Each summer the KBS LTER supports students to participate in the Research Experiences for Undergraduates (REU) program, funded by the NSF. Jon Hileman is a student at Eureka College in Illinois. He wrote about his REU project working with his mentor Dr. Maren Friesen at MSU.~~~~~~~~~~ Never did I ever think that this summer I would attend a meeting that consisted of talking about rhizobia and ice cream cake. Where did this happen? At Michigan State University in the Friesen lab in East Lansing! If you are reading this, you might already be a little
Immersed in the nature of research: Reflections from an undergraduate researcher
Each summer the KBS LTER supports students to participate in the Research Experiences for Undergraduates (REU) program, funded by the NSF. This is part of a larger undergraduate research program at KBS. Rachel Geiger is a student at Western Washington University. She wrote about her REU project working with mentor Joe Lee-Cullin, a PhD student in Dr. Jay Zarnetske's Lab at MSU. ~~~~~~~~~~~~ This summer I set out with a goal to discover what it means to conduct ecological research. Throughout my undergraduate career I have always
From Michigan to Mexico: International collaborations to aid agriculture, climate
This piece was originally published in Michigan Farmer on Feb. 8, 2017 at http://www.michiganfarmer.com/crops/michigan-mexico-international-collaborations-aid-agriculture-climate ~~~~~ Through the help of multiple partners, a small project that started in the early 2000s at the Kellogg Biological Station Long-term Ecological Research near Hickory Corners has turned into an international effort to help Mexico reduce its greenhouse gas emissions. In the early 2000s, LTER’s Phil Robertson, a Michigan State University plant and soil professor, began researching how different rates of
Had it with politics or ready to jump in: Reflections from an LTER researcher
By, Bonnie McGill, PhD candidate and LTER researcher, W.K Kellogg Biological Station, Michigan State University Tired of the US Presidential race dominating the airwaves? Wish the candidates talked about issues like climate change, global food security, or science education? Well, I can’t make any promises for any immediate changes (for that see sciencedebate.org), but one of my career goals is to use my scientific expertise to bring more science to Washington. As most any graduate student will tell you, exploring careers outside of academia while you’re immersed in academia is a
Learning to be a scientist: Reflections from an undergraduate researcher
KBS undergraduate summer researcher Julie Barrios is entering into the Marine Biology program at University of California, San Diego. She wrote about her Research Experience for Undergraduates experience working with Bonnie McGill, an LTER graduate student in Steve Hamilton's lab. Julie was funded by an NSF REU site award to the Kellogg Biological Station. ~~~~ This fall I will be transferring to the University of California San Diego to major in marine biology after being four years in community college. For a while I felt discouraged in my work and felt that I should have been done
Jack of all trades: Reflections from an undergraduate researcher
KBS summer researcher Andrew Konieczny is majoring in Biology at Augsburg College in Minneapolis, Minnesota. He wrote about his Research Experience for Undergraduates project working with KBS LTER post doctoral researcher Adam Reimer in Phil Robertson's lab. Andrew was funded by an NSF REU site award to the Kellogg Biological Station. ~~~~~~~~ The summer of 2016 will forever hold a spot in my heart and will not be long forgotten in my mind. The plan was simple enough: go to Michigan, do some social science research, maybe meet some people, and return to life as normal. However, one of
My summer of science (fiction): Reflections from an undergraduate researcher
Each summer the KBS LTER supports students to participate in the Research Experiences for Undergraduates (REU) program, funded by the NSF. This is part of a larger undergraduate research program at KBS. Tori Niewohner is majoring in Environmental Science at Western Washington University. She wrote about her REU experience working with Kileigh Welshofer a graduate student in Dr. Pheobe Zarnetske's lab at MSU. ~~~~~ After my first day at the field site I would be working at for the summer, I attempted to describe it to someone. “Well, it’s a field of hexagonal structures
Clouds of confidence: Reflections from an undergraduate researcher
KBS summer undergraduate researcher Carlneshia Johnson is majoring in Biology at Alcorn State University. She wrote about her Research Experience for Undergraduates project working with KBS LTER PhD student Bonnie McGill in Steve Hamilton's lab. Carlneshia was funded by an NSF REU site award to the Kellogg Biological Station. ~~~ My experience at the Kellogg Biological Station in the Research Experience for Undergraduates program was one that is almost indescribable, but I will try my best to describe the wonderful experience I had at such an amazing place. How about you take away
Gaining a sense of oneness: Reflections from an undergraduate researcher
KBS summer undergraduate researcher Ivori Schley is majoring in laboratory animal science at North Carolina A&T. She wrote about her Research Experience for Undergraduates project working with KBS LTER & GLBRC Postdoctoral Research Associate Sarah Roley in Phil Robertson's lab. Ivori was funded by an NSF REU site award to the Kellogg Biological Station. ~~~~ Hello All! I am Ivori Schley, a rising sophomore from North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University (North Carolina A&T). During this eventful summer in the Research Experience for Undergrads (REU)
LTER Data Nuggets: Breathing new life into long-term data
Each year the KBS LTER program awards graduate students summer fellowships. Here Elizabeth Schultheis and Melissa Kjevik, now both postdoctoral researchers with Michigan State University, describe the project their summer fellowship supported. Today it is apparent that students and the public continue to struggle when faced with data and its interpretation. When asked to make sense of data taught in their science classrooms, gathered during classroom inquiry projects, or found in the news, students are unable to connect quantitative information to explanations of the