In 2002 I became the research coordinator for the Great Lakes Research and Education Center located at Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore. Among other tasks, I facilitate invasive plant research and  monitoring with USGS scientists in four national parks of the Great Lakes region. I coordinate interagency workshops to provide information to the general public and train citizens in monitoring invasive species in wetlands. I am a member of the Midwest Invasive Plant Network and the Society of Wetland Scientists.

Global Citizen, Local Volunteer: the Purple Loosestrife Project

Purple loosestrife is a highly invasive plant of wetlands in North America. Introduced from Eurasia in the 1800s, it spread rapidly via canals and waterways. The USGS and Great Lakes Research and Education Center partnered in 2003 to develop a citizen science monitoring program for purple loosestrife in the Midwest Region. The project data will be used to obtain a better understanding of the species genetic and ecological adaptation in North America.