The Caroline Thorn Kissel Summer Environmental Studies Scholarship
School: undergraduate, Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Princeton University

Genetic and Ecological Dynamics of an Isolated Moose Population Undergoing Climate Change

Smith’s long-term study will assess the effects of both genetic and environmental factors on the future of the moose population.

The Caroline Thorn Kissel Summer Environmental Studies Scholarship
School: undergraduate, Horticulture, Clemson University

Summer Internship at the NC State Mountain Crop Improvement Lab

Schiller will assist in the hybridization and improvement of sixty distinct genera.

The Caroline Thorn Kissel Summer Environmental Studies Scholarship
School: PhD candidate in Ecology and Evolution, Rutgers University

Biography of Native Bee Communities on the Boston Harbor Islands

Talley hopes this work will provide a better understanding of the mechanisms for bee dispersal and occupancy in isolated environments.

The Caroline Thorn Kissel Summer Environmental Studies Scholarship
School: master’s student, Ecology and Evolution, Rutgers University

Examining the Ocean-to-Estuary Connections of Summer Flounder in the Mid Atlantic Bight

Wunder’s research will provide an understanding of the ecological and physical drivers of summer flounder movement and will help predict their vulnerability and response to change.

The Caroline Thorn Kissel Summer Environmental Studies Scholarship
School: PhD candidate in Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Princeton University

Fire-Flooding Interactions in Parque Nacional da Gorongosa, Mozambique

With hopes of having a tangible impact on ecosystem restoration and management, Abraham will focus on disturbances and their importance in structuring plant communities. Using Parque Nacional da Gorongosa in Mozambique as a model system in which to investigate disturbance interactions, Abraham will study how disturbances—particularly herbivory, fire, and flooding—interact and the implications for plant community composition, structure, and function. 

The Caroline Thorn Kissel Summer Environmental Studies Scholarship
School: Undergraduate, Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Princeton University

Effects of Climate on Epigenetics of Yellow-Bellied Marmots

McArthur’s project at Rocky Mountain Biological Laboratory in Colorado will facilitate identification of the effects of climate factors on hibernation emergence timing in yellow-bellied marmot populations. By comparing the epigenetics that result from the weather as well as the phenological effects they have on the marmot populations, McArthur will illuminate the mechanisms of epigenetic-driven change. The project will determine if DNA methylation is the mechanism of phenotypic plasticity in the population.

The Caroline Thorn Kissel Summer Environmental Studies Scholarship

Landscape Effects on Population Connectivity of a Rare Specialist Bee

McCarthy will study the rare Parnassia mining bee to determine how well-connected bee populations fare in heterogeneous environments. McCarthy’s research will focus on populations of specialist wild bees and their relationship with host plants. McCarthy will measure genetic differentiation among populations to assess how geographic distance and landscape composition between sites affects population connectivity.

The Caroline Thorn Kissel Summer Environmental Studies Scholarship

Impacts of Increasing Salt Concentrations and Artificial Root Exudates on Soil Function and Plant Growth

The Caroline Thorn Kissel Summer Environmental Studies Scholarship

Exploring Betalain Pigment Concentrations in Amaranth and Hibiscus Cultivars

The Caroline Thorn Kissel Summer Environmental Studies Scholarship
School: PhD candidate in Ecology & Evolution, Rutgers University

Plant-Pollinator Mutualisms in Temperate Deciduous Forests: Understanding the Resource Use and Functional Contributions of an Understudied Bee Fauna

Weinman studies the foraging patterns of bee species native to deciduous forest habitat in the upper Midwest. To learn what plants forest bees depend on, as well as the bees’ potential as pollen vectors for those plants, she is analyzing the pollen that female bees collect to provision their larvae, as well as the pollen that sticks to their bodies and is available for pollination. Her work will provide important information for conservation and management of forest bee communities.