REU at Hubbard Brook: A Personal Story
By Kaitlin Harvey
Hubbard Brook is the type of place that flows to a different rhythm. To quote several Research Experience for Undergraduates (REU) students, “its streams are weired”. It is the site of amazing ecological discoveries and is home to many biologists, geologists, hydrologists, botanists, and many more “ologists.” However, Hubbard Brook is more than just an experimental research forest. Geoff Wilson, Undergraduate Research Coordinator at Hubbard Brook, said it best when he recounted his years as a Masters’ Degree student working for Dr. Tim Fahey at the Hubbard Brook Experimental Forest and knew, right then, he needed to figure out a way to “never leave this place.” I think all REU students wholeheartedly agree that Hubbard Brook has a special allure. The idea of community, togetherness, and friendship was infused into the REU program from the moment I stepped into the Pleasant View Farmhouse and greeted fellow student Kadeem on the couch reading a magazine, rallied with Rhonda as we both attempted to pull our overloaded suitcases up the staircase, and then finally joined in triumphant laughter as I passed Jordan on the third floor rolling my suitcase into my new room. As I quickly unpacked my things I waited in nervous anticipation for what the summer would bring.
New Hampshire, with is natural beauty of lush trees and revered mountains, was already revealing a very different landscape than my home in Louisville, Kentucky. As my plane approached the Manchester (NH) Airport, all I could see in any direction was tree upon tree of magnificent forest. This was like a lost treasure that had been buried long ago in Kentucky by tobacco fields, beef cattle, and coal mines. You might ask how a college student from Kentucky found herself in the Granite State and I can’t exactly tell you how it happened. But my acceptance into the Hubbard Brook REU program was one of the most pivotal experiences of my undergraduate career.
I am a Natural Resource Conservation major at the University of Kentucky (UK). I knew this past summer I wanted experience in research in the ecology field. The REU internship at Hubbard Brook gave me a unique opportunity to travel outside my home state (like so many fellow REUs) and work in an environment that was very different from my own. In Kentucky we have a mixed mesophytic forest filled with enough tree species to keep you guessing for a whole tree identification class, starkly contrasting the Northern Forest, where three hardwood species – sugar maple, birch, and beech – dominate the landscape. I was also able to approach New Hampshire from a new-found soils perspective, which I had developed studying plant and soil science at UK – one of my favorites classes. After learning about the twelve soil orders, I was excited to finally see some spodosols, a soil development process very different from Kentucky’s heavy clay, limestone-enriched soils.
Little did I know how much soil I would get into that summer! I worked with mentors Dr. Scott Bailey and Dr. Kevin McGuire on a project originally described as, “Soils Systems and Spatial Patterns,” but later became titled, “Can Near-Stream Soil Development Patterns Define a Riparian Zone in Watershed 3?” I spent the entire summer developing and researching my original broad-based topic and shaping it into an achievable and thought-provoking study, all performed in 10 weeks. This in itself was no small feat. My REU partner, Maggie Zimmer – with whom I ended up spending most of my waking hours – and I were both mentored by Scott and Kevin. They were both strong advocates for promoting a research process that consisted of taking a abstract, complex research topic and whittling it down into a definable and measurable study. This type of thought synthesis was incredibly valuable. Scott and Kevin didn’t hand us a topic with a laundry list of assignments and say “go.” Instead, they encouraged us to go out and explore the watersheds and begin to ask questions and form research ideas. This type of freedom was unique and terrifying, but also empowering and extremely rewarding.
While Maggie and I wandered the woods in search of questions and answers to ecology’s mysteries we were also working on science translation projects. I was fortunate to work with Andy Colter, a resource manager for the White Mountain National Forest, on the importance of using ecological classifications in resource management decisions. This is a unique part of the REU program at Hubbard Brook that stands alone in the sea of REU programs offered to undergraduates. For this part of the internship I made different informational materials (a brochure and a poster) focused on educating other resource managers. Science translation is an extremely important component of science. Scientific research means nothing if it isn’t shared. It is not just about getting the science out there but presenting it in a way that the information is accessible.
