Sustainability Leadership Fellowship Cohort: 2011-2012

Ph.D. Student, Department of Biology

Research Summary: The devastating “Dust Bowl” of the 1930’s resulted from severe drought that lasted for multiple years in addition to poor land management practices. Recent climate models predict that extreme weather events, such as severe drought, will occur more frequently and intensely in the future than they have in the past. My research focuses on the ways shortgrass prairies respond to harsh drought conditions, specifically how the plants and soils respond. This research will provide crucial insight for the management of these ecosystems and the services they provide. It will also help prevent any potential future destructive occurrences, such as the ―Dust Bowl‖, given the predicted climate scenarios.