ALABAMA
FORESTS &
COMMUNITIES
CENTER FOR
FOREST
ECOSYSTEM
ASSESSMENT
SPECIAL POINTS
OF IN TE REST:
President Hugine visits Nanjing Forestry University in
China to commemorate their
110th anniversary and to
pledge his support for our
strengthening relations. Page
6
Upcoming meetings and
conferences listed—be sure
to submit your abstracts!
Page 9
INSIDE THIS
ISSUE:
Meet the
2
Newcomers
Research: Update on 3
Prescribed Fire
Research
Student Focus:
3
Rashidah Farid
REU: Our First
5
China Experience
President Hugine
6
travels to China
Education: AAMU’s
F A L L
2 0 1 2
IN THIS ISSUE:
The Center for Forest Ecosystem Assessment has once again had a busy year.
We have a number of new graduate students gracing the Alabama A&M University halls and classrooms, and who will be
conducting research among us, as well as
a few new staff members.
We started off our new Research Experiences for Undergraduates program in
China with a bang, and we are already
looking ahead to the 2013 program!
Feedback from participants will be used
to make the coming years even better.
Research on the Cumberland Plateau has
continued unabated. Dr. Callie Schweitzer updates us on what has been happen- REU undergrad and graduate students climbing the Great Wall of
ing at the William B. Bankhead National
China, summer 2012.
Forest. In addition, Rashidah Farid, MS
activities, only a few of which are presented in
candidate studying genetic bottlenecking in amphibians
these pages. We invite you to take the time to
on the Bankhead National Forest talks about what got
peruse our newsletter and visit our website at
her interested in research.
www.aamu.edu/cfea. And may you have a producWe also participated in multiple education and outreach
tive semester.
2013 NSF East Asia and Pacific Summer Institutes for U.S. Graduate Students (EAPSI)—
Solicitation closing date: November 8, 2012. For more information, visit: https://www.nsf.gov/funding/
pgm_summ.jsp?pims_id=5284&org=BIO
8
2013 NSF Graduate Research Fellowship Program—Solicitation closing date: from November 13,
2012. For more information, visit: http://www.nsfgrfp.org/
9
2013 EPA Science to Achieve Results (STAR) Fellowships for Graduate Environmental Study—
Solicitation closing date: November 27, 2012. For more information, visit: http://epa.gov/ncer/
rfa/2013/2013_star_gradfellow.html
Fair
own FireDawgs
Meetings
Upcoming Events
9
CFEA Seminar
11
Series
1
8
3rd Annual Forestry
Conferences/
I S S U E
Upcoming Research Scholarship & Fellowship Deadlines
Program
Outreach: AAMU’s
2 ,
7
EnvironMentor’s
Outreach: AAMU’s
V O L U M E
Fall 2012 EPA Greater Research Opportunities (GRO) Fellowships for Undergraduate Environmental Study—Solicitation closing date: December 5, 2012. For more information, visit: epa.gov/ncer/
rfa/2013/2013_gro_undergrad.html
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CFEA Welcomes new students and staff! !
The Center for Forest Ecosystem Assessment would like to welcome new
and incoming students and staff. Below are our new research associate
students as well as our new staff. If you see them, please introduce yourself!
Jonjala Jackson (MS candidate)
Ms. Jackson received a BS in Environmental Science
with a concentration in Environmental Health from
AAMU (2011). She is currently pursuing an MS in
Soil Science with Dr. Elica Moss as her advisor. Her
research is focused on ecosystem functions and
processes in disturbed forest ecosystems.
Dessy Owiti (MS candidate)
Ms. Owiti is originally from Nairobi Kenya. She
received her BS in biology from University of Alabama Huntsville (2010). She is working with Dr.
Irenus Tazisong as her advisor, on carbon enzymes
and the catalysis processes in forest soils.
Eric Margenau (MS candidate)
Mr. Margenau received his BS from St. Cloud State
University in Minnesota. He is working towards his
MS with Dr. Yong Wang as his advisor. His interest
is in avian ecology, and he will be studying the postfledging dispersal of four species: black-and-white
warbler, hooded warbler, Kentucky warbler, and
worm-eating warbler.
