Michelle Gorham

Duke University, Clark Lab, Durham, NC

I completed my internship at Duke University’s Clark Lab in Durham North Carolina. Clark lab, in combination with Coweeta’s long-term research site, has developed long-term experiments and monitors studies on man-made forest gap sites, seed dispersal sites, and sapling plots. The goal is to determine disturbance and climate affects on the dynamics of 20th century forests in the southern Appalachians including Duke Forest and Coweeta forest of the Carolina Piedmont. Other ecological studies less intensely pursued involved the Pine forest succession sites at Duke University’s Free Air CO2 Experiment (FACE). This site provides data on how changing atmospheric chemistry will, and is, affecting growth in pine forests.
As a field assistant for Clark labs at Duke University, I worked on the research projects of five ecology graduate students. I worked primarily with Mike Dietze, the research assistant for Dr. James Clark. His doctoral thesis was based on wind disturbance, gap dynamics, forest simulation modeling. On a smaller scale, I also worked with the following graduate students on their projects: Inés Ibáñez, who studied plant population dynamics, ecophysiological response to climate change; Michelle Hersh, who studied soil ecology, plant-fungal interactions; Shannon LaDeau, who studied variability in the fecundity of common tree species due to disturbance and climate change; and Mike Wolosin, who studied 3D canopy structure, adult tree growth, remote sensing and statistical modeling.
I went to Duke with the intention of assisting graduate students, and thereby develop my independent study. Upon accepting the job I anticipated assisting with analysis of field data, participating in data collection, and having consistent interaction with Dr. James Clark. However, rather than working with Dr. Clark, an environmental scientist who specializes in fire ecology, I only met with him a few times. After working at Clark lab for a number of weeks, Dr. Clark asked if I would like to start an independent project. However, we decided that a project in his lab would not be mutually beneficial. I concluded that the execution of a study relevant to my interests would then conflict with my obligation as a field assistant for Clark lab. The projects considered had no nexus with my desired independent study.
Throughout the internship, my research skills improved in accuracy and my personal devotion to the research projects increased. When one is personally vested in a job, full dedication is an increasing reality. The job demanded a personal investment and, similarly, a passion about nature. Initially the latter was true for me, but as the summer progressed, both my excitement about the research my desire to obtain successful results increased. My knowledge concerning the effects of climatology, specifically the effects of CO2 on loblolly pine forests, expanded exponentially as I worked intimately in the forests nearly every week.
During my internship, I learned how to voice concerns and opinions in a work setting very different from any that I had previously experienced. While the internship did not meet my assumed expectations, I became well versed in core collection, sapling and tree identification, as well as seed collection and identification for trees of the Southeast. While sampling hemlocks in the Coweeta Long Term Research (LTR) site, I identified the woolly adelgid (Adelges tsugae) on the underside of many Hemlocks (Tsuga candidensis) in high elevations. This was the first sighting in North Carolina. Theoretically an exciting research opportunity, distance prohibited further study of the Adelges tsugae. A student of the University of Georgia’s graduate program is currently studying the adelgid in Coweeta.
I also realized that although field research is interesting and compelling, graduate school in the natural Environmental Sciences is not a field I wish to pursue. I am more interested in humanitarian application of environmental science, including environmental consulting and environmental economics.
My summer internship as a field assistant for Clark Labs prepared me for my independent study project by increasing my knowledge on tree and sapling identification, and I became keenly aware of the biotic diversity within the Carolina Piedmont and Appalachian Mountains. Intense exposure to the environmental effects of geography and geology on species regeneration taught me to more thoroughly analyze the environment. My capacity for understanding forest dynamics and generally ecology grew with extensive observation of forest sites.
For my Independent Study Project, I will develop an interactive adult environmental curriculum for use in sub-urban and urban settings, and to apply it in the City of New London. Through this curriculum, residents will learn about ecology and contemporary environmental issues via interactive lectures and hands-on application. Research and development of lesson plans will be conducted this semester and continue into next semester. The seminars will take place during the spring as inclement fall weather could discourage otherwise interested participants. Immersion in nature and hands-on ecology are elements strongly emphasized in my hypothetical lesson plan, so I want to take full advantage of the outdoors.