Subject to availability of funds, the Jornada Basin LTER provides funding to enhance research at the JRN and graduate training through the summer graduate research fellowship program (GRFP). The GRFP fellowships are for graduate students working with early career JRN investigators and collaborators. In JRN-8, we anticipate support for up to four GRFP fellows each summer, with fellows receiving up to $8,000 (nominally budgeted as a $7,000 stipend and $1,000 for travel and supplies). The GRFP fellows must propose research directly related to the goals of the Jornada LTER and may be eligible for up to two summers of support if the students are in good standing with their university and with the Jornada LTER Program. See the attached flier and application form.
Applications are due to Kayleigh Getkin by March 15, 2025. Email Kayleigh (kamber2@nmsu.edu) or Niall Hanan (nhanan@nmsu.edu) if you have any questions. Please note that while we anticipate 2025 funding will be available for the summer of 2025, the potential for delays in federal awards may lead to cancellation of GRFP support this year.
Past Fellowship Recipients
- Michael Mba KusibuHarnessing the Potential of Dryland Cyanobacteria for Environmental Sustainability and Dryland Ecosystem Restoration Advisor: Nicole Pietrasiak
- Ana Mercedes Heredia VelasquezImproving the biocrust re-inoculation process by understanding Microcoleus vaginatus symbiosis with the nitrogen-fixing heterotrophs in it’s cyanosphere Advisor: Ferran Garcia-Pichel
- Lance FountainSpatial and temporal factors that influence Pogonomyrmex rugosus seed preference for rangeland restoration needs Advisor: Erik Lehnhoff
- Annessa FossFlower phenology in a dryland ecosystem as affected by climate Advisor: Osvaldo Sala
- Brenda AlmanzaBiocrust Physiological Response to Rainfall Gradients
- Anna DowningResolving Structural Diversity Controls on Small Mammal Biodiversity Along a Vegetation Volume Gradient at Grassland, Shrubland, and Forest at NEON/LTER Sites
- Emily EmburyFungal Communities in the Changing Vegetation Regime of the Chihuahuan Desert
- Sarah RamirezEffects on Microbial Desert Volatiles on Native Plant Growth
- Dylan StoverPhosphorus Dynamics in the Critical Zone
- Trevor RobertsQuantifying shrub structure as an indicator of community interaction in a US southwestern shrubland
- Madeline BuhmanEffect of Ecosystem VPD vs Soil Moisture Control on NPP
- Parikrama SapkotaSoil microbes in dryland ecosystems can aid in plant community adaption to climate change
- Ruby HurtadoQuantification of Soil Moisture Variations within Ephemeral Playas Utilizing Cosmic-Ray Neutron Sensing
- Finlay Warsop ThomasBiological soil crusts and the cyanosphere
- Anthony SchaeferLinking Biological Soil Crust Cover and Composition to Ecological Site Health
- Ryan SchroederSoil seed bank density across a grassland to shrubland gradient
- Julie RakesAre plaques found in mature biocrusts indicative of predatory bacteria? Is the organism absent when symptoms are?
- Corey NelsonThe symbiotic foundation of biocrust microbiomes and its application in ecological restoration
- Charles KimsalUnderstanding cross-scale interactions in the basin, providing process-based explanations of phenomena occurring across heterogeneous landscapes, and characterizing hydrologic connectivity in a semi-arid ecosystem
- Seth BurrussEstimating biological soil crust cover in the Chihuahuan desert using hyperspectral remote sensing from unmanned aerial vehicles
- Kieran AndreoniThe importance of coupled herbivore-climate interactions in triggering and reinforcing shrub encroachment processes
- Robert WojcikiewiczRemote sensing of biotic and abiotic factors contributing to shrub encroachment in dryland ecosystems
- Christopher VitoEffects of long-term alterations of precipitation on community and ecosystem functioning
- Tyler TurkConnectivity and Seed Availability: the Role of Seeds in Chihuahuan Desert State Transitions
- Caroline TothDemographic bottlenecks as drivers of dominant shrub distribution in the Jornada Basin
- Molly ReichenbornImpacts of Mesquite Control on Plant Recovery and Plant-Insect Interactions
- Zachary KellerHillslope-Channel Connectivity in Runoff across a Bajada Landscape
- Samuel JordanDrought and disturbance in North American Drylands
- Mikaela HoellrichLinking Biogeochemical Function and Microbial Diversity in Chihuahuan Desert Biocrusts
- Courtney CurrierLong-term directional changes in precipitation on ecosystem functioning: From plant phenology to nutrient cycling