The 2021-2022 Jornada LTER Graduate Fellowship and REU recipients have been announced. This year, we were excited to add the Deb Peters Dryland Fellowship to our graduate research program, which is funded by New Mexico State University’s College of Agricultural, Consumer, and Environmental Sciences. This year’s awardees are listed below along with their project titles. Student bios and more details on our REU-led projects will be forthcoming!
Kieran Andreoni Jornada LTER GRFP Mammalian Herbivores and State Transitions: Effects of Invasive Oryx Relative to Native Small Mammals and Livestock
Seth Burruss Deb Peters Dryland Fellowship Estimating Biological Soil Crust Cover in the Chihuahuan Desert using Hyperspectral Remote Sensing from Unmanned Aerial Vehicles
Courtney Currier Jornada LTER GRFP Long-Term Directional Changes in Precipitation on Ecosystem Functioning: From Plant Phenology to Nutrient Cycling
Mikaela Hoellrich Deb Peters Dryland Fellowship Linking Biogeochemical Function to Microbial Diversity: Biocrust Nitrogen Fixation
Sam Jordan Jornada LTER GRFP Drought and Disturbance in North American Drylands
Charlie Kimsal Jornada LTER GRFP Characterization of Subsurface Water Flow and Hydrologic Connectivity Across a Heterogeneous Bajada Landscape
Corey Nelson Jornada LTER GRFP Interactions in the Microbiome of the Biological Soil Crust Cyanobacterium, Microcoleus vaginatus
Julie Bethany Rakes Jornada LTER GRFP A Bacterium Predatory on Cyanobacteria from Biological Soil Crusts
Molly Reichenborn Jornada LTER GRFP Impacts of Mesquite Control on Plant Recovery
Ryan Schroeder Deb Peters Dryland Fellowship Rangeland Seed Bank Dynamics: Understanding How Soil Properties and Land Management Strategies Influence Seed Bank Suitability and Pathways for Ecosystem Restoration
Tyler Turk Deb Peters Dryland Fellowship Connectivity and Seed Availability: The Role of Seeds in Chihuahuan Desert State Transitions
Chris Vito Jornada LTER GRFP Belowground Net Primary Production Response to Changes in Precipitation: Effects of Amount and Time of Precipitation on Plant Functional Groups
William Beamon REU Project Title TBD
Adrianna Tafoya REU Project Title TBD