PELLSTON, Mich. — Sarah Rose, an artist-geographer based in San Diego, is using her interdisciplinary skillsets to creatively convey the importance of unique wetland ecosystems in fighting climate change.
Bogs take in carbon from the atmosphere and store it in peat, deep layers of partially decomposed organic matter. If bogs are drained, they can become a source of carbon emissions.
“It is estimated that bogs cover about 3% of the earth and yet hold over 30% of terrestrial carbon,” said Rose, who is pursuing a Ph.D. in art practice at the University of California San Diego with a specialization in interdisciplinary environmental research. “As significant carbon sinks, how the bogs may respond to rising global temperature is critical.”
For two weeks in June at the University of Michigan Biological Station (UMBS), the 28-year-old graduate student researcher set out on adventurous fieldwork, immersing herself daily — often at night — in bogs throughout the northern Lower Peninsula and across the Mackinac Bridge into Michigan’s Upper Peninsula.
Bogs are known for their unique flora, such as sphagnum moss, and carnivorous plants like pitcher plants.
Using a UV flashlight, she captured the bog in a new perspective.
“This lighting reveals how some of the sphagnum moss fluoresced while others did not, looking almost like bright green stars amongst a purple-red blanket of moss,” Rose said. “The liquid in the pitcher plant glowed a bright green as did the pockets of water that peaked out of the kettle bog.”
She also recorded audio clips that will ultimately become an art installation of photo-collage and sound recordings to engage the public with these ecosystems.
“After a few visits to the bogs, I realized that each sounded quite different when the moss was compressed, and the water surged through the environment,” Rose said. “There were distinct gurgling and bubbling noises that shifted based on conditions, like if it was a floating bog mat or not. While geographically so close, each bog felt quite different, and the variety shaped how I think about peat bogs.”
Her site visits contribute to an ongoing series of works focused on Midwest bog conservation that Rose has completed in Illinois and Minnesota.
At UMBS, Rose was the 2025 recipient of a scholarship from Ann Arbor Farm and Garden, a nonprofit that promotes and supports local gardens, farms, and environmental stewardship through education, community service, and grants and scholarships.
Since 2007, Ann Arbor Farm and Garden has awarded scholarships to 18 recipients from seven different institutions to do botanical and horticulturally related research at UMBS.
Awardees include seven Ph.D. students, 10 master’s students and one high school teacher. Investigations have been wide-ranging, including how landscape may affect pathogen infections in bumble bees, how rising atmospheric carbon dioxide concentrations will alter the susceptibility of monarch butterflies to their protozoan parasites in the future, plant-insect interactions of the federally threatened Pitcher’s thistle in dune ecosystems, and the ecological impact of deer on soil microbial activity and plant growth.
“Ann Arbor Farm and Garden funds projects that fit our mission, mostly within Washtenaw County,” said Ann Ringia, foundation chair at Ann Arbor Farm and Garden, and archivist emerita at the University of Michigan. “The Biological Station is outside our county, but its research fits our mission and belongs to the University of Michigan, which is in our county. We're always interested to learn the results.”
“I’m incredibly grateful for the support of the Ann Arbor Farm and Garden Award,” Rose said. “Without this support, I would not have been able to spend this duration of time at UMBS and complete this project. I would not have had the means to access the sites that I did during my time at UMBS, and importantly, would not have created connections with researchers at UMBS who greatly shaped my project.”
In honor of Sarah Rose’s research success, we’re proud to highlight her contributions to and experiences as part of our community at UMBS this year. Read our Q&A with Sarah Rose.
Q: Tell us about yourself and what led you to pursue science and art.
I’m an artist and researcher originally from the Chicago suburbs and currently living in San Diego. I started in the darkroom when I was twelve and have been making photo-based work ever since.
My art practice began to intentionally intersect with science during my undergraduate studies at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago. During the summer between my junior and senior year I had the privilege of being accepted to the Research Experience for Undergraduates (REU) program at the Sevilleta National Wildlife Refuge, hosted at the University of New Mexico’s field station. This program maintains a couple of spots for art and ecology students each summer. Being surrounded by science students and having the independence to pursue my individual project in consultation with researchers at the station was incredibly formative.
While living in the Midwest, my artworks were largely site-specific, exploring topics that ranged from algal blooms to the spread of zebra mussels. Following my undergraduate studies, I attended the University of Cambridge for an MPhil (Master of Philosophy) in Anthropocene Studies which was offered through their Department of Geography. There, I pursued social science research which explored aerial photography projects that were addressing environmental concerns. I am now at the University of California San Diego to bring these experiences and skillsets in various disciplines together through their Art Practice PhD program and their specialization in Interdisciplinary Environmental Research at Scripps Institution of Oceanography.
Q: Do you have connections to northern Michigan or the beautiful lakes and forests up here?
Nearly every summer growing up, my dad, brother, and I would go camping in Indiana and Michigan. I have fond memories of tirelessly climbing up sand dunes and finding natural clay pits. However, I had not previously had the opportunity to spend significant time near the Upper Peninsula.
After being in Southern California for two years, when I arrived at UMBS, I felt so at home. I deeply miss being bathed in the shade of tall, dense trees, the rich green that spring and summer brings to the bogs, and swimming in fresh water. Since it was June when I was at UMBS, I experienced 50-degree weather, hail, rain, and 90-degree weather all within two weeks and loved every variation.
Q: What led you to the University of Michigan Biological Station this year?
