Dr. Christin DeJong

**Dr. Christin DeJong**
	Urban Botanist Cleveland Botanical Garden Ph.D., University of Wisconsin Office Phone: (216) 707-2802 e-mail: cdejong@cbgarden.org

Christin Frieswyk DeJong is the Urban Botanist at Cleveland Botanical Garden. In her main role, she leads the development and implementation of applied research projects at the Garden. Projects range from using new technology to create increasingly sustainable environments under glass to investigating low-maintenance landscaping that provides ecosystem services. Focusing on the urban environment, Christin has initiated ecological landscaping projects focusing on low-maintenance turf and plant assemblages that thrive in and improve degraded urban soils. She is also involved in educating the public on landscape sustainability and other conservation issues.

Christin received her B.S. degree, with Honors, in Environmental Science from Calvin College in Grand Rapids, Michigan and her Ph.D. in Botany from the University of Wisconsin - Madison. Her dissertation research, entitled "Evaluating resilience: The implications of invasive species and natural water-level fluctuation on Great Lakes coastal wetlands," evaluated coastal wetlands in Green Bay, Lake Michigan based on their historical pattern of vegetation change, behavior of dominant species, and seed bank.

Drawn to plants and the natural world since she first learned the intricacies of photosynthesis, Christin's professional interests have ranged from native plant gardens to invasive species and ecological restoration. At the Garden she has refocused her energy on the urban environment. Through her research, Christin hopes to connect city dwellers with the natural world and make that world healthier in the process.

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Update: 23 July, 2008