URGE Recipients
Aquinas College
Kayla Berigan and Bernadette Poirier, with their faculty mentor, Dr. Rob Bajema, will characterize ant colonies at Pierce Cedar Creek Institute and investigate the effect of temperature on ant foraging.
Central Michigan University
Caitlin McColl and Leah Sefton, with faculty mentor, Dr. Brad Swanson, will study the species and genetic diversity of the prairies at Pierce Cedar Creek Institute.
Cornerstone University
Jason Oosterhouse and Amber Vandergeld, with Dr. Rob Keys, will examine the effects of trophic cascading by Odocoileus virginianus on breeding bird populations.
Grand Rapids Community College
Alicia Freeman and Julia Messenger, along with Dr. Matthew Douglas, are studying the butterfly arthropod parasitoid fauna at Pierce Cedar Creek Institute.
Grand Valley State University
Melissa Cannan and Tamara Hillman, with Dr. Paul Keenlance and Dr. Joe Jacquot, are investigating the habitat use, den-site selection, and home range of southern flying squirrels.
Kenneth Poeczekaj and Jamie Vandongen, with Dr. Eric Snyder are studying the effects of cross-boundary and reciprocal subsidies as an assessment of stream ecosystem nutrient spiraling and food webs using stable isotopes analysis.
Kalamazoo College
Monika Egerer and her mentor, Dr. Binney Girdler, are looking at imperiled butterfly monitoring at Pierce Cedar Creek Institute.
Valparaiso University
Heather Herakovich and Dr. Laurie Eberhardt are quantifying the effect of Autumn olive (Elaeagnus umbellata) structure on bird behavior.
Western Michigan University
Logan Rowe and Joel Stevens, along with their faculty mentor, Dr. Stephen Malcolm, are studying the hostplant-derived cardenolide fingerprints as labels of spring migration strategy and a test of the “oogenesis-flight syndrome” in monarch butterfly arrivals to Michigan.
Joshua Armagost and Andrew Johnson, with Dr. Stephen Malcolm, are investigating the temporal and spatial changes in monarch butterfly population synchrony in Michigan and density-dependent influences on the incidence of the protozoan parasite, Ophryocystis elektroscirrha.
Gordon Art Fellowship
Rebecca Brand of Western Michigan and her mentor Bill Davis’ project is entitled “Near Nature.” The project will be a collection of photos showing synthetic objects next to natural plants to encourage people “to become aware of their surroundings and the effects they are having on the environment.”
Nature in Words Fellowship
Sarah Menz, along with Mary Wendt as mentor, from Alma is the first recipient of the Nature in Words Fellowship. Sarah’s work is titled “A Creative and Critical Approach to the Interconnectedness of Nature.”