Two Students Tie for First Place with Research on Forest Soil Health

by University of Massachusetts Amherst, Stockbridge School of Agriculture
May 13, 2025

We love first place so much we took it twice!  Our top national and global ranking for agricultural sciences was confirmed when first place was awarded in a tie to TWO Stockbridge students presenting their respective research projects in the graduate student poster competition at the Mid-Atlantic Ecological Society of America annual meeting.

Ray Cancel Vazquez and Corey Palmer each received first place for their separate presentations on related research topics.

Both are students in the Stockbridge Plant & Soil Sciences PhD program, studying under soil and ecosystem ecologist Dr. Ashley Keiser.

Cancel Vazquez’s research title is “Hyphosphere Influence on Mineral-Associated Organic Matter Under Nitrogen-Limiting Conditions.”  She explores the beneficial role that mycorrhizal fungi might play in boosting the formation of mineral-rich soils in areas beyond where plant roots and microbes regularly interact.

Palmer’s research, titled “Rapid Eastern Hemlock Decline May Alter Litter Decomposition Following Hemlock Woolly Adelgid Infestation,” compares how quick versus natural tree decline affects nutrient cycling and biodiversity in the forest ecosystem.

The meeting brings together students, researchers, teachers and practitioners, and offers an excellent opportunity for both undergraduate and graduate ecology students to present their research in all ecology-related topics. 

Keep reading: https://www.umass.edu/stockbridge/news/two-students-tie-first-place-research-forest-soil-health