PELLSTON, Mich. — Ten years ago, Moriah Young arrived at the University of Michigan Biological Station for the first time.
The Michigan native — hailing from Ferndale, right outside of Detroit — was in her junior year at the University of Michigan.
From that moment on, she was hooked on field science.
“I immediately fell in love with UMBS,” Young said. “I loved the living, working community that makes up the Biostation, and it was like a lightbulb went off in my head about what I might want to do in the future. I was like, ‘Oh I could be one of those researchers who gets to do exciting research at an awesome field station.’”
She found ways to get back.
Young spent five of the last 10 summers at the research and teaching campus in northern Michigan along Douglas Lake about 20 miles south of the Mackinac Bridge — again as an undergraduate student between her junior and senior year at U-M and later as a research technician, graduate student researcher and teaching assistant.
She graduated in 2015 from U-M with a bachelor’s degree from the University of Michigan after majoring in the Program in the Environment (PitE).
Now 31 years old, Young is a fifth-year Ph.D. student at Michigan State University in the Department in Integrative Biology and the Ecology, Evolution, and Behavior (EEB) program. She plans to defend her dissertation in spring 2025.
This month the journal Ecology published her research paper revealing the results of a seven-year study involving the cascading effects of climate change, specifically the impact of warming temperatures and insects’ presence/appetites on the timing of plant growth and development and plant community traits.
The long-term experiment led by Dr. Phoebe Zarnetske’s lab at Michigan State University was conducted at two sites: the University of Michigan Biological Station and Michigan State University’s W.K. Kellogg Biological Station.
Young used open-top chambers (OTC) atop the UVB field at UMBS to simulate climate warming by passively increasing air temperatures. (For a deeper dive, read: What’s Bugging You?)
In honor of Young’s research success, we’re proud to highlight her contributions to and experiences as part of our scientific community at UMBS over the last decade. Read our Q&A with Moriah Young.
Q: Tell us about yourself and what led you to pursue science.
I’ve always been curious about the natural world and knew early on that I wanted to contribute to its protection and our understanding of it. This led me to major in environmental science during my undergraduate years, though at the time, I wasn’t quite sure how I would channel that passion in the real world, and it took me awhile to figure that out. However, my first experience at UMBS was pivotal—it introduced me to ecological research and opened my eyes to new possibilities. After graduation, I spent five years working seasonally on various ecological projects, both in Michigan and out in the Pacific Northwest, gaining valuable on-the-ground experiences. I absolutely loved doing fieldwork and these experiences ultimately led me to want to pursue my own research questions, which then led me to apply to graduate schools.
Q: How many years have you enjoyed the immersive experience the research and teaching campus along Douglas Lake? And what is it about UMBS that keeps you coming back?
I’ve been lucky enough to spend 5 summers (of various lengths) at UMBS! During the summer between my junior and senior year at UofM, I came to the station for the first time for the spring semester and took Ecology (at the time you only took one class during the spring, so it was Ecology lab and lecture combined). I immediately fell in love with UMBS. I loved the living, working community that makes up the Biostation, and it was like a lightbulb went off in my head about what I might want to do in the future. I was like, oh I could be one of those researchers who gets to do exciting research at an awesome field station! And also, how do I get myself back here?! I ended up coming back as a technician working for Team Typha the summer after I graduated. Several years passed until I returned as a technician for two summers managing the experiment that would become part of the first chapter of my dissertation and is the paper that just got published in Ecology!
Q: What do you do in your role as a graduate student researcher and why do you believe it is important?
My dissertation research focuses on understanding how multiple climate change drivers, specifically drought and warming, affect soil microbial and plant communities. I’m also interested in how the soil microbial community mediates aboveground responses to those multiple climate drivers. Most of my PhD research has taken place at MSU’s Kellogg Biological Station (another great field station!) Long-Term Ecological Research Site (KBS-LTER) where my lab experimentally manipulates warming, drought, and insect herbivory.
As a graduate student, the research portion of my work has encompassed collecting data in the field, running greenhouse experiments, lab work, coding to clean, visualize, and analyze my data, writing, and presenting. My role as a graduate student extends beyond my research though. I’ve taken classes, taught classes, mentored undergraduate students, and served on committees.
Q: What was the most meaningful or memorable part of your work this summer? What makes it stand out?
This summer at UMBS, I was lucky enough to be a TA for two different classes, one in the spring and one in the summer. I think the most meaningful part of my work this summer was making connections and interacting with the students in my classes. I love mentoring and sharing my experiences and knowledge with students. Being a TA this summer was particularly special for me because it had been exactly 10 years since I came to the station for the first time, which really made me reflect on where I was then and how far I’ve come since I came to the station for the first time. I remember looking up to my TAs at UMBS, and I only hope that I was also someone my students could look up to this summer!
Q: This month the journal Ecology published your research paper revealing the results of a seven-year study involving the cascading effects of climate change, specifically the impact of warming temperatures and insects’ presence/appetites on the timing of plant growth and development and plant community traits. How do you feel about sharing your science with the world? And what’s next? Where do you hope to be in 10 years?
It's exciting, but a little nerve-wracking at the same time. I didn’t really realize how much effort it takes to get your research out in a peer-reviewed journal until my lab mate and co-author Kara Dobson and I were leading that process. After all that work and now it’s out! All I can hope is that this work will make some impact and contribute to our understanding.
To be honest, I’m still trying to figure out what’s next! But I hope in 10 years that I’m a leading researcher in the Great Lakes region – I want my work to have direct applied impacts on conserving, restoring, and protecting our Great Lakes ecosystems.
Q: What is your favorite thing to do at UMBS?
It’s hard to pick just one! My favorite thing to do at UMBS is probably to walk or run around the trails of Grapevine point or the Gorge. In the spring, I especially love watching the forest transform along the trails—from the bare branches to the emerging buds and finally to the young green leaves unfurling on the trees. I also like to watch for the different fungi that emerge.
Q: Tell us about the UMBS community, the energy here, and what people are doing when not in the field or lab.
What keeps me coming back to UMBS year after year is the incredible community. The landscape is undeniably special, don’t get me wrong, but it’s the people and the relationships that make the station truly unique. UMBS offers a fully immersive experience, and it’s even more powerful because it’s shared by a community of people who have temporarily stepped away from their ‘normal’ lives. We’re all in it together. I always feel like my best self at UMBS, energized by the people around me and deeply connected to the landscape—perhaps because I’m more present and less distracted by technology. When not in the field or lab, you’ll find people swimming in Douglas Lake, canoeing, playing cards at the chatter box, sharing meals, walking the trails, hanging out in hammocks, playing volleyball—the list goes on!
Q: If there’s one thing you want a prospective graduate student researcher or undergraduate student to know about UMBS, what would it be?
If you have the chance to take a class or do research at UMBS, do it! UMBS has the ability to totally transform you, and you will have the experience of a lifetime.
Founded in 1909, the U-M Biological Station is one of the nation’s largest and longest continuously operating field research stations.
Laboratories and cabins are tucked into more than 11,000 acres along Douglas Lake to support long-term science research and education.
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