Your team is joined by other researchers during the three weeks that you and the other members are at the GSMNP.  You have the opportunity to learn from two expert lichenologists,  Thorsten Lumbsch, Ph.D from The Field Museum in Chicago, Illinois and Tor Tønsberg, Ph.D from the University of Bergen in Norway.  Erin is particularly excited about this as she is working on a special research project about lichens.  While at the Park, Thorsten helps with the Lichen Bio-Quest that some of the students attend.  A Bio-Quest is usually a two-day workshop that includes lecture and field work, providing participants the opportunity to locate and identify certain species.  Tor joins the group for the last half of the field work and spends his days looking for and collecting lichens.  He then analyzes them to determine which ones are new species for the park records.
 

Dr. Thorsten Lumbsch •Has published over 180 publications •Area of expertise is the family of crustose lichens, Lecoranaceae •He is from Frankfurt, Germany •Currently serving as Assistant Curator of the Department of Botany at The Chicago           Field Museum

Dr. Tor Tønsberg

Dr. Tor Tønsberg • Has already identified new lichen species           found in the GSMNP • Area of expertise is crustose lichens • Currently at the University of Bergen, Norway

 Also during the last half of the field trip, you are joined by Stan and Trish Smith, public school teachers from Warrensburg, Missouri.  They pitch their tent outside the Cosby House and join the team to document the research trip.  You had met them back in Warrensburg when they joined you and the other students for the various pre-trip sessions.  Trish teaches 7th grade Life Science and had been introduced to Dr. Keller by Dr. Wilson.  So now she and her husband Stan ( a real technology expert) are always hanging around taking pictures and asking questions.  See...this site you are now visiting is the result of their work!  Dr. Keller helped Trish get a Research Experience for Teachers (RET) grant supplement to his NSF grant which has helped her be able to increase her own knowledge AND create this and other activities to share with secondary students.
 

Trish Smith

Stan Smith