Loutrina Staley (PhD candidate)
Ms. Staley received her BS in Horticulture from
Andrews University in Michigan (2010) and her MS
in Plant and Soil Science from Tuskegee University
in Alabama (2012). Ms. Staley joined the CFEA team
in the fall of 2012 to pursue her PhD with Dr.
Ermson Nyakatawa as her advisor. She will be researching carbon sequestration and greenhouse gas
emissions in forest ecosystems.
Johnathan Hill (MS candidate)
Mr. Hill obtained his BS in Forest Management in
May 2012 from AAMU. He is currently pursuing a
MS in Plant and Soil Science with a focus on recreation under advisement of Dr. Colemore Christian.
Mr. Hill will be researching ecological impacts resulting from recreation in the Bankhead National
Forest.
Richard Borthwick (MS candidate)
Mr. Borthwick joined the AAMU ranks from west
Canada. He completed a BS with a double major in
natural resource management and wildlife/fisheries
from the University of North British Columbia
(2006). He spent the past six years working as an
ecologist and is a registered Professional Biologist in
Canada. With Dr. Yong Wang as his advisor, he
will be looking at the impacts of surface mine reclamation on bird communities.
A L A B A M A
F O R E S T S
&
C O M M U N I T I E S
Maribel Mojica-Howell, PhD (staff)
Dr. Mojica-Howell is currently working as a consultant with the CFEA sub-project III to assess
the human dimensions of land cover change and
the factors influencing land use strategies. Dr.
Howell earned her Ph.D. from West Virginia
University in 2009 with a degree in Natural Resource Economics. Her research focuses on entrepreneurship and economic development, direct marketing of agricultural products, community and rural development, management of natural resources, land use and land use change, and
human capital.
Tilak Shrestha, PhD (staff)
Dr. Shrestha received his MS in Geography from
Florida State University and his Ph.D. in Remote
Sensing and Geography from the University of
Florida. He taught in Tri-Chandra College, Kathmandu and University of Memphis, TN. Dr.
Shrestha administrated environmental issues in
MAB of UNESCO, and Kathmandu. He also did
research and development in applied remote
sensing for watershed areas of New York state
and managed and completed Photogrammetry
projects in Atlanta. He is currently doing remote
sensing research and development for the Alabama 'Black belt' region.
Andrew Cantrell (field research associate)
Mr. Cantrell graduated from AAMU with his MS
in wildlife ecology in spring 2011. He is currently
working with Dr. Yong Wang as a field research
associate. He has taken a proactive community
role, both at AAMU and in the City of Huntsville,
as a mentor for the EnvironMentors program,
and as a volunteer for the Huntsville Land Trust.
He has been writing manuscripts for publication,
and assisting various ongoing wildlife research
projects.
Jianqiang Li, PhD (Post-Doc)
Dr. Li is a post doctoral fellow from China, interested in studying the behavior of birds. He received his PhD from Beijing Normal University in
ornithology. His research focuses on the nesting
and social behavior of several species of tits
(Paridae) in the Dongzhai National Nature Reserve in Henan Province, China. He conducts his
field research in China and spends about half the
year there.
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Research on the Cumberland Plateau
The Center for Forest Ecosystem Assessment collaborates in a variety of
ecological and silvicultural research projects, both long– and short-term.
PRESCRIBED FIRE RESEARCH: FOCUS ON FOREST
VEGETATION AND FUELS
Callie Jo Schweitzer, Research Forester, USDA Forest
Understanding the use of fire in upland hardwood systems continues to
be a focus of research of the USDA Forest Service’s Southern Research
Station’s Upland Hardwood Ecology and Management work unit. We
have partnered with two National Forests, the William B. Bankhead in
Alabama and the Daniel Boone in Kentucky, and scientists with the
USDA Forest Service’s Northern Research Station, to study how prescribed fire, as applied by Forest Service managers, is impacting forest
vegetation and fuel dynamics.
Prescribed fire is purported to be used to promote the regeneration of
particular species, especially oak, and to reduced fuel loading. We are
discovering that the judicious use of fire at certain stages in the life
cycle of oak may favor its dominance over competing vegetation, but
the response is dependent on many factors, including site quality, species composition and structure, season of fire and fire return interval.