A prime example of this rests in the creation of HBRF Science Links Program, dedicated to translating the work of Hubbard Brook researchers into articles and publications that are geared to non-scientists, especially public policy makers, educators and the public at large. However, more of this needs to be done. There are a lot of opinions on science dispensed in society, but very few scientific facts are accessible for people to make their own decisions. My experience with the REU program showed me the true importance of getting science to the public. This is the only way we can raise support for environmental conservation, effective public policy and enforcement, and continued research. A modern example is climate change: if people don’t believe in global warming it is going to be incredibly difficult to find advocates for a carbon reduction policy, such as a cap-and-trade system.
So as I spent my summer digging. I set up research transects throughout the watershed, I sampled soil profiles, and I ran soil pH tests in the lab (all of which could not be done without the help of Scott and Maggie). On a day-to-day basis I was learning much more than the logistics of how to manage my research project. I was immersed in all types of research going on in the excited commotion of the field season that was conducted by Hubbard Brook scientists, visiting summer researchers, and my fellow REU students. As a result, I developed a better sense of the meaning of ecology research, how one organizes field experiments, and what rewards and challenges exist in the discipline. My ability to take up this information was strengthened by the strong sense of community around Hubbard Brook. This became increasingly clear as I continued to get to know the fellow REU students, through potlucks with other summer interns (like the birders and the “veg” crew), science nights with passionate researchers in the field, groups hikes on Saturday and Sunday in the Whites, and a close working relationship with my mentors and field partners. I was often asked how I liked the internship and what I thought of Hubbard Brook. It was the great bonds I felt to all of the people and the place that made this experience one of the most rewarding learning opportunities I have been privileged to have in my undergraduate career. So thank you to HBRF, Geoff Wilson, Mary Ann McGarry (Co-Director of the REU Program), Scott Bailey, Kevin McGuire and all of the wonderful people who made this Hubbard Brook REU experience possible..
Kaitlin Harvey was one of 12 Research Experience for Undergraduates (REU) participants chosen from a nationwide pool of over 100 applicants. She is currently a working on a degree in Natural Resources Conservation Management at the University of Kentucky. The REU program is funded through the National Science Foundation and the Hubbard Brook Consortium. For more information about the REU Program, please visit www.hubbardbrookreu.org. Application information for the 2010 REU season will be posted shortly after Nov. 30, 2009.
Hubbard Brook is the type of place that flows to a different rhythm. To quote several Research Experience for Undergraduates (REU) students, “its streams are weired”. It is the site of amazing ecological discoveries and is home to many biologists, geologists, hydrologists, botanists, and many more “ologists.” However, Hubbard Brook is more than just an experimental research forest. Geoff Wilson, Undergraduate Research Coordinator at Hubbard Brook, said it best when he recounted his years as a Masters’ Degree student working for Dr. Tim Fahey at the Hubbard Brook Experimental Forest and knew, right then, he needed to figure out a way to “never leave this place.” I think all REU students wholeheartedly agree that Hubbard Brook has a special allure. The idea of community, togetherness, and friendship was infused into the REU program from the moment I stepped into the Pleasant View Farmhouse and greeted fellow student Kadeem on the couch reading a magazine, rallied with Rhonda as we both attempted to pull our overloaded suitcases up the staircase, and then finally joined in triumphant laughter as I passed Jordan on the third floor rolling my suitcase into my new room. As I quickly unpacked my things I waited in nervous anticipation for what the summer would bring.
New Hampshire, with is natural beauty of lush trees and revered mountains, was already revealing a very different landscape than my home in Louisville, Kentucky. As my plane approached the Manchester (NH) Airport, all I could see in any direction was tree upon tree of magnificent forest. This was like a lost treasure that had been buried long ago in Kentucky by tobacco fields, beef cattle, and coal mines. You might ask how a college student from Kentucky found herself in the Granite State and I can’t exactly tell you how it happened. But my acceptance into the Hubbard Brook REU program was one of the most pivotal experiences of my undergraduate career.
I am a Natural Resource Conservation major at the University of Kentucky (UK). I knew this past summer I wanted experience in research in the ecology field. The REU internship at Hubbard Brook gave me a unique opportunity to travel outside my home state (like so many fellow REUs) and work in an environment that was very different from my own. In Kentucky we have a mixed mesophytic forest filled with enough tree species to keep you guessing for a whole tree identification class, starkly contrasting the Northern Forest, where three hardwood species – sugar maple, birch, and beech – dominate the landscape. I was also able to approach New Hampshire from a new-found soils perspective, which I had developed studying plant and soil science at UK – one of my favorites classes. After learning about the twelve soil orders, I was excited to finally see some spodosols, a soil development process very different from Kentucky’s heavy clay, limestone-enriched soils.
