Undergraduate researcher Mari Cullerton was one of 23 students from across the university selected for the prestigious University scholar program (https://universityscholars.uconn.edu/2020-university-scholars/). She is conducting research as a member of the Applied Forest Ecology Lab on a project entitled "Field-based disturbance ecology, remote sensing, and geospatial analysis: An interdisciplinary approach to the evaluation of the role of secondary mortality agents in forest disturbances". Her work will focus on linking remote sensing and field data to attempt to better understand the role of secondary pests and pathogens (primarily Two-lined Chestnut Borer and Armillaria) in broad scale tree mortality that has affected southern New England over the past few years (https://stormwise.uconn.edu/2018/09/22/the-slow-storm/). Her UScholar committee also includes NRE faculty member Dr. Zhe Zhu (https://gerslab.uconn.edu/) and Extension Forester Tom Worthley (http://www.ctforestry.uconn.edu/). 

MS Student Jill Pastick presented her initial results focused on adapting silvicultural treatments for oak ecosystem restoration to urban natural areas at the 2017 Natural Areas Conference in Fort Collins, CO on October 11, 2017. Her talk was included in a session on Restoration in the Anthropocene and was entitled: "Adaptive management experiments for restoration of oak ecosystems: effects of canopy thinning on seedling regeneration and groundlayer plant communities". 

Multiple Masters level graduate student positions in Applied Forest Ecology are available in the Fahey Lab in the Department of Natural Resources and the Environment at the University of Connecticut. At least three positions with full Research Assistant funding will be available to begin studies in the Fall 2016 semester. The Fahey Lab conducts primary and applied research focused on improving our understanding of forest ecosystems and developing strategies to promote resilience in forest landscapes. The three funded projects are focused on: 1) Modeling composition, structure, and benefits of urban forest landscapes under scenarios of future climate, development, pest outbreaks, and management strategies; 2) Silvicultural restoration of oak ecosystems in human-dominated landscapes; and 3) Assessing the effects of traditional and ecologically-focused silvicultural treatments on canopy structural complexity in northern hardwood forests. To be considered please contact Dr. Robert Fahey prior to applying via email (robert[dot]fahey[at]uconn[dot]edu) with the following information: Curriculum vitae or resume, GPA and GRE scores, brief statement of research experience, interests and career goals, and contact information for 2-3 references. For more information on my research program, please visit my lab website: http://faheylab.weebly.com. Information about the Department of Natural Resources and the Environment can be found at: http://www.nrme.uconn.edu/ and details about applying to the Graduate School at the University of Connecticut can be found at: http://grad.uconn.edu/. The Department accepts applications on a rolling basis, but contact with Dr. Fahey should be made before February 1st, 2016 to warrant full consideration.