Concerns over adverse effects fire may have on timber quality and
volume production are also being addressed. Fire applied at the wrong
time in a developing oak forest can cause substantial damage in the
form of mortality, and in bole wounding that potentially can lead to
decay that causes loss of volume, growth, quality and devaluation of the
forest.
Vegetative growth after a prescribed burn in Daniel Boone National Forest,
Kentucky.
We are also quantifying the fuel on the forest floor by transect sampling, as well as collecting, sorting, drying and weighing fuel components. Harvesting caused a significant increase in the forest floor fuel
load of the bark, litter and ten-hour fuel components.
Following an initial burn and then another 3 years later, there were no
differences in fuel loads for these components among thin only, burn
only, and thin and burn treatments.
By 2014, we will have data for all treatment stands following three, 3year burn interval treatments, as well as initial responses from stands
subjected to two, 9-year burn intervals. Forest managers are keenly
interested in using these vegetation and fuel data to help them adapt
their management plans, and the scientists are grateful to the managers
for their assistance and support in this research.
Dr. Schweitzer is a hardwood research forester in the Cumberland Plateau
region of Alabama and Tennessee for the USDA Forest Service.
STUDENT FOCUS: RASHIDAH FARID, MS CANDIDATE
Lisa Gardner
The Student Focus section focuses on
a graduate student currently conducting research at AAMU and affiliated
with CFEA. CFEA Technical Manager
Lisa Gardner posed several questions
to Ms. Farid about her interest in wildlife and what drew her to her education and career choices.
First, introduce yourself. (RF) As
a youth in rural Henry County Alabama, I spent many days in solitude
with nature. The woodlands of my
backyard were my personal playground. It was there that I developed
my passion for wildlife and ecology. I
recall being captivated for hours simply
observing an active ant hill or the locomotion of a millipede. In those early
moments of my life, I learned patience
and developed my life passion for wildlife and conservation.
Graduate student Rashidah Farid
holds a hellbender salamander
(Cryptobranchus alleganiensis),
North America’s largest species
of this group of amphibians, and a
native to parts of eastern and
midwestern United States.
(continued on page 4)
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(Farid, continued from page 3)
I majored in Animal Science when I was a freshman at Tuskegee University. Animal science provided a more complete understanding of
animal behavior and biology than wildlife management did. I loved
animal science for the guts, goo and glory! In my sophomore year, I
had the pleasure of working as a Student Conservation Association
intern with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service at Back Bay National
Wildlife Refuge, Virginia Beach, VA. Although I applied for a biological position, I was selected for a public relations position; and the
first African American intern to work at Back Bay. But I did not let
the title “Public Relations Intern” discourage me. I accepted the position and once on site, I quickly proved myself to be “tough enough”
for conservation work. At Back Bay, my work mainly centered on
environmental educa-tion, conservation work with loggerhead sea
turtles and invasive species management. Interestingly enough, one of
my responsibilities on sea turtle portal was to take tissue samples
from strangling for genetic analyzes.
After receiving your BS from Tuskegee University, how
come you didn’t go straight to graduate school? What did
you do? I knew I wanted to go the graduate school and major in
something related to wildlife and conservation, but I could not find a
genuine interest in any specific area. So I took a research based position with U.S. National Park Service at Denali National Park, Alaska
as a Road Capacity Study Intern. The purpose of the study was to
monitor migration patterns of the park’s wildlife to determine
whether park road traffic was having a negative effect on their movements and behavior across the landscape. The work was physically
difficult but the biggest challenge was the park wilderness. I never
really felt relaxed because the dangers were always real. The landscape was unbelievably beautiful and vast beyond what I had imaged.
Though the experience was educational, in the end, I appreciated the
experience of being a human animal apart from the natural elements.
In Denali National Park, you cannot escape or tame the wildness,
you just live within it.
Soon after leaving Denali, I went to work for the Missouri Department of Conservation in Jefferson City, MO. I worked as a temporary hirer mainly for the Biotics Mapping and Tracking Program. I
worked under a wonderful mentor; she taught me the basic of GIS,
imagery application and species population tracking. On my down
time, I could schedule to work with different biologists in the department for a week at a time. This gave me the opportunity to explore
different wildlife related fields that I had not considered before. This
most interesting of these experiences was working with the state
herpetologist and cave biologist. I was fortunate to be given the opportunity to go caving on the job. We also worked to build cave
gates to protect Indian bats. I found working with steal and welding
very gratifying. But I am most appreciative of MDC for re-introducing
to me the world of amphibians. Freshwater snorkeling for hellbenders is an experience I will never forget and one day hope to do again.
