The Power of Propagation: Morris Arboretum's Internship Program Turns 30

July 10, 2009

When the Morris Arboretum established its internship program in 1979, it changed the educational landscape for aspiring horticulturists. Offering paid internships in nine specialties to men and women interested in pursuing careers and research in horticulture, for 30 years the program has provided a much-needed inroad to a rarefied field.

Now, thanks to a gift from Martha Wallace and her husband, former University Trustee Edward Kane, C’71, to endow the ninth and until-now unfunded internship, the program can look ahead with more confidence than ever.

“This wonderful gift from Marty and Ed brings the internship program to a new level, and solidifies the Arboretum’s core identity as an educational institution” says Paul Meyer, the F. Otto Haas Director of the Arboretum.

For Jeremy Jungels, the inaugural recipient of the Wallace Endowed Internship in Plant Propagation who entered the Arboretum program fresh from a master’s program in ecology, the internship has been a turning point -- "my transition into the horticulture field."

The Martha J. Wallace Plant Propagation Intern receives practical hands-on training in propagation — the reproduction of plants by natural or artificial means — through working with the Arboretum’s Propagator, Shelley Dillard, and in its field nurseries, greenhouses, and victorian Fernery. Eight other interns will gain similar direct experience in areas ranging from arboriculture to plant protection to urban forestry.

Jeremy, who just recently accepted a two-year fellowship at Cornell in Public Garden Management, adds, “I know my year at the Arboretum played an important role in my fellowship. Without requiring a vast amount of specialized training in advance, it gave me excellent experience in the field.”

While the program is first and foremost an educational enterprise, its interns also make a significant contribution to the Arboretum, fueling both its day-to-day operations as well as leaving a more enduring mark through the on-site project each one must develop and implement. From themed tours, to new protocols for plant propagation, to pathbreaking research projects and utterly unique installations like the Stumpery (a seated arbor and assortment of sculptural pieces — all made of tree stumps), the projects of over 240 interns have added depth and vitality to an arboretum that prides itself on never standing still.

For Martha, an ardent gardener with an affinity for plant propagation and a longtime supporter — along with her husband — of scholarships at Penn, the gift brings together some of her most valued interests. “Being able to further someone’s education and training in a field I consider so important is very meaningful for me,” she says. “Morris Arboretum is a great teaching ground.”

A member of the Arboretum’s Directors’ Guild, Martha sees, in the Arboretum's graduating interns who fan out across the country and world, the true power of propagation.

photo: Jeremy Jungels.

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