The W.K. Kellogg Biological Station (KBS) community is excited to welcome Dr. Tayler Ulbrich, who is joining the KBS Long-term Agroecosystem Research (LTAR) project as the new Associate Director for Engagement. In her new role, Tayler will be responsible for directing and managing external relationships with various groups - such as producers, agribusiness professionals, farm advisors, policy makers, journalists - to ensure that the goals and outcomes of the LTAR reflect the many voices of people within Michigan’s agricultural sector. Tayler grew up in Iowa and moved to Michigan
KBS LTER helps prospective biological science grad students envision the field
The second annual Envision EEB event was held Sept. 16-17, 2022, and this year W.K. Kellogg Biological Station hosted a tour that gave a glimpse into life as a grad student in the Ecology, Evolution and Behavior—EEB—program. The Envision EEB: Graduate Preview Weekend provides students from underrepresented backgrounds information on the graduate application process and how to fund their graduate research through grants and fellowships. It also offers an early opportunity to network with potential advisors. About the program The weekend, which was held in person this year after
Joelyn de Lima: Visiting home
Joelyn de Lima is a recent graduate from MSU, working with Dr. Tammy Long in the Department of Plant Biology. She is currently based in Switzerland, and in spring 2021 was appointed as a virtual visiting scholar with the Kellogg Biological Station Long-Term Ecological Research Program (KBS LTER). Joelyn worked with Kara Haas and the K-12 Partnership team to support and create professional development programming for teachers and Education & Outreach graduate student fellows. To get in touch with Joelyn, you can email her at delimajo@msu.edu or follow her on social media
Prairie strip and soil health farm field day to be held in Cassopolis on August 26th
CASSOPOLIS, Michigan— A farm field day centered on prairie strips and soil health will be held on Friday, August 26th (September 2nd rain date) from 1:00- 3:00 p.m. at the Edward Lowe Foundation. The field day will feature speakers including farmers, land managers, and soil scientists who will describe the implementation, management, and soil health benefits associated with on-farm prairie strips. The event is free and open to the whole family and will include a soil pit demonstration, a wagon tour of prairie strips and refreshments. This field day is supported by Michigan State
New KBS LTER Artist-in-Residence program aims to create intersection between art and research
This spring, Michigan State University launches the Farmscapes to Forests: Kellogg Biological Station (KBS) Long-Term Ecological Research (LTER) Artist-in-Residence Program, which will welcome artists from across all mediums to spend a week at the Kellogg Biological Station in Hickory Corners, Michigan, followed by a culminating visit in the fall or winter to share their work. Supported by the National Science Foundation, Gretel Van Wieren, Professor in MSU’s Department of Religious Studies, is leading the program in its first collaboration with Dream Scene Placemaking,
Prairie strip ecology, art, and advocacy in the LTER: Reflections from an LTER Fellow
Corinn Rutkoski is a graduate student in Sarah Evan's lab at the Kellogg Biological Station. She is broadly interested in the use of perennials in agricultural systems, science policy, and soil health. Her research path has been propelled by a reciprocal inspiration among ecology, conservation, and creativity. In September 2018, Lisa Schulte Moore was scheduled to give a seminar at KBS titled Prairie strips improve biodiversity and multiple ecosystem services from corn-soybean croplands. At the time, I was a technician in Sarah Evans’ lab at KBS, considering graduate school
Science on the Hill: connecting research to policy through virtual Congressional meetings
Corinn Rutkoski and Ekrem Ozlu share their experiences from a recent Congressional Visit Day where they advocated for several USDA research programs. Corinn is a graduate student in Sarah Evans's lab and studies microbial ecology and the use of perennials in agricultural systems. Ekrem is a postdoctoral researcher in Phil Robertson's lab and studies soil management and carbon sequestration. The Soil Science Society of America (SSSA) recently hosted their annual Congressional Visits Day, giving a group of KBS scientists and students an opportunity to connect with elected officials and
Educators gather for Soil Health Field Day at KBS
The following post is by Ava Garrison, graduate student in Jeffrey Conner's lab and Science Education and Outreach Fellow at the Kellogg Biological Station. Educators from across Michigan gathered at KBS for the 2019 LTER Soil Health Field Day, which took place on Wednesday, September 11. The day began with the driving question: how can we as educators share soil health science with our students? The attendees, who were educators from all grade levels including non-traditional and adult education, kept this question on their minds as they participated in the day’s
International training program promotes sustainable agriculture around the globe
This news piece by KBS LTER volunteer and retired journalist Bill Krasean. For 20 years agricultural scientists, policy makers and program managers have been coming from all over the world to Michigan State University’s Kellogg Biological Station Long-term Ecological Research (KBS LTER) site to study integrated pest management (IPM) and sustainable agriculture practices. Now Michigan State University (MSU) is turning the tables and taking the highly regarded agriculture program to them. "We have built a global network and now we are taking the program overseas so that more people
Giving thanks for our volunteers
During this Thanksgiving week, we want to express our thanks to volunteers Bill Krasean and Joelyn de Lima who offer helpful hands—and many hours—to our KBS LTER community. Krasean has been volunteering at the KBS LTER for over one year. “I started out volunteering at the KBS Bird Sanctuary,” said Krasean. “Then I found out the KBS LTER could use someone with experience in photography and writing, so I switched.” After working for the Kalamazoo Gazette as a reporter for almost 35 years, he retired in 2005. With an interest in scientific nature and natural history, along with a