PELLSTON, Mich. — The University of Michigan Biological Station welcomed nine undergraduate research fellows from across the country in mid-June for a two-month experience conducting independent projects paired with science mentors in northern Michigan’s sprawling landscape of forests, wetlands, lakes and rivers.

The Biological Station Undergraduate Research Fellowship Program, which is funded by donors and ran through Aug. 7, gives students a $5,500 stipend and the opportunity to pursue original research in field ecology under the guidance of world-class research scientists.

“The entire community at the University of Michigan Biological Station plays a role in supporting our undergraduate research fellows as they do real, hands-on science in this living laboratory made up of a variety of ecosystems,” said Dr. Aimée Classen, director of the U-M Biological Station. “As early as possible in their academic journeys, it’s critical to teach students how to design experiments, overcome hurdles, communicate what they’ve learned and build strong identities as active researchers. They’re the next generation who will drive discoveries and solutions to benefit Michigan and beyond.” 

Dr. Sara Hermann, left, and U-M junior Arivan Mudaliyar examine milkweed at UMBS on July 29, 2026

For Dr. Sara Hermann, an associate professor in the Department of Entomology at Penn State University, taking Biological Station Undergraduate Research Fellow and U-M junior Arivan Mudaliyar under her wing allowed her to explore more questions around her own research program at UMBS involving monarch caterpillar anti-predator defenses.

“While the goal of Arivan's fellowship is to gain hands-on experience, working with him has also enhanced my research at UMBS. Together, science can be more efficient, talking through design and results — collaborating every step of the way, ” Hermann said.

The collaborative effort results in projects that are the students' own research and can lead to publication in scientific journals.

“Developing his own project not only allows Arivan to have his own contribution to science, it gives him autonomy and a deeper personal connection to scientific inquiry that is oftentimes missing in research experience,” Hermann said. 

A trio of 2026 Biological Station Undergraduate Research Fellows caught pollinators at Green Star Meadow. Leah Stickley, middle, a junior at Auburn University, and Violet Schroeder, on the far right, a junior at Michigan Tech University, helped Chanceine Saechao, on the far left, a senior at the University of Texas, Austin, do fieldwork for a project investigating change over time in plant biodiversity and pollinator interactions in an open meadow ecosystem.

Despite working on a variety of projects in different ecological fields, the 2026 cohort of undergraduate research fellows at UMBS found unity.

Chanceien Saechao, a Biological Station Undergraduate Research Fellow and a senior at the University of Texas, Austin, said the diversity created a strong, inspiring community centered around research.

“We’re all from different places around the US, we have different age gaps, but we’re all just friends doing research,” Saechao said. “We’ll go on hikes and everyone has their own interests: learning about trees from Violet, birds and trees from Ben and Leah, fungi from Ash. It makes it really special.”

Saechao dove into the UMBS research archives with Dr. Mary Jamieson from Oakland University and revisited this summer a study done 40 years ago to show change over time in plant biodiversity and pollinator interactions in an open meadow ecosystem.

“I value the community,” Saechao said. “It makes you want to do the work you want to do. People will help with your project, and you will help with theirs. It's just friends helping friends.”

While conducting their research, fellows lived alongside students taking field-based academic courses on the Pellston campus, becoming part of the larger UMBS community, supporting the field research station’s mission of providing a space for students and researchers to learn from the natural world while advancing research to inspire action.  

2026 projects include:

Thermoregulatory Tradeoffs in Birds and Insects: Auburn junior Leah Stickley worked with U-M’s School for Environment and Sustainability graduate student researcher Charlotte Probst. Her research focused on if birds call or sing more during heatwaves. For birds, a call is used as an instantaneous reaction to the environment, whereas songs are used as a marker of territory or to attract potential mates. The work is helpful in uncovering bird priorities amidst a changing climate.

Ben Goldberg, a senior at Harvey Mudd College, looked at both the species and the fungi growing within pine cones.

