Author: kwillbb

Group members: Jaidyn, Kyra, Jay, and Sophie.

Section 1:

Reseach question– Kyra

To develop a research question, we went through various steps in trying to figure out what question combines all our thoughts together. We did lots of research into wicked problems (a wicked problem is a social or cultural problem that’s difficult or impossible to solve because of its complex and interconnected nature). that the Gardens might have. With that research we formulated our main question which is “How do colonial extractive practices affect the Garden”. We have changed the question and reworded it a few times since formulating it to ensure that it is working together with our ideas. We created this research question because we want to bring the issue of extractive colonial practices to light. For many years extractive colonial practices have been “pushed under the rug” and do not get talked about enough. This is a real issue, not just looking at the Missouri Botanical Gardens past but also just in the world around us. Though we can not necessarily force people to learn about the extractive practices that indigenous persons have been through, we can try our best to educate the patrons at the Garden about the Gardens’ past. We are currently undertaking an implementation plan to hopefully better the community’s knowledge of the extractive practices and educate them on the Garden and botany in general has had in the past. 

                  Earlier in our journey we conducted a survey to the garden staff and volunteer staff to get more knowledge about the garden, unfortunately we did not get any data from this. So, with that being said we want to conduct some interviews with the Garden staff and find some secondary research. With the secondary research we are thinking about talking to Robbie and Ashley in the Herbarium and Andrew in the archives. We also want to research similar issues in other Botanical Gardens dealing with similar issues. Another thing we want to do is dive deeper into oral histories. Hopefully the gardens can help to connect us with someone who represents an organization or facility who has seen or experienced extractive practices. Right now, we can start taking a deeper dive into what specific plants we want to be in our implementation plan and how they were used in their native culture. 

Section 2:

Geographic focus and Stakeholders- Jay

 

We haven’t pinpointed our exact geographic focus yet, but we’re leaning toward a broader approach. Since our cohort’s topic is reparative justice and our research question is “How do colonial extractive practices affect the garden?”, we’re considering focusing on the Missouri Botanical Gardens itself—specifically, its visitors. This means our geographic scope is broad, as visitors come from all over. Our key stakeholders would include the visitors and staff like Sean, Robbie, Ashley, and Jennifer. Sean can help us figure out who to connect with and reach out to different areas of the garden, while Robbie and Ashley can guide us on which plants we should focus on. Jennifer will be a great resource for “My Guide to the Garden” and supporting us with our implementation plan.

Section 3:

Data Collection- Jaidyn

In order to develop a strong implementation, plan we must gather and analyze different types of data. Our research question has guided us thus far into the process of creating an implementation plan and we have learned about different types of data and data collection up to this point. Due to the nature of our product, the group has decided that the most beneficial types of data to collect would be data from focus groups, oral histories, and various kinds of secondary research. Focus groups allow us to gather multiple specific perspectives from people in the Garden. Oral histories would be beneficial in order to educate we on the histories of plants and communities that have been impacted by colonial extraction. We would also like to conduct secondary research such as, visiting the herbarium and reading online research and review articles. All of these research methods will support the group in being able to make evidence-based decisions when designing the final product. Data also provides context for our work and provides us a deeper understanding of the problem that is being dealt with. With data we can identify trends and patterns which we can use for informed decision making 

Section 4:

The Implemmentation- Sophie

The outcome of our research should be a scavenger hunt with video elements. I believe our project will have an exhibit with a digital element for them to interact with. This is the best plan for implementation because it allows us to reach not only people at the garden, but also people who want to learn about colonialism and aren’t able to visit. We need the help of garden staff, video making equipment, and whatever resources the garden itself can provide us. To ensure that this project is as successful as possible, and beneficial to the garden. We will meet the needs by gathering data about our question “How do colonial extractive practices affect the Garden?”. To create an enriching and entertaining learning experience for whoever decides to participate. We will make the implementation plan for how we want to present it to the garden. We will also be creating the project that will be put into the garden.  

