2006 – 2007 Fellows

Cohorts Funded by the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation   Chris McLaughlin Sitting Bull College Mentor: Tony Joern  Chris’s article in the February 2007 Newsletter Chris was also the All Nations AMP’s featured student I am an enrolled member of the Three Affiliated Tribes otherwise known as the Mandan, Hidatsa and Arikara Nation. I am also a paternal child of the Hunkpapa Band of Lakota Sioux and long time descendant of McLaughlin’s from Ireland. I am currently a junior at Sitting Bull College (Fort Yates, ND) in the Environmental Science program through Oglala Lakota College. I first became interested in science at an early age, but it wasn’t until I attended Fort Berthold Community College (FBCC) that the interest was solidified. I graduated from FBCC with an AS degree in Environmental Science. It was there where I was first introduced to SEEDS, and it was FBCC and SEEDS that helped me find the motivation to continue my education in the world of science. Some of my specific interests have been the plants and animals that have traditionally sustained the people of the Great Plains; such as the juneberry, Amelanchier alnifolia, and the American bison, Bison bison. I am sure that SEEDS has been a positive experience not only for myself, but for other students as well. SEEDS has done this by providing insight to the realm of ecology to those who may not ordinarily have the opportunity to check out such things. This has been accomplished by student awards to field trips, meetings, and the Fellowship. These awards make it possible to see and experience first hand the possibilities in ecology, and formulate ones own thoughts for the direction of their personal future. SEEDS provides an unexplainable, yet definite passion and drive in those who experience it. My Fellowship research has done this job well, by allowing me to work with the bison that were once, and still are sacred to the Plains Indians. My fellowship research project was conducted at the Konza Prairie long term ecological research site with the help of my mentor Tony Joern of Kansas State University. My fellowship research made it possible for me to actually see how important the bison (and fire) is to the prairie ecosystem in the past, present, and future. This research has made it possible to see the many interactions that happen in an ecosystem, from the insects to the large animal life and what critical roles they play in the environment. My only advice to those in looking at a career in ecology would be: “If you like it, do what you gotta do to get there

Colibri Sanfiorenzo University of Puerto Rico Mentor: Luis Garcia Barrios Colibri’s article in the October 2006 NewsletterHi! My name is Colibrí. There have been two main influential people in my life in relation to my love of science and my interest in ecology: My mom (dedicated educational chemistry researcher) and Dr. Elvia Melendez Ackerman (my current advisor at my University). My mom showed me the incredible and wonderful world of science and how it can explain most of the things in this world. That is partly why I started out in college as a physics student, to try and learn how the universe and all of its components work. But, there was something missing from the experience. In the fall semester of 2003 I embarked on an exchange program to Sweden. This is where I took my first Biology course which was Landscape Ecology. This course blew my mind in both theoretical and practical hands-on experience. That was three years ago and since then ecology has been a big part of my life. When I got back from Sweden, Elvia gave me a chance (without any biology courses at that point) to be a part of the Tropical Plant Ecology and Evolution Laboratory. Working in the lab has not only given me field and lab experience, but it has put me in contact with graduate students. I have been able to see what it takes to go to graduate school. Elvia not only gave me a job as a research assistant, but she also has encouraged me to apply for courses, internships, and conferences that are part of my research interest. I participated in the fall 2004 Organization for Tropical Studies (OTS) semester abroad program of Duke University in Costa Rica, an amazing experience that really put me (and anyone) to the test of either loving ecology or hating it….I LOVED IT!!! Knowing that I love to travel, Elvia mentioned one day that ESA had field trips that were a week long and a good field experience for undergraduate students. This is how I first learned of the SEEDS Program. I started looking through the website and found so many amazing things I could participate in that my excitement turned into action and soon I was applying for the SEEDS fellowship program, and to my delight got accepted!!! My first encounter with other SEEDS students and organizers was in Arizona in March 2005. That week was incredible!!!! Everyone was so energetic and overwhelmed with happiness that it kind of just stuck on you like glue. After that week I have come to realize that the SEEDS program not only helps you to achieve great science and your academic goals, but it also helps you realize that your thoughts and ideas on humanity and the environment aren’t that far-fetched and that there are other students out there that feel the way you do. This past summer I started my fellowship research with Dr. Luis Garcia Barrios from El Colegio de la Frontera Sur (ECOSUR) in Chiapas, Mexico. Working with Luis has been a real treat. He has showed me the importance of understanding and working within social aspects in the field of ecology. I am participating in the first stages of a new project that is trying to promote conservation and better management techniques in communities that live in the buffer zone of “La Sepultura” Biosphere Reserve in the Sierra Madre de Chiapas. During the months of June and July I collected data on the types of vegetation surrounding the community to give a general overview of the landscape and the relationship with the cattle production systems they generally use. This summer Luis helped me organize not only my interest in ecology, but my attitude towards life in general. I got to Mexico feeling overwhelmed and depressed with life and left Chiapas energetic, happy, and excitedly overwhelmed with what life might bring me next. The experience that I had this summer really blew me away. I had never been in charge of my own project, having to make all the decisions (with LOTS of valuable help from Luis) about funding, field work, data analysis, group organization, and time schedule. I got a taste of what it will be like to do my graduate research and I can’t wait!!!!

