The lab is celebrating the successful completion of two remarkable students, Carolina Arguiano and Ruoyu Wu. Carolina was a visiting PhD student from the National University of La Plata in Argentina, supported by the Fulbright Program, and worked on forest mycorrhizal modeling during her visit to the lab. Ruoyu, on the other hand, worked on fungal spore phenology in the lab for her thesis as a master's student in SEAS. As they move on to [...]
On April 12, the lab visited the University of Michigan Herbarium, guided by Dr. Brad Ruhfel. We were impressed by the vast collection of specimens and the potential that the herbarium data could provide for research. On a related note, Kai and Yiluan published a Commentary in New Phytologist on this topic last year. Zhu K, Song Y (2023), Harnessing herbaria to advance plant phenology research under global change. New Phytologist, 6, 2057-2059. https://doi.org/10.1111/nph.19088
We are excited to announce that Tim Muhich, one of our PhD students, received an Honorable Mention for the highly competitive National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship Program (NSF GRFP) for the year 2024. The NSF GRFP recognizes and supports outstanding graduate students in NSF-supported STEM disciplines who are pursuing research-based master's and doctoral degrees at accredited United States institutions. Through the NSF GRFP, Mr. Muhich proposed an innovative project aimed at empowering high schools [...]
The lab hosted Dan Katz from Cornell University's visit on March 29, 2024.
The Michigan Institute for Data Science (MIDAS) and the Institute for Global Change Biology (IGCB) co-organized the mini-symposium Understanding Biodiversity in a Changing Planet on March 21 – 22, 2024. On Day 1, with six invited talks and four lightning talks, the symposium presented a diverse range of studies leveraging innovative data science methods to gain deep insights into the changing biodiversity. On Day 2, a faculty roundtable discussion provoked thoughts on the status and future [...]
The lab hosted Jianguo "Jack" Liu from the Michigan State University's visit on March 15, 2024.
News from the Environmental Data Science Innovation & Inclusion Lab (ESIIL): After careful consideration, we are excited to announce ESIIL’s first cohort of working groups! These groups will play a pivotal role in promoting the integrative approach to environmental data science championed by ESIIL, pooling knowledge and expertise from various disciplines to tackle environmental issues with a data-driven perspective. Linking Phenological Change to Range Change in North American Plant Species Short Title: Macrophenology PI: Sydne Record (University [...]
Climate change threatens global forest carbon sequestration, study finds Published On: January 15, 2024 Written By: Lauren Barnett, University of Florida Contact: Jim Erickson Social Media: Share on: Share on Twitter Share on Facebook Share on LinkedIn Study: Climate change determines the sign of productivity trends in US forests (DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2311132121) Climate change is reshaping forests differently across the United States, according to a new analysis of U.S. Forest Service data. With rising temperatures, escalating droughts, wildfires and disease [...]
Kai Zhu visited Yale University, co-hosted by the Hixon Center for Urban Sustainability and the Forest School at the Yale School of the Environment. On Nov 9, 2023, Kai gave a seminar talk titled "Plant biodiversity responses to climate change: Contrasting implications from forests and grasslands."
Lab members and friends enjoyed the 117th Annual SEAS Campfire on Sep 22 in Saginaw Forest. Yi and Jiali won a cool "prize" in the traditional log sawing competition, and Tim wore waders, winning the championship!