Briefly describe your current research. I am currently a master’s student under Drs. Soliman and Wang, in plant and molecular
biology. My research focus is landscape and canopy cover long term
impacts on genetic diversity of amphibian populations at Bankhead
National Forest. By studying polymorphic variations of select SSRs
within ecologically different populations. The research project objectives are to (1) evaluate if genetic bottleneck events are present, (2)
determine the current level of genetic variation per species and (3)
determine whether those events can be directly coordinated to specific habitat features.
With semi-permeable skin and life cycle based both in water and on
land, amphibians are dramatically affected by changes in canopy cover
and demographics, hydrology and climate change. Therefore, in a
forest community that has experienced dynamic changes in tree
composition, amphibian populations’ genetic variations may reflect
periods of resource limitation, supporting the bottleneck theory
over multiply generations. The specific research hypothesis is that
silvicultural practices have had a noticeable effect on the genetic
diversity of pool breeding amphibians. Bottlenecks, long standing
reductions in population size, were effectively determined by measuring genotype frequencies at multiple polymorphic loci at a single
point in time (Beebee and Rowe, 2001). The test requires the determination of genotype frequencies at multiple polymorphic loci at a
single point in time, based on the expectation that a bottlenecked
population will demonstrate an excess of heterozygosity over the
expected, under mutation-drift equilibrium.
To read the full article, please visit the CFEA website at www.aamu.edu/
cfea.
Ms. Farid also traveled to China with the
REU program where she helped to mentor undergraduate students and conducted her own independent research project.
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International experience,
Research & collaboration
Our international attention was definitely on China in 2012!
Though students and faculty visited many interesting attractions in Nanjing, research was the top priority, and students spent long hours at
least five days a week for four short weeks collecting data to analyze
Lisa Gardner, REU Assistant Coordinator
and present to NFU. David Farris, from the University of Connecticut,
met with Dr. Jianqiang Li most mornings and afternoons to do bird
point counts at over 140 randomly selected sites around the city in
AAMU has been working on building relations with a variety of revarying states of urbanization—a task that was far more difficult than it
search and education entities in the People’s Republic of China for
sounds. The purpose of which was to compare species richness beseveral years now, thanks in large part to Dr. Yong Wang’s diligence.
tween highly urbanized and less urbanized areas. Another student, JoanThis summer, we got to experience the fruits of his labor through our
na Kukla from Michigan State University, spent long hours in the lab
very first international Research Experiences for Undergraduates (REU,
extracting and purifying RNA of Camellia chekiangoleosa (a type of tea
National Science Foundation, NSF) program, hosted in China by Nanused to produce tea oil), amplifying the full length cDNA of same plant,
jing Forestry University (NFU).
cloning targeted genes, and sequencing the cloned DNA. She recently
A total of sixteen people traveled to Nanjing, China (see table, page x). won a travel award to present her REU findings at the Plant and Animal
Eight undergraduate students from six different institutions, including
Genome XXI Conference 2013. Just as these two students spent long
AAMU, plus four AAMU graduate students (funded through the Nahours gathering data for their own research, so did the other six stutional Institute of Food and Agriculture), and three faculty conducted
dents. Please visit the AAMU REU website for more detailed inforresearch in NFU labs and in a variety of urban, suburban, and agriculmation.
tural areas in and around Nanjing, China. In addition, visitors experienced the culture, got to know the people, and consumed a whole host
of foods that were likely not considered ‘food’ by the consumer prior
to visiting China. When was the last time you ate whole (cooked) eels,
sea cucumber, pig ears, or pufferfish?
RESEARCH EXPERIENCES FOR UNDERGRADUATES IN
CHINA
Prior to travel, students received a three day orientation at AAMU to
prepare them for international travel. Once at NFU and prior to beginning their research, students took language, cultural, and history classes,
and participated in NFU-hosted tours of some of the more popular
cultural sites in Nanjing. After students conducted their research (a
brief four weeks!), they gave PowerPoint presentations—both of their
findings and their cultural observations—to an NFU auditorium packed
with students and faculty.
