We aim to make food, agriculture, and environmental sciences accessible to all families in our community.
About
This community farm STEMstead is managed by Alyssa Mills and partners.
Alyssa is a lifelong Cleveland resident & currently a graduate student at The Ohio State University studying Plant Health Management and researching Forest Entomology with the Perry Lab at OSU Wooster Campus. Her thesis is non-target impacts of elongate hemlock scale pesticides on beneficial soil arthropod communities surrounding hemlock stands in Cleveland Metroparks.
EXPERIENCE:
-Naturalist: Cleveland Metroparks Watershed Stewardship Center & Rocky River Nature Center
-Seasonal Arborist: Davey Tree North Royalton, OH
-Tree Corps CREW: Holden Forests and Gardens Cleveland, OH
-ESOL Instructor: Cuyahoga Community College Cleveland, OH
-Research and Development Laboratory Assistant: Cellular Technology, Ltd Shaker Heights, OH
-Lead Great Ape Caregiver: Center for Great Apes Wauchula, FL
-Researcher and Equine Neonatal ICU Foal Care: The Ohio State University Columbus, OH
EDUCATION
The Ohio State University: Bachelor of Science in Agriculture
The Ohio State University: Master in Plant Health Management 2025
Summer 2024 thesis: Non-target effects of dinotefuran for elongate hemlock scale management in northeast Ohio
-Awarded $2,520 from Cleveland Metroparks Research Grant Program
CERTIFICATIONS
Certified Interpretive Guide (CIG)
National Association for Interpreters
-Certification involves creating a program outline and presenting a thematic interpretive presentation
Headwater Habitat Evaluation Index (HHEI)
EviroScience Stream Habitat Evaluation Courses with Cleveland Metroparks Watershed Volunteer Program
-Certified to EPA standards to assess small headwater streams including stream morphology, macroinvertebrates, and
Salamander counts
PUBLICATIONS
-Mobilization permits reliable ELISPOT detection of long-term memory T cells secreting IFN-γ, IL-4, IL-5, and IL-17
without in vitro expansion. Journal for ImmunoTherapy of Cancer · Nov 1, 2013
-Prevalence of regurgitation and reingestion in orangutans housed in North American zoos and an examination of factors
influencing its occurrence in a single group of Bornean orangutans. Zoo Biology · Jan 31, 2012
Sundew Farms scientist connections can bring science, food and ecology to YOU via:
-STEM programming
-Ecological field trips
-Bioblitz species inventories
-Great Lakes literacy and watershed programs
-General naturalist services
-Science tutoring
-Medicinal plant chemistry