SOU Environmental Studies Majors Receive National Science Foundation Research Scholarships
(Ashland, Ore.) Environmental Studies majors Paula Richter and Sarah Rudeen have both been selected as recipients of the National Science Foundation Research Experience for Undergraduates (REU) Scholarships.
Richter was awarded the scholarship which allowed her to conduct applied scientific research in conjunction with the University of Idaho. Richter is co-author of a scientific manuscript to be published in the journal Crop Science entitled “Characterization of Poa supina (supine bluegrass) from the Italian Alps with AFLP markers and correlation with climatic variables.”
Rudeen will be conducting her senior capstone research this year at the Rocky Mountain Biological Laboratory in Gothic, Colorado, on a project studying the interactions between plants, herbivores, herbivore mutualists, and predators. She will be working with the Mooney Laboratory from UC-Irvine, which focuses on uniting community, evolutionary, and conservation ecology.
According to Dr. John Gutrich, SOU Associate Professor of Environmental Science, “The National Science Foundation REU Scholarships are highly competitive programs and often include more than 100 applicants for ten scholarships at research laboratories across the United States. Paula and Sarah are examples of exemplary SOU students with interdisciplinary environmental scientific training that has been acknowledged by NSF and premier scientific research laboratories.”