PELLSTON, Mich. — The University of Michigan Biological Station is awarding a total of $91,126 in research fellowships to support the work of six scientists and 20 graduate students from across the U.S. and Canada at the research and teaching campus in northern Michigan.

“We know that scientists need financial support to get new, innovative research programs off the ground or to serve as a bridge to keep their research alive when grant funding from other agencies expires and they’re applying for new grants,” said Dr. Aimée Classen, director of the U-M Biological Station and a professor in the U-M Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology. “Thanks to our generous donors, the Biological Station is proud to be able to fill that gap and provide that spark with a competitive pool of money to support careers and science.”

Funding of $19,906 for the scientist fellowships for the next two years comes from the Alfred H. Stockard Family Endowment and other donations specifically given to recruit scientists.

Recipients of the new UMBS research fellowship for scientists with projects targeting impacts of global environmental change are:

  • Dr. Mary Jamieson, an associate professor in the Department of Biological Sciences at Oakland University. New Research Project: “Understanding Patterns of Phytochemical Variation in Wild Berries.”  She spoke at UMBS last year about pollinator decline and conservation as part of the 2023 Summer Lecture Series.
  • Dr. Amanda Koltz, an assistant professor in the Department of Integrative Biology at the University of Texas at Austin. New Research Project: Parasite removal experiment in white-footed mice, in collaboration with the UMBS Field Mammalogy course.
  • Dr. Will Petry, an assistant professor of plant and microbial biology at North Carolina State University. New Research Project: Microbial coexistence in pitcher plants, carnivorous plants shaped like a pitcher of water that capture prey such as flies.
  • Dr. Jean Phillipe-Lessard, a professor of biology at Concordia University in Montreal. Bridging from previous grant to catalyze next grant: Building mesocosms, or mini-forest soil ecosystems, to manipulate the abundance of ant colonies, which are crucial for seed dispersal and decomposition and expected to decline in abundance.
  • Dr. Amy Schrank, instructor of the UMBS Rivers, Lakes and Wetlands course; adjunct assistant professor in the Department of Fisheries, Wildlife and Conservation Biology at the University of Minnesota; and Fisheries and Aquaculture Extension Educator for Minnesota Sea Grant. Expanding on previous Lake Kathleen dam removal research: “Evaluating the Effects of a Dam and Cattle Pasture on Water Quality and Fish Community in Cold Creek.”
  • Dr. Jill Witt, associate professor in the School of Natural Resources at Lake Superior State University. Census to continue a three-decade data set: “Is Global Change Affecting Populations of Small Mammals in Northern Michigan?”

Funding of $71,220 for the graduate student fellowships for the 2024 field season comes from a variety of funds including the Marian P. and David M. Gates Graduate Student Fund (endowment); J.B. and Marilyn (Galacz) McKenzie Graduate Fellowship Fund; Henry Allan Gleason Graduate Student Fellowship; Mort Neff Scholarship; Dr. Ralph E. Bennett Endowment Fund; and the Ann Arbor Farm and Garden Scholarship.

Graduate student research fellowships this year are awarded to 20 students from universities across the country including University of Michigan, Oakland University, Ohio State University, Virginia Commonwealth University, Michigan State University, North Carolina State University, Bowling Green State University, University of Tennessee Knoxville and University of Michigan-Flint.

UMBS also awards several research fellowships to undergraduate students each year. The 2024 recipients are being finalized.

The University of Michigan Biological Station is one of the nation’s largest and longest continuously operating field research stations.

Laboratories and cabins are tucked into more than 10,000 acres along Douglas Lake — about 20 minutes south of the Mackinac Bridge and about 3.5 hours north of Ann Arbor — to support long-term climate research and education.

UMBS has been home to scientific discovery since its founding in 1909.

Our core mission is to advance environmental field research, engage students in scientific discovery and provide information needed to understand and sustain ecosystems from local to global scales. In this cross-disciplinary, interactive community, students, faculty and researchers from around the globe come together to learn about and from the natural world and seek solutions to the critical environmental challenges of our time.