Allison Mains is currently managing the social media content for the UT Tree Improvement Program. Ms. Mains scanned thousands of slides and converted over 20 years of video footage from tape-based to digital media. She uses these digital formats to produce project-based videos that tell the story of the UT-TIP. Ms. Mains earned her drone pilot’s license in 2022 and will be helping to capture remarkable imagery of the UT-TIP’s many seed orchards and test sites across Tennessee.

Ms. Mains earned her Bachelor’s of Science degree from North Carolina State University in Zoology and her Master’s of Science degree from the University of Tennessee in Ecology and Evolutionary Biology. She has enjoyed many internships concerning threatened and endangered bird species including the Red-cockaded Woodpecker, Swainson’s Warbler, and Palila. She also enjoyed several informal education positions including The Conservancy of Southwest Florida and Butternut Valley Nature Center. Each of these experiences helped her to develop a deep love of the outdoors where she hikes and paddles as much as she can.