The garden will help us in gathering the resources for our project and telling us how they can help along the way to make sure there are no problems during the creation and finalization of the project. As they are the people who know what they want things to look like since it is their garden. While also having the knowledge of how to create something that visitors want to interact with. We will assess the success by seeing how many people decide to participate in the project. Since we cannot exactly know unless someone decides to scan the QR code and interact with the project. 

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The instructions for the final lab write up:

• Contextualize and interpret themes and patterns. Why are they surprising or significant? How do they support or challenge your prior knowledge? 
• Mixed methods research allows us to approach a question from multiple angles to gain breadth and depth of understanding. How do your results relate to your survey? Did the qualitative study fill in the gaps you hoped it would? Did the results support your initial conclusions? Did they reveal complexity or tensions? Did they challenge them entirely?
• In addition to exploring the data, also reflect on your research design. Did you learn everything you need to know? How might you design the study differently next time to encourage more detailed or accurate information?
• While mixed methods research gives us a more holistic perspective on our topic than a single method, this doesn’t mean there’s nothing left to learn or that you’ve answered every question completely! Research is iterative – that means that we keep coming back to our topic in different ways to build up layers of knowledge and understanding. So, reflecting on what you’ve done so far, what else do you want to know?

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Phase one

Surveys

My group includes Jay, Jaidyn, and Sophia. We are focusing on “how does colonialism affects the garden and the herbarium”. This lab has two parts, the first part was our surveys, and the second part of the lab was the focus groups we conducted. Our surveys kind of fell off and didn’t get the attention of the garden partners like we were hoping to get. At the end of that phase of our lab, we ended up only getting one response all together. Which was kind of disappointing for me and my team because we worked really hard on the survey, formulating specific questions and strategizing for weeks. So, we had to ask ourselves “what exactly did go wrong”, with our surveys. The topic of our research question has an “uncomfortable ” aura around it already because it is a heavy topic, but it is still a very important topic to talk about and raise awareness about it. the best thing that we could think is that maybe our surveys were asking too “heavy” of questions for a survey. Here below is an example of some of our surveys.

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Phase Two

FOcus Groups

After carefully analyzing the feedback, we got back from our initial survey (though it consisted of just one response), we realized that the needed to refine and rephrase certain survey questions for greater clarity and relevance. Additionally, recognizing the value of soliciting insights directly from our garden workers, we decided to craft new inquiries and discussion points tailored to their expertise and experiences. As we prepared for the focus groups, we identified a diverse array of individuals within the garden community whom we sought to engage with our inquiries. Through collaborative effort, we formulated a comprehensive set of questions designed to get a nuanced perspectives and valuable insights. Below, are the refined and expanded list of questions that emerged from this iterative process:

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Phase Three

Data analysis and data cleaning

In our recent tactics, our focus has been keenly directed towards the meticulous realms of data analysis and data refinement. This phase entailed a comprehensive set of data procured from various surveys and focus groups, followed by an intricate process of scrutiny and interpretation. Our aim was not merely to compile information but to look deeper into the narrative within the datasets to hopefully steer our future actions regarding the development of the untold history and extractive processes at the gardens.

We also wanted to employ a sort of systematic approach. So, with each focus group transcript was processed into a suitable and a form of analytical platform. Through this arrangement, we sought to look at recurring themes and patterns, unraveling the complex threads of responses across the focus groups. This examination not only facilitated a nuanced understanding of the collected data but also unveiled potential avenues for further exploration for the garden.

The breadth of perspectives and experiences shared by participants underscore the significance of our research endeavors. The insights we found through our analytical endeavors serve as a compass, guiding us towards the formulation of a plan that aligns with our overarching objectives and research question. With a clearer vision and a more comprehensive understanding of the past, we are better equipped to navigate the complexities of our WICKED problem, paving the way for a hopeful meaningful progress and sustainable growth in the Missouri Botanical Garden.

Our data after being put into Voyant.

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Voyant Tools. https://voyant-tools.org/. Accessed 11 Apr. 2024.