Exploring a New Ant-Plant-Fungus Interaction: Harvey Mudd College senior Ben Goldberg was mentored by Dr. Tim James from U-M and Dr. Nate Haan from the University of Kentucky. The team looked at ant-fungi mutualism between ants in the Temnothorax genus and fungi inside pine cones in northern Michigan. Currently, there isn’t a lot of literature done on the Temnothorox genus and their mutualistic relationship with fungi.

Washtenaw Community College junior Ash Thomas also worked on the insect-fungal interaction with James and Haan. Their project focused on uncovering more about Conophthorus resinosa, a pine cone boring beetle that leaves behind fungus in the cones, and its mutualistic relationship with a fungus. Previous research shows the larva offspring benefit from the fungus left behind by the fungus, but science is still unsure of the mechanisms of mutualism.  

Managing Biological Invasions: Michigan Tech University junior Violet Schroeder worked with Dr. Mariana Rodriguez-Cabal of University of Vermont, Montpellier and Shane Lishawa of University of Chicago, Loyola. Her project centered on dragonfly populations amidst cattail invasion. Dragonfly populations are oftentimes bioindicators of ecosystem health, so her work helps to further examine impact of typha invasion in Michigan wetlands.

Anna Kessler, a senior at University of California, Los Angeles, got samples of milkweed rhizomes.

Biological, Chemical and Physical Influences on Milkweed Plants and Herbivores: University of California, Los Angeles senior Anna Kesler worked alongside Dr. Alison Bennett from Ohio State University to examine milkweed’s vast belowground fungal networks. More specifically, the duo looked at how the number of genetically identical ramets affect fungal abundance and richness. The fungal network abundance may directly connect to herbivory, as the trade-offs between the milkweed and its fungal network could allow more resources to be put into plant defenses. Milkweed is vital to native pollinator health, so learning more about these relationships will help inform conservation and land management decisions.

Understanding Plant-Pollinator Interactions under Global Change: University of Texas, Austin senior Chanceine Saechao revisited a study done 40 years ago with Dr. Mary Jamieson of Oakland University. The study focused on changes over time, looking at plant biodiversity, pollinator interactions, and plant phenology to see changes in open meadow ecosystems amidst a changing climate.

U-M sophomore Arivan Mudaliyar working in the greenhouse

Plant-Monarch-Predator Interactions: U-M sophomore Arivan Mudaliyar worked with Dr. Sara Hermann from Penn State University to look at how larval monarch coloration impacts predation rate. Their work also explored how monarch caterpillar toxicity, gained from feeding on different species of milkweed host plants, affects predation by birds and arthropods. In recent years, monarch butterfly populations have been in decline, but not much work has been done looking at how aposematism and host-plant context impacts predation. This knowledge will inform the use of specific species of milkweeds in conservation gardens, designed to enhance monarch survival.

Etienne Nunez, right, with one of her science mentors Karin Rand, on the left, in the UV field at UMBS on Aug. 4. Rand is a UMBS researcher and manager of the Classen Lab in U-M’s Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology.

Plant-Soil-Insect Interactions in a Changing World: College of Southern Nevada sophomore Etienne Nunez worked with Dr. Aimée Classen, UMBS director and a professor of ecology at evolutionary biology at U-M, to look at how soil disturbance and fertilizer use impacts plant communities, specifically invasive opportunists.

Understanding Mollusc-Insect-Fungal-Pathogens Relationships: University of Michigan junior Julianne Izzard worked with Dr. Classen to investigate the presence and absence of insects, molluscs and fungal pathogens. While research has been done on the web of interactions between the three species, Izzard and Classen are investigating changing ecosystems in which species have been removed. The project is funded by the UMBS fellowship, as well as the University of Michigan’s Abe Scholar program.  

 

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.

Our vast campus engages all of the senses. Its remote, natural setting nurtures deep thought and scientific discovery.

Founded in 1909, UMBS supports long-term research and education through immersive, field-based courses and features state-of-the-art equipment and facilities for data collection and analysis to help any field researcher be productive. It is where students and scientists from across the globe live and work as a community to learn from the place.

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