Inconsiderate Invasives: Examining the Non-Native & Invasive Plants of Guatemala (Spartan Spotlight)
Course | Registration opens 8/3/2026 8:00 AM EDT
Plants are moved around our world constantly for purposes of beauty, agriculture, industry, and much more. What happens, however, when they become aggressive in the environments in which they are introduced? This course will explore the presence of such plants in Guatemala including their impacts on both the natural environment as well as the people who live within it, as guided by a co-authored article by the presenters.
Hannah Zinn
Hannah Zinn is a recent graduate from York College’s environmental horticulture program and is presently a scholar-in-residence at York College’s Gunter Smith Center for Community Engagement as well as an M.B.A. student. Passionate about sharing her love for the natural world, Zinn has also conducted plant-centered research and worked in commercial landscaping.
AnaLu MacVean
AnaLu MacVean is an experienced professor with a demonstrated history of working in higher education both nationally and internationally. As a strong research professional, she is skilled in botany, tropical ethnobotany, biology and health sciences, nonprofit organizations, sustainable development, and sustainability. A Guatemala native, her research focus is on the biodiversity, conservation, and uses of plants of Central America. Recently, she has published a new species of Guatemalan passifloraceae, works on compiling non-native Guatemalan plants, and is part of the Global Tree Specialist Group of the Botanical Garden Conservation International. Additionally, she will be coauthoring a book on the useful plants of Central America through Comstock Publishing and Zona Tropical.