May 2023: Center for Ecology and the Environment symposium talk

Thank you to the UW-Madison Center for Ecology and the Environment for inviting me to give a talk at the annual Spring Symposium and to everyone who came out to hear what I've been working on! This year's event consisted of two keynote speeches by Dr. James Albert of the University of Louisiana at Lafayette, talks from graduate students and postdocs, and a poster session featuring undergraduate and graduate student research. It was an excellent event filled with really cool science from all ecological disciplines! 

More information on the UW-Madison Center for Ecology and the Environment, including the 2023 Spring Symposium as well as past and upcoming events, can be found here.

March 2023: O.N. Allen Small Grant recommended for funding!

I'm thrilled to announce that my 2023 O.N. Allen Small Grants Program application, titled: Measuring the expression of fungal genes associated with mediating soil carbon storage during forest recovery from anthropogenic nitrogen deposition: the keystone of a genes to ecosystem story, has been recommended for funding! The grant will fund, and the project will serve as, the third chapter of my Ph.D. dissertation. Sampling is set to kickoff this fall. More information and updates to come!

More information on the project proposal can be found here. 

September 2022: First field season of my Ph.D.

Survived and conquered the first field season of my Ph.D.! Feeling so full of gratitude for the ability to return home to sample and thankful for the forests and people of northern MI who always welcome me back with open arms. Now the real work begins!

Photo from the trip features Zac calling 911 after getting the van stuck on a two-track in a remote area in Manistee National Forest with no cell or internet service.