship. She will spend 10 weeks at Harvard\u2019s Arnold Arboretum studying plant development and evolution. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1089,"featured_media":21432,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"categories":[26],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-21431","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/web.uri.edu\/cels\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/21431","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/web.uri.edu\/cels\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/web.uri.edu\/cels\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/web.uri.edu\/cels\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1089"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/web.uri.edu\/cels\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=21431"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/web.uri.edu\/cels\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/21431\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":21449,"href":"https:\/\/web.uri.edu\/cels\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/21431\/revisions\/21449"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/web.uri.edu\/cels\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/21432"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/web.uri.edu\/cels\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=21431"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/web.uri.edu\/cels\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=21431"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/web.uri.edu\/cels\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=21431"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}