Achievement

GLOBES trainee Ashley Baldridge accompanied by GLOBES associate Matt Barnes completed a 2.5 week Real World Practicum (RWP) experience in southeastern China. As the guests of Dr. Jianqing Ding at the Wuhan Botanical Garden of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, Baldridge and Barnes studied the impact of nonindigenous crayfish introduction and harvest on native ecosystems in China. The experience accomplished set goals of establishing important relationships with Chinese collaborators, exploring natural systems, and investigating the research facilities and resources of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, all essential steps for the future success of the project. During several field trips to outlying lakes and ponds Baldridge and Barnes interviewed farmers and others gathering information that increased their understanding of the cultural and economic context of crayfish harvest in the region.