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Sprunger receives TAP Award, recognized as changemaker in global food security

9.3.25

W.K. Kellogg Biological Station faculty member and part of the KBS LTER Executive Committee, Christine Sprunger, is one of 39 visionaries named to the 2025 Top Agri-food Pioneers, or TAP, list by the World Food Prize Foundation. Now in its second year, the TAP list honors individuals driving bold and innovative solutions to the most pressing challenges in global food security. This year’s honorees span 27 countries and one territory and range in age from 20 to 79, representing a powerful cross-section of experience, geography and expertise. “The 2025 TAP list showcases th

Nature-based climate solutions are a powerful tool to reverse the warming caused by deforestation

8.25.25

Deforestation has intensified global warming, but a new study out in Nature Communications Earth and Environment finds restoring forests and adopting sustainable land-use practices can reverse the damage while benefiting both people and nature. A new study published in Nature Communications Earth and Environment reveals that when land managers implement nature-based climate solutions, they can significantly counteract the climate-warming effects of past deforestation. The research, led by ecologists and climate scientists at Michigan State University’s Department of Plant, Soil, and Micr

Nurturing nature in Detroit: Students, gardens, and the power of outdoor learning

8.22.25

Introducing Emma Howland-Bolton (Ms. H-B), a 4th grade teacher from Detroit Public Schools and the K-12 Partnership’s Teacher in Residence (TIR) for summer 2025! True to her nature, Emma’s standard email signature is ‘stay dangerous’, she accepted the challenge with zeal and filled every moment with meaningful experiences! Read on to learn more about Emma’s TIR experience, which took place on June 17-26, 2025. During her residency, Emma was mentored by Kara Haas, the Kellogg Biological Station Long Term Ecological Research Program (KBS LTER) K-12 Partnership Coordinator. Emma and K

Prairie strips that pay – upcoming MiSTRIPS Field Day

7.9.25

As a follow up to the 2025 Cultivating Resilience Winter Conference, Ottawa Conservation District has partnered up with the Michigan State University Kellogg Biological Station and Shady Side Farm to bring you a field day focused on incorporating prairie strips into your farmland operations and crop fields. Strategically placed native prairie strips in crop fields can increase local pollinator biodiversity, improve local water quality and soil health, and can increase your farm profitability! Attendees will learn from MSU staff and MiSTRIPS farmer, Mike Bronkema from Shady Side Farm, about

Listening first: How KBS is expanding the reach of conservation research

6.30.25

The Kellogg Biological Station (KBS) LTER program has pioneered research in sustainable farming practices and conservation in agricultural landscapes for decades, yet many of these practices are underused on farms. We need a deeper understanding about the barriers faced by farmers when adopting conservation practices, and the stronger connections between existing research and farmer needs. As part of the APEAL Public Engagement with Science (PES) Working Group, Dr. Liz Schultheis, the KBS LTER Outreach & Education Coordinator, along with partners at KBS and MSU

New research leverages long-term treatments in novel ways to study plant biotic interactions

6.6.25

Researchers in Kadeem Gilbert’s lab are using experimental treatments within the KBS LTER to look at how leaves regulate their external pH conditions, which may impact how they interact with insect herbivores and microbes. For almost 40 years, researchers at the KBS LTER have studied interactions among plants, microbes, insects, management, and the environment to learn how agriculture can provide both high yields and environmental outcomes that benefit society. One might assume that after all that time, every hypothesis has already been tested! Yet, we continually find there are fresh p

Announcing the 2025 KBS LTER Artists-in-Residence!

6.4.25

Michigan State University’s College of Arts & Letters will be well represented this year among the Farmscapes to Forests: Kellogg Biological Station Long-Term Ecological Research Artist-in-Residence Program. The 2025 Artists-in-Residence at MSU’s W.K. Kellogg Biological Station (KBS) will include an assistant professor, post-doctoral research associate, and recent graduate, all from the College of Arts & Letters. They will be joined by an artist from New York to complete the 2025 artist-in-residence cohort at KBS, which is located in Hickory Corners, Michigan. Launched in

Graduate research from the KBS LTER reveals the value of soil microbe diversity for sustainable agriculture

5.27.25

Researchers leveraged the unique land management gradient available at the LTER to better understand how microbe diversity impacts nitrogen fixation rates in the soil. They looked at an understudied group of soil microbes, diazotrophs, which are responsible for a key source of nitrogen in agricultural soils. Increasing aboveground biodiversity is known to promote beneficial ecosystem services. However, less is known about the benefits of biodiversity in the soil, particularly in the microbe communities that facilitate critical nutrient cycling. New research from the KBS LTER provides

Science Communication and Data Literacy: Reflections on My Fellowship with Data Nuggets

5.19.25

Samson Stynen is a first PhD student in the Haddad Lab at W.K. Kellogg Biological Station. He studies the impacts of climate change on butterfly morphology and demography. He aspires to be a link between educators and scientists. He was awarded a KBS Outreach Fellowship to join the Data Nuggets program and gain experience in science outreach and communication. As a first-year graduate student moving from Reno, Nevada, I had some hesitation about whether I’d find connections in Michigan or at the W.K. Kellogg Biological Station (KBS). I never expected t

Now & Then: An evening with KBS LTER Artist-in-Residence, Erica Bradshaw

5.15.25

On the evening of Friday, July 18th from 5:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m., the public and Kellogg Biological Station community is welcomed to join us for an evening exploring the intersection of art and science. The Now & Then: An Artists Reflection on a Century of Research event will take place at the Overlook Building in the Kellogg Bird Sanctuary, and featured new work by Kalamazoo-based artist and 2024 KBS LTER artist-in-residence, Erica Bradshaw. Erica will share pieces inspired by her time spent learning about ongoing research at the biological station. Attendees will enjoy