Ku’ulei Vickery University of Hawai’i at Manoa  Mentor: Mike Heithaus Ku’ulei’s article in the December 2006 NewsletterAloha, I’m Ku`ulei and a senior at the University of Hawai`i at Manoa, majoring in environmental studies with an emphasis in marine ecology. I am a waterwoman. I’ve played, worked, and lived on the ocean. As an ocean enthusiast, I’m a long-distance sailor, surfer, swimmer, open-water diver, oceanographer, and budding ecologist. My love for the ocean has blossomed into a lifestyle and worthwhile academic endeavor. I’m interested in endangered marine species, indigenous knowledge, endemic Hawaiian marine animals, island ecosystems, and migratory routes of sea turtles. Being a native Hawaiian, I have struggled for years to coexist in a dual relationship of western science and Hawaiian culture. Throughout this journey I’ve continued to follow the path of my ancestors, and in turn, pave the way for the future. Through SEEDS, I have the opportunity to live in Shark Bay, Western Australia for 6 months and study the food web ecology of stingrays. I’m very excited and thankful for this awesome chance to conduct my own research. I’ve also participated in two field trips and an ESA Annual Meeting. Thanks to SEEDS, I view the world through the eyes of an ecologist. My advice to other students is to figure out what is important to you, personalize it, and run with it. Don’t let anyone tell you that you can’t do it, especially if it’s yourself. A’ohe pau ka ‘ike i ka halau ho’okahi. One can learn from many sources. – Mary Kawena Pukui 1983 Olelo No’eau, Hawaiian Proverbs and Poetical Sayings

  Marla Striped Face – Collins
United Tribes Technical College Mentor: Carol Johnston
Marla’s article in the November 2006 Newsletter

Marla Striped Face-Collins is a full-time sophomore/junior tribal college student pursuing dual degrees in Business Administration and Interdisciplinary Environmental Science. Marla graduated with her AAS degree in Tribal Environmental Science on May 5, 2006. She is presently attending Sitting Bull College located in Fort Yates, North Dakota, 60 miles south of Bismarck, North Dakota where she lives. She is pursuing her bachelors in both majors.
Mrs. Collins was introduced to SEEDS when she found the website through the American Indian Science and Engineering Society scholarships and opportunities website. She was very instrumental in developing the SEEDS Chapter at United Tribes Technical College and has been the Student Representative since the Chapter started in the Spring of 2005, and is a campus Green Committee participant. Marla recently received a SEEDS Undergraduate Research Fellowship for 2006/2007.
Marla believes the Lakota people are part of the complex interrelationships that exist among plants, animals, ecological systems, soil, water, and climate, and that historically there were large numbers of bison, elk, antelope, and beaver, certain types of plants, and water. She also believes the devastating decline in these indigenous animals and an increase in invasive species has had an adverse effect on the water and climate of the prairie. Marla wants to study the environmental issues, air quality, and climate change of the prairie in hopes of merging modern western science with traditional indigenous ecological knowledge while learning how to manage water and to do ecological forecasting. Marla knows this seems like a lot to study and research, but as a Lakota person, she believes that everything is in some way or another related, and that what affects one thing also affects something else or many things down the line.
Mrs. Collins receives support from her husband while pursuing her science and business courses. She received inspiration for her research project from Alice Outwater’s book The History of Water.
Marla is an enrolled Standing Rock tribal member and upon graduating with a doctorate in Environmental Science will return to her tribe with the skills and knowledge she has attained to give back to the Standing Rock community. Her advice for students of all ages, races, and ethnicities who like being outdoors is to have enthusiasm for discovering nature; to help people become more aware of their environment; and to pursue their education in environmental science with passion. From this they will gain the experience to know that they can do anything they want to do and go anywhere they want to go.