A recent graduate of University of Delaware's Longwood Graduate Program in Public Horticulture, Hird presented her thesis “International Collaboration among Public Gardens in the Russian Federation and the United States” at the third Global Botanic Gardens Congress, held recently in China.
Attracting nearly 1,000 participants from 67 countries, the congress brings together key leaders in the fields of plant conservation, environmental education and sustainable development.
Hird submitted her thesis to the congress but didn't immediately dig out her passport and start packing. “It was a real long shot; I didn't think I'd be heading to China,” she said.
But Hird's international focus intrigued the event organizers, and she was invited to participate. “However, attending this event wouldn't have been possible without scholarship assistance, and for that, I'm so grateful to UD,” she said.
Hird received funding from four different sources at UD: the Alumni Association, the Office of Graduate Studies, the Commission on the Status of Women and the Longwood Graduate Program.
Hird, who grew up on a 1,000-acre farm in Nebraska, said she has had a passion for gardening since she was a small child. “My family makes its livelihood from crops and livestock but we had flower gardens, too, and that's where I could always be found,” Hird said.
Hird said her fascination with Russia began when she spent a semester there while an undergraduate at the University of Nebraska at Lincoln. She went back to Russia two more times during the following four years, each time learning more about the differences between Russia and U.S. public gardens.
When she arrived at UD in 2005 to begin her work as a Longwood Fellow, Hird already knew that Russian gardens would be the focus of her thesis project.
“In Russia, the people place a high value on public gardens and green space,” Hird said. “But resources are more limited than they are in the U.S. Collaboration between horticultural interests in the two nations has benefits for all involved.”
The U.S. and Russia have several long-standing botanical collaborations because of a bilateral agreement on environment protection. Hird volunteers for one such effort, the Russian Botanical Exchange administered by the U.S. National Arboretum. She is helping to build a web site that will facilitate exchange between U.S. and Russian garden professionals. Presently, she also is pursuing career opportunities in the field of public horticulture.
“Abby is a natural for international collaboration,” Robert Lyons, director of the Longwood Graduate Program, said. “From the moment she applied to the graduate program, she focused on this topic for her research, and I'm pleased that she was able to convey her enthusiasm in a global conference venue.”
Article by Margo McDonough