Little did I know how much soil I would get into that summer! I worked with mentors Dr. Scott Bailey and Dr. Kevin McGuire on a project originally described as, “Soils Systems and Spatial Patterns,” but later became titled, “Can Near-Stream Soil Development Patterns Define a Riparian Zone in Watershed 3?” I spent the entire summer developing and researching my original broad-based topic and shaping it into an achievable and thought-provoking study, all performed in 10 weeks. This in itself was no small feat. My REU partner, Maggie Zimmer – with whom I ended up spending most of my waking hours – and I were both mentored by Scott and Kevin. They were both strong advocates for promoting a research process that consisted of taking a abstract, complex research topic and whittling it down into a definable and measurable study. This type of thought synthesis was incredibly valuable. Scott and Kevin didn’t hand us a topic with a laundry list of assignments and say “go.” Instead, they encouraged us to go out and explore the watersheds and begin to ask questions and form research ideas. This type of freedom was unique and terrifying, but also empowering and extremely rewarding. While Maggie and I wandered the woods in search of questions and answers to ecology’s mysteries we were also working on science translation projects. I was fortunate to work with Andy Colter, a resource manager for the White Mountain National Forest, on the importance of using ecological classifications in resource management decisions. This is a unique part of the REU program at Hubbard Brook that stands alone in the sea of REU programs offered to undergraduates. For this part of the internship I made different informational materials (a brochure and a poster) focused on educating other resource managers. Science translation is an extremely important component of science. Scientific research means nothing if it isn’t shared. It is not just about getting the science out there but presenting it in a way that the information is accessible.
A prime example of this rests in the creation of HBRF Science Links Program, dedicated to translating the work of Hubbard Brook researchers into articles and publications that are geared to non-scientists, especially public policy makers, educators and the public at large. However, more of this needs to be done. There are a lot of opinions on science dispensed in society, but very few scientific facts are accessible for people to make their own decisions. My experience with the REU program showed me the true importance of getting science to the public. This is the only way we can raise support for environmental conservation, effective public policy and enforcement, and continued research. A modern example is climate change: if people don’t believe in global warming it is going to be incredibly difficult to find advocates for a carbon reduction policy, such as a cap-and-trade system.
So as I spent my summer digging. I set up research transects throughout the watershed, I sampled soil profiles, and I ran soil pH tests in the lab (all of which could not be done without the help of Scott and Maggie). On a day-to-day basis I was learning much more than the logistics of how to manage my research project. I was immersed in all types of research going on in the excited commotion of the field season that was conducted by Hubbard Brook scientists, visiting summer researchers, and my fellow REU students. As a result, I developed a better sense of the meaning of ecology research, how one organizes field experiments, and what rewards and challenges exist in the discipline. My ability to take up this information was strengthened by the strong sense of community around Hubbard Brook. This became increasingly clear as I continued to get to know the fellow REU students, through potlucks with other summer interns (like the birders and the “veg” crew), science nights with passionate researchers in the field, groups hikes on Saturday and Sunday in the Whites, and a close working relationship with my mentors and field partners. I was often asked how I liked the internship and what I thought of Hubbard Brook. It was the great bonds I felt to all of the people and the place that made this experience one of the most rewarding learning opportunities I have been privileged to have in my undergraduate career. So thank you to HBRF, Geoff Wilson, Mary Ann McGarry (Co-Director of the REU Program), Scott Bailey, Kevin McGuire and all of the wonderful people who made this Hubbard Brook REU experience possible..Kaitlin Harvey was one of 12 Research Experience for Undergraduates (REU) participants chosen from a nationwide pool of over 100 applicants. She is currently a working on a degree in Natural Resources Conservation Management at the University of Kentucky. The REU program is funded through the National Science Foundation and the Hubbard Brook Consortium. For more information about the REU Program, please visit www.hubbardbrookreu.org. Application information for the 2010 REU season will be posted shortly after Nov. 30, 2009.