Hello, My name is Alexandra Todorovic-Jones and I'm currently a graduate student at Yale School of Forestry and Environmental Studies. My lab mate and I just started a seed project (at experiment.com/climatechange) in order to research how susceptible oaks (specifically Quercus leuctrichophora A. Camus and Quercus suber L.) are to climate change. We are seeking advice on where to send press releases and other tips on how to get our crowd funding page out to more people. Right now, we are contacting local newspapers and list serves with the following press release statement:
"Title: Support Women in STEM fields and Research on Climate Change Two ecologists, Kyra Prats and Alex Todorovic-Jones at Yale School of Forestry & Environmental Studies are planning to study how susceptible oaks are to climate change. In an effort to raise seed funds to pay for air travel and other equipment costs that are not covered by grants, the researchers are turning to crowdfunding platform Experiment to fund the research. By combining efforts, Prats and Todorovic-Jones will be able to pool results on their specific species to better understand how the entire family of trees (Quercus) will be able to tolerate climate change and drought. The project, entitled How susceptible are oaks to climate change and drought? focuses on leaf traits and tree growth rings to determine the extent to which increases in drought have impacted the trees. The goal is to then compare these changes in leaf traits and tree growth rings to climate records and drought events. Researchers Kyra Prats and Alex Todorovic-Jones will investigate the cork oak in Spain and the banj oak in India, respectively. The leaf traits, such as leaf size and pore size and spacing, determine the amount of carbon dioxide taken up by the trees, so studying how they have changed with drought conditions becomes important for understanding how carbon is being stored within the entire ecosystem, says Prats. She has chosen to study the cork oak in Spain because it is a species with important economic and ecological value. Tree ring growth rates are indicators of drought tolerance, as the size of the annual tree ring is a proxy for how much the tree is investing into growth for that specific year, says Todorovic-Jones. By using Experiment to help raise the funds, Prats and Todorovic-Jones are sharing reports of progress in real-time. In return for backing the project, donors will also be recognized when the results are published. If fully funded, the projects findings would have implications for oak management and climate change adaptation. For example, Todorovic-Jones is collaborating with an Indian NGO, the Center for Research and Development (CEDAR), and will be sharing results with them and other managers. The results will help organizations better understand if oaks will continue to be part of the landscape and if rural communities will be able to continue depending on them for vital resources. The project has 21 days remaining to meet a funding target of $5000. So far, 19 backers have contributed to help it reach its goal. The platform, Experiment, recently surpassed $1,500,000 in total funding raised. Scientists using the platform have been featured in The Economist, Forbes, Nature, and The New York Times." Project Link: experiment.com/climatechange If you have any ideas, please send an email to either or both of us. Attached is a copy of our press release. Our contact information is below. Researchers Contact Info: Alex Todorovic-Jones, email: [email protected], twitter: @alexjtjones Kyra Prats, email: [email protected], twitter: @KyraPrats Thank you for your time.