Missouri Botanical Garden. https://www.missouribotanicalgarden.org/. Accessed 11 Apr. 2024

Dr. Hildebrandt

CODE 122

Reflection #2

January 5^th, 2024,

The Gardens- Plant Specimens

During the previous week, my cohort and I had the opportunity to visit the gardens, where we explored the archives housing a collection of aged plant specimens that were carefully gathered throughout the early and late 19th century. Going into this, we had a little knowledge of the plant’s specimens but not a whole lot. This trip did, however, contribute to better our knowledge on plant extraction and what things were kind of missing in the older plant specimens that we were looking at.

In the specific plant specimens, we were looking at they all had one kind of common feature; that feature is the that they were very vague and not very descriptive on where it was extracted from and really the natives’ people’s use of that plant. Though the newer specimens did have more information on them, they still did not know a whole lot.  Even though we are now in the 21^st century you can still see a lot of bias coming from botanists from back in the day. Because in the 19^th century the only botanist there was, was rich in power white men, so obviously some were named after those botanists and colonists, like Carl Linnaeus, and with the information read about last week we know that names have deep meanings and affect people in different ways because the past has shaped our present. Despite the apparent quietness and stillness, the voices of those whose native plants were extracted resonate very loudly, highlighting the deep impact of their displacement.

In essence, their silence speaks volumes, resonating with profound significance. Another standout issue of the plant specimens and the herbarium is that it is not getting the funding it needs to make the changes it needs. Though it’s possible that the changes that are required to be made might cut the stakeholders in half because of what we have to say. Given the inherent complexity of our examinations, we find ourselves still in pursuit of answers and the resolution of mysteries. Though, I am inclined to believe that our current direction indicates progress and alignment with the path towards resolution.

October 8, 2023

Defining the systems and classifying the drivers of a specific system.

In my CODES 120 cohort, we are reading “The Sustainable World” by the author, Sonya Remington-Doucette. In the novel, Remington-Doucette reveals the concept of taking a deeper dive and exploring the cause and effect of wicked problems. She uses different techniques to start solving these wicked problems. More specifically we are reading chapter 3 of that book. In chapter 3 we look at defining the systems and classifying drivers. Let’s look at exactly what drivers are. Drivers are separated into two different groups: indirect and direct drivers. direct drivers are defined as clearly and unequivocally influence the behavior of that system. Indirect drivers are defined as drivers that influence the behavior of that system in a more diffuse way, by altering one or more direct drivers.

The herbaria at Missouri botanical gardens are a very beautiful place. The herbarium is a home for many species of plants from all around the world. Some as far as China and others as close as down the street. The Missouri botanical gardens have been around for hundreds of years. Henry Shaw became the founder of the Botanical gardens Saint Louis in the year of 1859. It is widely considered one of the top three most famous botanical gardens. The garden is a national and historic landmark right here in Saint Louis Missouri. Though the garden is beautiful and has come a very long way, there is a past that the garden has. Me and my fellow CODE scholars are still trying to uncover the mysteries and the rooted problems the garden is still recovering from.

Not taking any value from the herbaria at Missouri botanical gardens but even beautiful things can have deep rooted problems. There are many different things we can take away from the chapter 3 of “The Sustainable World” by Remmington Doucette. At the garden there are many different effectors. Even if you look at the plant pressings in the herbarium you can see a few problems of how they are pushing for a westernized science. With that they are suppressing and degrading other cultures and heritages.

The herbaria undergo a series of problems. And the Herbarium itself is at a consent state of a loop of problems. Some new problems and some old. Especially with the gardens using and prioritizing western science. Though western science is not a bad concept I believe it takes away from other cultures and their experiences. With prioritizing the Westernized sciences, we are losing many different experiences and thought processes. A lot of those thought processes and experiences can be very helpful tools to the Herbarium.

Within this chart I made above I am taking a deeper dive into the herbarium and its problems. Classifying the drivers and indirect drivers and their connections to the herbarium. As of right now I cannot say we have a defined answer to all of the problems we are facing but we are now a few steps ahead to where we used to be.

Yet we are still nowhere near the finish line of this problem. We can continue to work with the garden and pulling recourses from different gardens and different scholars as well.