I am honored to be accepting the Graduate School Finishing Fellowship for the summer semester of 2026. As I approach the end of my educational journey, it is vital to express how important the support of the Michigan Tech community has been to my path and my success. It is because of this community of students, researchers, educators, and staff that I have reached this point in my career, and this award is a further investment in my education.
I joined the Michigan Tech community as an undergraduate in 2010, completing a Bachelor of Science in Applied Ecology and Environmental Science in 2014. My experience as an undergraduate at Tech taught me the importance of passion in one’s work, which I was also able to apply to my work post-graduation with the Michigan Tech Research Institute. It was during my time at MTRI that I found my passion in researching and understanding peatlands, and decided that when I returned to graduate school, I would focus on these important ecosystems.
My research focuses on the Alaska Peatland Experiment, which was founded in 2005 in order to understand the impacts of a changing climate on peatland carbon storage. Peatlands are vital carbon sinks, storing 30% of soil carbon while only covering 3% of terrestrial surface area. Because of this, my dissertation strives to understand the trends in peatland carbon storage over time, model the impacts of shifting environmental conditions on carbon sink strength, and map carbon flux using satellite imagery.
It has been an exceptional honor to be a member of the Michigan Tech community, and I thank that community for displaying this faith in me as I approach the end of my degree timeline. I look forward to completing my research, and to beginning the career that Michigan Tech has prepared me for.