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When former Duke Men’s Swimming and Diving team member Riley Hickman first applied for ACE in China 2018, he had no idea he’d be applying for the program that would alter his career trajectory. Now five years later, ACE has given Hickman the international connections and confidence to continue his ethnobotany research abroad in the UK.

What are you doing now? How did ACE influence your career pathway?

I am currently undertaking a Master’s of Science at the University of Kent in the UK studying ethnobotany. Ethnobotany is an anthropological field concerned with human/plant relationships and interactions.

ACE directly facilitated my introduction to the field of Anthropology when I met Dr. Katia Buffetrile and Dr. Bill Bleisch at the Chine Research and Exploration Society (CERS) which served as our host for the ACE in China trip. Dr. Bleisch is a field biologist who introduced me to Dr. Buffetrile who was a visiting anthropologist and tibetanologist

I worked with both Dr. Bleisch and Dr. Buffetrile on a small literature review project whilst in China where I explored the impact of traditionally nomadic yak populations who have increasingly been transitioned to pastures on local pollinator plant and insect species.

Without fully realizing it at the time, I had conducted my first small research project in Ethnobotany! Through the cross disciplinary perspectives brought by Dr. Bleisch and Dr. Buffetrile, I oriented my project towards both the plant and insect species in the region but also the local human populations. Ethnobotany is specifically concerned with these dual and multiform interactions and I walked away with both a valuable experience and a great deal of inspiration.

“I frequently am reminded how incredibly it was to be able to go to such an incredible research facility where I was fortunate enough to meet world renowned researchers who were willing to share their knowledge and love of plants with me!”

– Riley Hickman, ACE in China 2018

Upon returning to Duke to finish my degree, I actually approached my department about continuing this line of research. I ultimately discovered the field of ethnobotany and the world leading course on the subject at the University of Kent in the UK and knew the course offered the next exciting step in my academic career.

As an amusing aside, I also serendipitously ended up using my connection to Dr. Buffetrile to secure housing with a landlord who was a colleague of Katia and was rather pleased I had made her acquaintance. So ACE also helped me find housing years on in a foreign country!

I often recite my experience of accidentally stumbling into the field of ethnobotany whilst exploring eastern China and learning about conservation projects through our hosts at CERS. I frequently am reminded how incredibly it was to be able to go to such an incredible research facility where I was fortunate enough to meet world renowned researchers who were willing to share their knowledge and love of plants with me!

I wasn’t sure about my future in academia before my ACE trip, and I am not sure if I would have continued to pursue research had I not had such a positive and inspiring experience in China with ACE.

Do you have a story from your ACE experience that changed the way you think about something?

I remember when I was discussing my research project with Dr. Bill Bleisch from CERS we decided to walk up to the local botanic garden to have a discussion with the garden director. Dr. Bill and I spent the next hour and a half making our way up the trail to the botanic garden. Now I’ll note it was only a 20 minute walk, but we were both so enthralled by the wildflowers we would stop every few meters to identify the flower and Dr. Bill would have endless stories of its cultural uses or interesting facts about its evolutionary story. We finally arrived at the garden directors office and we were met with hundreds of plants climbing over the walls and furniture blocking out nearly all of the light as they stretched towards the windows.

The director and Dr. Bill exchanged hellos and he offered us tea. Dr. Bill and the director spoke in mandarin and I was happy to listen to them speak with Dr. Bill’s occasional translation or question to me that he would translate back to the director. We all clearly shared a love of plants and it was the most enjoyable few hours of my ACE trip. Whilst I couldn’t follow the conversation, I was lucky to enjoy the single greatest cup of tea I have ever had. It was a lightly fermented tea that the director had imported specially for him and as we left Dr. Bill noted it was a special gift to be able to drink such a lovely tea.

“I am not sure I would have had the confidence to move to the UK where I now live had I not gained such valuable skills and experiences through the cultural engagement during my ACE trip.”

– Riley Hickman, ACE in China 2018

As we descended the hill back to CERS we noted a few flowers we had missed along the way whilst Dr. Bill recapped what the director had been able to offer. Whilst his insights were invaluable to my project, the memory I hold dearly is my solo hike with Dr. Bill and I yearn for another chance to have just one more cup of that fermented tea.

group of men posing and laughing atop mountain
This is a photo from the top of a 4500m mountain that was definitely a top memory from ACE. We took these sketchy gondolas up the mountain and we could barely breathe but the views were just unreal. This is also Daniel, a Chinese student who was visiting CERS and taught me and my friend Brandon how to breakdance.

Describe your ACE experience in as few words as possible:

Packed with information, knowledge, experience, memory and joy!

What was the most meaningful part of your ACE experience?

I think the most meaningful aspect of my ACE experience broadly was the opportunity to live in a foreign country. I had never had the time or money growing up to travel anywhere outside of the country. I learned the difficulties of language and cultural barriers but more importantly I gained the confidence in knowing how incredible living outside my comfort zone was.

I am not sure I would have had the confidence to move to the UK where I now live had I not gained such valuable skills and experiences through the cultural engagement during my ACE trip. I think it was immensely important for my personal growth as a young adult. I gained skills in patience and empathy through all of my interactions with our generous hosts and the people who lived in the region we stayed.

Share one ACE memory that still makes you laugh or smile.

I will never forget Brandon and I learning how to hip hop dance with one of the young Chinese helpers Daniel. We laughed and laughed as Daniel made both Brandon and I look silly with how fluid and energetic his dance moves were compared to our rigid and stiff attempts at dancing.