The University of Nebraska-Lincoln has awarded stipends to 325 undergraduates, 16 of whom are from the School of Natural Resources, to participate in research with a faculty mentor during the 2016-17 school year.
UNL's Undergraduate Creative Activities and Research Experience (UCARE) Program supports undergraduates to work with faculty mentors in research or creative activities. Undergraduate students receive stipends of $2,400 to engage in intensive research or creative activity for 10 hours per week. The students' projects span across academic disciplines including engineering, chemistry, modern languages and literatures, psychology, art and art history, architecture, special education, and fisheries and wildlife.
For more about undergraduate research at UNL, visit http://ucare.unl.edu/.
The following is a list of the SNR students by hometown who received UCARE awards for the 2016-17 school year, with their academic major and project title.
NEBRASKA:
• Chadron: Terran West Merriman-Honerkamp, environmental studies, "National Grasslands Community Heritage: Artifact Roadshow and Oral History Project."
• Gresham: Ann Wilton, water science, "Using New Unmanned Aerial Vehicle Technology to Enhance Conservation Biology Research."
• Woodbury: Alison Taylor Creeger, environmental restoration science, "Public Perception of Leadership in the Municipal Solid Waste Sector."
• Lincoln: Katherine Marie Lagerstrom, environmental studies, "The Effects of Calmodulin on Plant Immunity to Pseudomonas Syringae"; Anna Claire Ripa, natural resource and environmental economics, "Developing and Using a Pollinator Attitude Scale to Measure the Success of Pollinator Education"; Dakota Sehl Altman, fisheries and wildlife, "Investigating Methods to Determine Habitat Occupancy by Secretive Species of Native Snakes that are in Need of Conservation in Nebraska"; Ellen Paige Dolph, fisheries and wildlife, "Assessment of Painted Turtle Age and Size from Long-Term Pond Study".
• Omaha: Avery R. Dresser, environmental studies, "Developing and Analyzing the Success of a Campaign to Increase Food Waste Composting at UNL and the city of Lincoln, Including Investigating and Addressing the Barriers to Change"; Brooks P. Ronspies, natural resource and environmental economics, "Impact of Landowner Behavior on Changes in Land Values."
• Plattsmouth: Autumn Nicole Dunn, fisheries and wildlife, "Using Macro and Micro Invertebrates to Understand the Impacts on Root Growth."
• South Sioux City: Jazmin Castillo, fisheries and wildlife, "Estimation of Distribution and Abundance of the Spotted Hyena (Crocuta Crocuta) in the Northern Tuli Game Reserve, Botswana."
• Valparaiso: Curt Vandenberg, fisheries and wildlife, "Analyzing Dietary Selection by the Blanding's Turtle from Nebraska Sand Hills Habitats."
KANSAS:
• Colby: Bridget M. Bickner, fisheries and wildlife, "Exploring the Effect of Octopamine on Male and Female Mating Behaviors in the Nursery Web Spider, Pisaurina Mira."
NORTH DAKOTA:
• Lincoln: Emilee Jo Lachenmeier, water science, "Spring Flooding in the Upper Midwest and Northern Plains."
SOUTH DAKOTA:
• Deadwood: Emily Reif, environmental studies, "Developing and Using a Pollinator Attitude Scale to Measure the Success of Pollinator Education."
• Sioux Falls: Matthew Vincent Russell, water science, "Validation of the Cosmic Ray Neutron Method for Estimating Soil Moisture."
More details at: http://go.unl.edu/87gz