I had heard about the University of Michigan Biological Station from a friend that I originally met at the Sevilleta REU program. She had done her master’s work at UMBS and recommended that I look into the opportunities that were offered. While I had not been up to the UMBS campus previously, I was aware that it was surrounded by some of the Midwest ecosystems, like peat bogs, that I was aiming to engage with in my upcoming projects. I knew that there was an annual Artist-in-Residence program, so I suspected that as a graduate student working at the intersection of art and science that it may be a welcoming environment for interdisciplinary work. This proved to be true beyond my expectations as I met so many researchers during the two weeks that were willing to share their work with me and were interested in hearing about my work in return.
Q: During your time at UMBS, what did you do and why do you believe it’s important?
I was a graduate student researcher at UMBS for two weeks. During those two weeks, I went to different bogs around UMBS and in the Upper Peninsula nearly every single day. This also included late-night trips to bogs in joint company with other UMBS affiliates. At each of the bogs, I was taking photographs and recording audio clips.
The photographs, both digital and analog, included close ups of the sphagnum moss, the various wildlife present, flowering plants, and more.
For the audio, I wasn’t sure what the mic would be able to pick up. After a few visits to the bogs, I realized that each sounded quite different when the moss was compressed, and the water surged through the environment. There was distinct gurgling and bubbling noises that shifted based on conditions, like if it was a floating bog mat or not. While geographically so close, each bog felt quite different, and the variety shaped how I think about peat bogs.
These site visits contributed to an ongoing series of works that I’ve completed on peat bogs in the Midwest, which have previously included bogs in Illinois and Minnesota. It is estimated that bogs cover about 3% of the earth and yet hold over 30% of terrestrial carbon. As significant carbon sinks, how the bogs may respond to rising global temperature is critical.
I’ve found that many non-specialists are unaware that bogs are carbon sinks and many people who live in more arid environments may not know that bogs even exist.
Through my artwork, I aim to create an immersive experience where viewers are invited to engage with the bog.
My iteration at UMBS included viewing and photographing the bog through a UV flashlight at night. This lighting reveals how some of the sphagnum moss fluoresced while others did not, looking almost like bright green stars amongst a purple-red blanket of moss.
The liquid in the pitcher plant glowed a bright green as did the pockets of water that peaked out of the kettle bog. Seeing the bog under these conditions creates opportunities for previously unexplored components of the bog, which will ultimately become an installation of photo-collage and sound recordings.
Q: What was the most meaningful experience or project you contributed to at UMBS?
The most meaningful experiences were when others at UMBS, ranging from other researchers to the Piping Plover techs, were willing to show me new sites or accompany me to sites to take part in the experience. This generosity led to accessing sites that I wouldn’t have otherwise and to ongoing relationships where we have continued to exchange beyond my time at UMBS.
Q: Tell us about the UMBS community, the energy here, and what people are doing when not in the field or lab.
I arrived at UMBS not knowing anyone and as an independent grad researcher, I did not have a formalized structure to get to know others like those that may be teaching, in a class, or working as part of a lab. However, from the first day, I was integrated with the other researchers and staff. There is a culture of sharing and connecting those with likeminded interests at UMBS, which led to me going to a site on the very first night I was there with a researcher. This continued throughout the two-weeks with more and more sites to be visited as others heard about my interest in bogs. This culture was aided by the regular meals that were had in the dining hall where there was consistent chatting about how research was going as well as meeting new people. This welcoming environment stretched beyond research goals and included being invited to casual events happening around town.
When I wasn’t in the bogs, I was in the library, recording bird calls in my Merlin app on runs along UMBS trails, and learning how to play Brazilian Truco. I feel very lucky to have met the people that I did at UMBS.
Q: How have your experiences at UMBS informed your decisions about a career path? What’s next and where do you hope to be in 10 years?
My experiences at UMBS demonstrated that a new community, who are invested in the work that you’re doing, can be developed in two short weeks. It reminded me how generative having focused time for visiting sites can be and how important it is to continue engaging with new scientists and their work. This collaboration between art and science, which is rooted in both a concern and a curiosity for ecological sites, is fueled by recognizing the limitations found in both disciplines. As I move my practice forward, I aim to continue to explore those gaps and the ways in which interdisciplinary working can create a push and pull to address pressing environmental concerns.
Looking beyond my graduate studies, I aim to refine my skillset as both an artist and an educator to create welcoming spaces where ecological sites can be considered through a myriad of historic, multi-relational, and disciplinary lenses.
Q: If there’s one thing you want a prospective student or researcher or artist to know about UMBS, what would it be?
If there was one thing I would want a prospective researcher or artist to know about UMBS, it would be that there is an open-minded atmosphere there. Even if you’re just there for a sliver of the season, they’ll connect you with anyone they can to assist with your project.
Explore more of Sarah Rose’s work on her website.
Go to the Ann Arbor Farm and Garden website to learn about the nonprofit’s activities and volunteer opportunities.
The U-M Biological Station — the largest of U-M's campuses — is one of the nation's largest and longest continuously operating field research stations.
Founded in 1909, the Biological Station supports long-term research and education. It is where students and scientists from across the globe live and work as a community to learn from the place.
The University of Michigan Biological Station serves as a gathering place to learn from the natural world, advance research and education, and inspire action. We leverage over a century of research and transformative experiences to drive discoveries and solutions to benefit Michigan and beyond.
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