2012 Cofrin Symposium to spotlight eight student researchers

The annual Cofrin Student Symposium — in which student researchers receiving Cofrin Grants for study on University-managed natural areas report back their findings — will take place from 1 to 4 p.m. Tuesday, March 6, in the 1965 Room of the University Union. Even if you can attend only for a talk or two, it’s an opportunity for members of the campus community to gain a feel for the quality of student research taking place through the auspices of the Cofrin Center for Biodiversity and faculty in NAS and the ES&P master’s program.  Prof. Bob Howe will offer a welcome and overview at 1 p.m. The rest is as follows:

1:15 p.m. — Lindsey Bender, Effects of understory herbaceous community composition on soil microbial respiration, soil nutrient cycling, and microbial community composition

1:35 p.m. — Nick Janak, The effect of dead fine root inputs on soil microbial biomass and enzyme activity – the path to soil organic matter accumulation

1:55 p.m. — Jesse Weinzinger, Mammal Survey of the Wabikon Lake Forest Dynamics Plot

2:15 p.m. — Alicia Brunner, Monitoring eastern bluebird nest boxes at the UW-Green Bay campus

2:35 p.m. — Gary Wauters, A Mammal Survey of the Brussels Hill Pit Cave

2:55 p.m. — David Lawrence, Continued Baseline Study of Fish Assemblages in the Wequiock Creek Estuary, at Point au Sable Wisconsin, Including Quatrefoil Light Traps

3:15 p.m. — Ashley Fehrenbach, Diversity of the herbaceous layer with respect to light availability and topography at the Wabikon Lake Forest Dynamics Plot in northern Wisconsin

3:35 p.m. — Kari Hagenow, Examining the Potential for Density-dependent Seedling Mortality within a Temperate Forest Plot in Northern Wisconsin