Scholarship Application Details

E-mail:
aprayburn@gmail.com

Phone:
515-460-0456

Address:
Utah State University
Wildland Resources Department
5230 Old Main Hill
Logan, UT 84322-5230

University Enrolled:
Utah State University

Enrollment Type:
Graduate

Degree Program:
PhD (Ecology)

Dean:
Johan Du Toit

Dean's E-mail:
johan.dutoit@usu.edu

Visa:
N/A

How my attendance/participation will contribute to my educational experience:
The Urban-Rural conference is an excellent forum in which to present my research, and to obtain feedback from a diverse group of experts in the field. I am a past attendee of the conference, and I feel that the experience is unique as compared to other conferences (Ecological Society of America, International Association of Landscape Ecology) in that it is clearly focused on ecological and sociological issues in anthropogenic landscapes. Furthermore, I would greatly benefit from seeing the current state of the science as represented by presentations and posters at the conference. This experience could be invaluable as I prepare my research for publication. However, without the support of this student scholarship, I will be unable to attend the conference as I do not have travel funding available. My research examines the causes and consequences of plant spatial patterns in the context of ecological processes at multiple spatial scales. At larger scales, I am interested in how riparian forests may be optimally located in an urbanizing, agricultural watershed in east-central Iowa that has been the subject of two of my previous publications. This dynamic watershed lies along a pronounced urban-rural gradient, and conservation measures within the watershed seek to mitigate the effects of intensive agricultural land-use and rapid urbanization. I serve as an advisor to a grass-roots conservation organization, and the results of my research should inform ongoing forest restoration and conversation efforts. I firmly believe that ecologists must work with on-the-ground conservation groups in order to be effective in highly managed landscapes like those in the Corn Belt region of the Midwestern U.S. My research fits well within the conference theme, and I thank you for the opportunity to apply for this student scholarship to facilitate my attendance and participation.

Title and authors of my oral/poster proposed for conference:
Presentation type: Oral Title: Optimizing riparian forest restoration in an urbanizing, agricultural watershed in the Midwestern U.S. Authors: Andrew P. Rayburn and Molly Van Appledorn