Bio: This summer, Mackenzie split their time between field work and the Envision communications role. She worked in the Trammell urban forestry lab, going into urban forests around Newark, Baltimore, and Philadelphia to monitor forest health and occasionally weed. “Everyday day in the field feels rewarding. We’re contributing to long term research in areas people don’t think to check.”

When not in the field, Mackenzie photographed Envision events, interviewed and photographed students in their labs, and collected biographical information for the website.

Mackenzie has greatly enjoyed their overall balance of indoor and outdoor work, gaining a new passion for science communication. She appreciates the opportunity to work and connect with members of the Trammell Lab.

Bio: Isabella was a part of the Envision program last year and had an amazing experience. During Envision last year, she studied red fox movement across underpasses throughout New Jersey.

This year, she studied Borrelia burgdorferi prevalence and ectoparasite diversity in white-footed mice. This summer, she spent most of her time out in the field trapping mice then returned to the lab to process fecal and ear punch samples, as well as ticks pulled off the mice.

When asked about her lab experience, Isabella said “[It was] amazing! I love working with Scarlet and learning new skills that I will carry with me for the rest of my life and career.”

Because of Envision, Isabella is considering applying to graduate school to further her career in Wildlife Ecology.

Bio: As a rising sophomore, Ava jumped headfirst into an agricultural entomology lab. She aided multiple graduate students in their research, from finding ways to reduce food waste using black soldier flies, testing pesticides on lesser mealworm beetles, and seeing if nematodes can be used to kill slugs. She was excited that her lab was creating creative ways to enhance food security. She hopes to continue research at her current institution because this summer.

“ I took away knowledge. I have never worked in a lab before so now I know how to do certain things and I understand what is expected. I am grateful to have learned things in regards to grad school and life in general from my peers.”

Bio: Meyer is studying microbiology in the CANR Summer Institute Program under Dr. Harsh Bais. They are investigating the effect of the bacteria streptomyces-coelicolor on different fungi.

Meyer has worked in Dr. Bais’s lab since January 2024 and used the Summer Institute as an opportunity to continue working in Dr. Bais’s lab. Meyer is working closely with two graduate students who are conducting similar research. They have worked with these graduate students before, therefore working with them in the CANR Summer Institute Program is easy and makes assistance more accessible should they need it.

Meyer enjoys seeing new developments in their research daily and setting processes in motion to investigate what will happen. They value how structured and self-guided their lab is. Furthermore, Meyer’s lab environment is extremely friendly and welcoming, which makes working a smoother process.

After completing their undergraduate degree, Meyer would like to work in a lab setting, traverse different sectors of microbiology research, and work toward commercial applications of research results. Meyer is looking forward to gaining continued lab experience through the Summer Institute program and having results for their project.

Bio: In the Unique Strengths Program, Madelyn is working with Dr. Behnam Abasht to investigate the genomics of Wooden Breast Disease in broiler chickens. Her project focuses on animal welfare and what breeding practices can be used to reduce Wooden Breast Disease in a flock.

Madelyn has worked with Dr. Abasht since her first year of college, and he encouraged her to apply for the Unique Strengths Program to continue working in his lab. Madelyn enjoys working under Dr. Abasht because he is understanding, helpful, and patient. Madelyn's research is more structured and specialized than working with Dr. Abasht during her freshman year. Additionally, her first-year research experience prepared her for what she is currently researching. Working in a research environment has taught Madelyn how to be consistent and organized, especially when following lab procedures. In the Unique Strengths program, Madelyn hopes to gain a better understanding of the research process and how to conduct research experiments.

Further down the line, Madelyn would like to shift her research focus to wildlife and how to make animals more comfortable in captivity.

Bio: In the Unique Strengths Program, Ethni is studying under Dr. Angela Holland. As part of her Senior thesis, Ethni is researching environmental and sustainability practices performed by indigenous communities in the global south to deconstruct negative narratives perpetuated by more developed countries. Ethni’s research came to be based on a debate in her conservation biology class. She noticed her peers who advocated for environmental and sustainability methods used by more developed countries often lacked historical and cultural context to explain why and how certain communities use their environment. Because of this experience, Ethni became interested in environmental policy reform, particularly policies that were aimed at giving Indigenous communities a voice. After interviewing multiple professors, Ethni chose to work with Dr. Holland due to Dr. Holland's willingness to assist Ethni in refining her research and transforming their research results into a philosophical research paper.