The Garden Club of America Awards for Summer Environmental Studies
School: Undergraduate, Biosciences and Chemistry, Hope College

Effects of Urbanization on Stress Levels and Auditory Processing of the House Sparrow (Passer domesticus)

Yonker will investigate the physiological consequences of urban sensory pollution on the house sparrow. Field and lab studies including blood hormone analysis and auditory brainstem response analysis will pinpoint differences in hearing levels of urban versus rural house sparrows. Research will determine the effect of urbanization and sensory pollution on hormone concentration and its relationship to auditory processing. Results will contribute to an understanding of animal communication in a growing urban environment and the overall impact of anthropogenic disturbances on wildlife.

The Garden Club of America Awards for Summer Environmental Studies
School: Undergraduate, Fisheries and Wildlife Conservation, Kansas State University

Big Bluestem Grass (Andropogon gerardii) Adaptation to Precipitation and Temperature Across the Great Plains

Winters will continue research on big bluestem grass adaptation to drought with a focus on grassland conservation and sustainability to develop a more holistic understanding of plant form and function. Winters will study broader temperature and precipitation gradients and will expand beyond aboveground measurements to include soil and root microbes. Winters’s data will be used for climate modeling of big bluestem, a species of tall grass native to much of the Great Plains, and grassland restoration.

The Garden Club of America Awards for Summer Environmental Studies
School: Undergraduate, Biology and Marine Science/Conservation, Duke University

Examining Adjacency Effects of Mangrove and Seagrass Ecosystems on Fish Abundance and Community Composition 

Berlik will investigate the effects of adjacent seagrass and mangroves on fish community composition and abundance. Field research at sites containing seagrasses and mangroves alone, as well as areas where they intersect, will allow Berlik to understand how fish utilize the ecosystems. Remote underwater videos will be taken using unmanned cameras elevated over the seafloor, and footage will be used to determine abundance, species, life stage, and ecological role of fish observed. The study will provide a greater understanding of the services the ecosystems provide to fish communities and how they may be maximized when mangroves and seagrass are adjacent to one another.

The Garden Club of America Awards for Summer Environmental Studies

Environmental Field Study in Namibia

This summer Riekerk will be taking a research course in Namibia that focuses on interactions between the indigenous communities that run the country’s conservancies and their environment. Experiences including tracking leopards, coupled with intensive coursework, studying the land and culture of Namibia will allow Riekerk to better understand the different ways people both live off and conserve natural areas.

The Garden Club of America Awards for Summer Environmental Studies

Feedback between Common Shellfish Species and Water Quality

Crabill’s research will explore the interactions between bivalves and water quality in Florida’s Guana Tolomato Matanzas National Estuarine Research Reserve. After transplanting juvenile oysters and mussels along a nutrient gradient, Crabill will analyze length, biomass, and nutrient content to better understand the conditions under which bivalves can be used as a restoration tool to improve water quality.

The Garden Club of America Awards for Summer Environmental Studies

New England Monarch Migration

Interested in studying the movements of monarch butterflies, Hutchins’s project involves tracking monarchs through the Motus Wildlife Tracking System. By affixing small tracking devices called nanotags to adult monarchs, Hutchins hopes to determine how long adult monarchs stay in the area where they lived as caterpillars before beginning their migration south. 

The Garden Club of America Awards for Summer Environmental Studies

Investigating Shade Tolerance and Phenotypic Plasticity of Virginia Spiraea (Spiraea virginiana), a Federally Threatened Shrub

Dickson’s research will examine the photosynthetic physiology and plasticity of different genotypes of Virginia spiraea. Photosynthetic characteristics will be measured from clones made from five genotypes of the species undergoing various light environments. With hopes to help resolve an important conservation issue, Dickson will provide information from the project to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to aid in recovery and eventual delisting of the species.

The Garden Club of America Awards for Summer Environmental Studies
School: Undergraduate, Biology, University of Louisiana Monroe

Reassessment of Vegetation in a Relic Louisiana Chenier

In her thesis research with Dr. Joydeep Bhattacharjee, Jones will be assessing the diversity and abundance of native and invasive woody species within Louisiana’s chenier forests. These coastal forests, which protect against erosion and hurricanes, are at risk of being lost forever due to invasive species, climate change, and increased human activities. Jones’s research goal is to understand the change dynamics of the chenier forests to inform efforts to conserve this ecologically unique and culturally significant community.

The Garden Club of America Awards for Summer Environmental Studies
School: Undergraduate, Environmental Science and Political Science, University of Connecticut

Effects of Thin-Layer Placement Depth on Denitrification and Salt-Marsh Bacterial Communities

This summer Tienken will be conducting research in coastal Connecticut salt marshes. His project investigates the effects of “thin-layer placement,” a restoration method that mitigates sea level rise through its impact on dynamic salt marsh bacterial communities. Tienken is interested in sustainable wetland management and ecological restoration; he hopes to attend law school after graduation and work at the intersection of environmental science and policy.

Jointly funded by the Garden Club of Darien and Fairfield Garden Club, Zone II

The Garden Club of America Awards for Summer Environmental Studies
School: Undergraduate, Wildlife Management and Conservation, Unity College

A Case Study to Better Inform Land Managers: Using Floristic Data to Assess Fluctuations in Species Composition under Different Landscape Contexts

Duda did a research internship at the Chicago Botanic Garden and became inspired to pursue her own research project. This summer she will be identifying the environmental factors that impact prairies in Illinois. The findings will help ecological restoration managers better understand when and how often they should update their restoration goals. Melissa enjoys volunteering at her local conservation district as a plant phenology monitor. She hopes to continue her education in this field by attending graduate school in 2022.