Friday, August 23
2:00 – 3:00 p.m.
Join us each month as plant science and conservation efforts are presented by San Diego Botanic Garden’s staff, research associates, colleagues, and guest speakers.
This month we will feature Astral Heidemann, Research Associate Intern currently working with San Diego Botanic Garden, as they present on “Chemical Analysis of Compounds within the Spiny Redberry Plant.”
Astral Heidemann (They/Them) is currently pursuing a B.S. in Biochemistry at California State University San Marcos. They are working as an intern with a grant from the American Society of Pharmacognosy and are grateful to work on this research project with the San Diego Botanic Garden. They previously worked on a research project as part of the NSF REU program investigating telomere attrition in South African Penguin samples and how that relates to the stress of the animal.
“This research project aims to establish the structure of a new molecule discovered within the Spiny Redberry plant, Rhamnus crocea, a plant native to California. R. crocea is the host plant for the eggs of the Hermes Copper Butterfly, a rare butterfly native to San Diego County. The butterfly displays irregular egg laying behavior, laying their eggs in a limited area of the population of R. crocea. This limited region combined with habitat loss from wildfires and other environmental factors has lead to the butterfly receiving a threatened classification. Samples of the plant were collected both within the egg laying region and outside, then they were extracted and purified then different analytical techniques were used to determine the structure. Some of the techniques used include Targeted and Untargeted Mass Spectrometry, High Performance Liquid Chromatography (HPLC), and Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR).”
Class format: In-person, indoors. SDBG follows local safety and health guidelines, and supports staff and visitors who choose to wear masks as they prefer.
Cost: Free with Garden admission
Members need to be logged into your membership account. Member discount will apply in your cart after you select the number of persons, then click “Add to Cart” button.
Registration will remain open until the event time. Walk-ins welcome, space permitting.