Three St. Cloud State University students are working on their summer research thanks to the Huskies Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship program.
Bailey Richards is spending the summer working to compare the morphology of true frog tadpoles through the Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship program.
Huskies Summer Undergraduate Research Fellows include:
- Michaela Ericksen, a senior in the Meteorology program, is researching “An Air Stagnation Event Climatology for North America from 1981-2019,”
- Alex Maile, a senior in the Biology: Biodiversity, Ecology, and Evolution program, is researching “The Evolution Body Coloration in Deep-Sea Fishes”
- Bailey Richards, a senior in the Biology: Biodiversity, Ecology, and Evolution program, is “Comparing the Morphology of True Frog Tadpoles”
The Huskies Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship program is for current juniors and seniors at St. Cloud State. The program allows students to explore a creative activity or research topic, in all discipline areas, under the direction of a faculty mentor.
Because of the pandemic, Maile and his faculty mentor Dr. Matthew Davis haven’t been able to work in close proximity, but it isn’t stopping his research into the evolution of coloration in deep-sea fishes, he said.
Richards is working with mentor Dr. Jennifer Lamb this summer.
“This fellowship has given me the opportunity to conduct research and grow my love for working with amphibians,” she said. “Researching tadpoles has allowed me to gain valuable experience in both the field and the laboratory. Conducting this project gives me more confidence in myself and solidifies my passion for working in the field of ecology.”
Alex Maile is researching the evolution of body coloration in deep-sea fishes this summer through the Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship program.
Eriksen is grateful to be continuing her research this summer because the field of meteorology is something she has been passionate about for a very long time.
“My interest in meteorology began as the class weather monitor in first grade,” she said. “Looking out the window, I started wondering the class question that all children love, ‘Why?’ Why is it sunny? Why does it rain? Ever since, I’ve been working hard on finding every opportunity I can find to learn more about my chosen field.”
Researching Air Stagnation Events, with faculty mentor Dr. Alan Srock, will allow her to examine over three decades of data observed from airports around North America looking for stagnation events, where the wind doesn’t reach above 6 knots for 24 hours or more.
“Air stagnation is an important aspect when considering smoke dispersion, pollutant transport and fog formation,” she said.
The three student researchers are the second cohort of awardees through the fellowship program. Once they complete their work this summer they will submit a final report on their project and present on their research at Huskies Showcase in spring.
“A highlight about this program is it supports juniors and seniors who are planning to go to graduate school,” said Dr. Latha Ramakrishnan, interim associate provost for Research and dean of Graduate Studies. “Summer research gives these students a leg up as they prepare for that next step.”
