Cisco College students (Marlyn and Shayla)  came to visit the McMurry campus with their faculty mentor, Mr. Justin Ceniceros.

These students are joining seven continuing team members and participating in research on the Cisco campus doing Identification, Observation, Collection, and Propagation of plant species in Eastland County.  Cisco College has a small herbarium collection curated from field classes conducted back in the 1970s.  The team will not only identify the plants in the collection, but also identify specimens in the field and note those that are threatened, rare, or of significant economic value that have not been previously identified within the collection.

The team will update or correct the labeling and notes for each specimen in the collection. They will engage in field work to observe specimens in situ and extend the collection. And they will also be identifying and propagating interesting plant specimens.

Students will be learning field survey and collection methods; participate in GPS training; and become familiar with the classification, identification, and nomenclature of plants.  Mr. Ceniceros will be extending his own skillset by attending Texas Master Gardener training this spring.

Title V supported the addition of a greenhouse at the Cisco campus in Cisco, Texas as well as renovating the greenhouse at McMurry (pictured).  Both facilities will be used to extend student learning in a variety of courses related to biology, nutrition, sustainability, and more.