Graduate School Newsblog

“I began at Michigan Tech in 2021 as an MS student in Forest Ecology and Management. I entered with an interest in belowground interactions between plants and microbes, and this morphed into investigating trade-offs that shape how trees forage for resources underground. These trade-offs in root morphological and chemical traits directly relate to how effectively they can find and uptake water and nutrients in different (and possibly changing) environments, as well as carbon release from roots to the atmosphere. These relationships between the carbon and nutrient budgets of trees, their productivity, and carbon released from forest ecosystems allowed us to ask bigger picture questions about how climate warming might affect forest productivity and carbon feedbacks to the atmosphere.

This research project quickly became ~quite large~ and expanded into a PhD to allow me to incorporate potential root acclimation responses to temperature when planted in different environments, a question also critical for adaptive assisted population migration. Finally, I came full circle to my original interest by being able to investigate how the surrounding root fungal communities may interact with root foraging strategies through synergistic or complementary mechanisms.

I am incredibly grateful for my time here at Michigan Tech, especially in our supportive and close-knit department (College of Forest Resources and Environmental Science, CFRES), and am excited to pursue these last questions during my final semester. I am very thankful to the Graduate Dean Awards Advisory Panel for giving me the ability to focus on my research and completing my dissertation this Fall. I would also like to thank my advisors, Dr. Molly Cavaleri and Dr. Andrew Burton, for their support and encouragement along the way; I would not be here completing a PhD without their positive influence. Lastly, I would like to thank my committee members, Dr. Carsten Külheim and Dr. Tristy Vick-Majors for much guidance, as well as my labmates and fellow graduate students in CFRES for their support.”

“Working at Michigan Tech in the Department of Mathematical Sciences has been a genuine privilege, one which has allotted me many opportunities to advance myself as a researcher, a teacher, and as a professional. Our supportive and collaborative culture has allowed me to publish three papers in Integers, The Ramanujan Journal, and Discrete Mathematics, as well as present my research at many conferences and seminars during my time here. For that, and much more than can be written here, I owe a debt of gratitude to my colleagues.

I would particularly like to thank Philip Cuthbertson, Robert Schneider, my advisor William Keith, and also Andrew Sills of Georgia Southern University for their various contributions to my success at Michigan Tech. Having been awarded the Finishing Fellowship, I also sincerely extend my gratitude to those on the Graduate Dean Awards Advisory Panel for their recognition of my achievements and for giving me the opportunity to focus exclusively on my research in my final semester. ”

“Growing up in Vietnam, I learned early on that forests are more than just collections of trees. They are living systems that sustain communities, hold cultural knowledge, and provide resilience in the changing climate. This understanding shaped my path and brought me to Michigan Technological University’s College of Forest Resources and Environmental Science, where I have spent the past four years pursuing a PhD in Forest Science.

My dissertation examines how bridging Traditional Ecological Knowledge with Western Science can enhance forest ecosystem resilience and community well-being in the face of climate change. In partnership with the Keweenaw Bay Indian Community, I have had the opportunity to learn from Ojibwe knowledge holders while contributing to community-directed research that centers Indigenous sovereignty and reciprocal collaboration.

During my time at Michigan Tech, I have been honored to serve as a research assistant, teaching assistant, and a mentor to eight graduate and undergraduate students in research design and academic writing. These experiences have deepened my commitment to fostering inclusive academic spaces where diverse knowledge systems are recognized and respected.

I am deeply grateful to the Graduate School and the Dean’s Advisory Panel for awarding me the Finishing Fellowship, which provides vital support as I complete my PhD this fall. My heartfelt thanks go to my wonderful co-advisors, Dr. Chelsea Schelly and Dr. Valoree Gagnon. I am so lucky to have you as my advisors. I am equally grateful to the Keweenaw Bay Indian Community Natural Resources and Forestry Departments for their partnership and trust in this collaborative work. I would like to extend my thanks to my committee members, my collaborators, the faculty and staff of College of Forest Resources and Environmental Science, the Institute for Policy, Ethics, and Culture, the Tribal Landscape System, the Ecosystem Science Center, the Great Lakes Research Center, and the Graduate Student Government for their support throughout my degree. ”