Closing Duke's Herbarium: A fear of long-term climate commitment?
I am shocked and saddened by the plan to close the Duke Herbarium — one of the most important resources in my Duke experience from 2002 to 2013. For my honors thesis, I collected mosses in the North Carolina swamps, and my work study was funded by the National Science Foundation (NSF) to digitize herbarium specimens. It was a transformative experience to see the natural world beyond the classroom, and it launched me toward my current position as a professor and herbarium director. I see the passion among this generation’s college students to solve the major climate and biodiversity challenges we face. Yet, while worldwide interest in collections as a tool for climate research is rising, Duke is removing its herbarium from campus and diminishing its students' preparation to be the future leaders we need to address the climate crisis.