Sarah Cuprewich Wins ESA 2025 Graduate Student Policy Award
by Meghan Wicks, Dartmouth College – Guarini School of Graduate and Advanced Studies
March 18, 2025
Sarah Cuprewich, a PhD candidate in the ecology, evolution, environment, and society program (EEES), has been awarded the Ecological Society of America’s (ESA) Katherine S. McCarter Graduate Student Policy Award. This award helps graduate students bridge science and policy by providing training in communication and advocacy before they meet with lawmakers.
Cuprewich and the other award recipients will travel to ESA’s Washington, D.C. offices this spring to connect with ecologists working in federal agencies and meet with congressional policymakers to advocate for federal investment in biological and ecological sciences.
“Kudos to these ten outstanding graduate students and scientists in training,” said ESA President Stephanie Hampton. “Their dedication to science policy is essential for bridging research and decision-making. By engaging with policymakers, they will help ensure that ecological science informs solutions to today’s most pressing challenges.”
Cuprewich’s research focuses on the ecology of soil fungi, examining how fungal communities form and spread through soil, small mammal scat, and air samples. Her projects range from large-scale surveys of fungal distribution across the country to more focused studies on urban community gardens and the rapidly changing Arctic environment.
Keep reading: https://guarinigrad.dartmouth.edu/blog/2025/03/18/sarah-cuprewich-wins-esa-2025-graduate-student-policy-award/