Students and faculty stayed in Nanjing for five weeks. In this time, they
explored the city by foot, bus, taxi, and subway. They became intimately familiar with the city in a way that tourists almost never experience
when visiting a foreign land. While in Nanjing, students climbed Purple
Mountain; visited Dr. Sun Yat Sen’s Mausoleum; observed as weavers
created hand-made silk tapestries in the Jacquard Museum; paid tribute
to the 300,000 fallen victims of the massacre by the Japanese during
World War II, as commemorated in the Nanjing Massacre Memorial
Hall; posed with enormous hand-carved mythical figures at the Xiaoling
Mausoleum of the Ming Dynasty; and visited a wide variety of stunningly
beautiful gardens.
A L A B A M A
F O R E S T S
&
Students, faculty, staff and Chinese collaborators pose in front of a bronze
urn on the Nanjing Forestry University in China, 2012.
After presenting their research findings at NFU, and after a wonderful
and warm good-bye banquet hosted by the President pro tem Dr. Feng
Chaonian (NFU’s top official), as well as all of our collaborators, everybody traveled to Beijing by China’s famous high speed train, which traveled upwards of 300 miles per hour.
C O M M U N I T I E S
(continued on page 11)
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PRESIDENT HUGINE VISITS NANJING FORESTRY
UNIVERSITY IN CHINA Yong Wang, CFEA Director
Alabama A&M University (AAMU) President Dr. Andrew Hugine, Jr.
travelled to China October 15~21, 2012, accompanied by Dr. Lloyd
Walker, Interim Dean of the College of Agricultural, Life and Natural
Sciences, and Dr. Yong Wang, Principle Investigator of the AAMU Research Experiences for Undergraduates (REU) in China Program funded
by National Science Foundation (NSF). The visit was prompted by an
invitation from our partner in China, Nanjing Forestry University
(NFU), for the grand celebration of its 110th anniversary, and to further explore opportunities for international research and education
collaboration between the two institutions.
One of the main orders of business while in China was to pay an official
visit to the National Center for Chinese Education and the Headquarters of Confucius Institute (CI) in Beijing (http://english.hanban.org/
node_7716.htm). In 2011, the two institutions jointly initiated an effort
to establish a Confucius Institute at AAMU and have been working
together to develop a proposal for the CI Headquarters. President
Hugine and delegate accompanied Dr. Li Pingping, Vice President of the
Office of International Affairs and Dr. Fang Shengzuo, the Director of
the Office of International Cooperation and Exchange at NFU to personally present the CI proposal to the top Confucius Institute officials
in China. If the proposal is accepted, a CI will be established on the
AAMU campus with the purpose of fostering a greater understanding
and appreciation of Chinese culture. The University has received broad
support for the establishment of a CI on the campus, including the
Board of Trustees, the Mayor of Huntsville, the Chinese American
Community, and the
Chamber of Commerce,
among others. AAMU
has already identified a
space to house the Institute and will commit
other resources as well
for its establishment and
operation. We hope the
proposal will be ap-
proved soon so we can begin actively establishing the Institute on campus in 2013.
Additionally, the delegates attended a ceremonial signing on the NFU
campus of a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between the two
universities. Both institutions are committed to proactively preparing
students for an increasingly global environment and want to work together to further this goal. Our collaborative journey began in 2009,
with initial support from the United States Department of Agriculture
(USDA) and NSF. In the past four years, thirty five (35) faculty, staff and
students have visited China on behalf of AAMU. This past summer
(2012), students (12) and faculty/staff (5) conducted research at NFU
through the REU program, (see pg. 5), which continues through 2014.
Additionally, we have added two new courses to our curriculum for
international internship experience, and we are confident they will result in more students and faculty participating in the exchange program
between AAMU and NFU. We are
excited about the possibility of a Confucius Institute and are looking forward to a future of long-term, close
collaborations with NFU.
Photos clockwise from top. (top) The signing ceremony of MOU between
AAMU and NFU on October 19, 2012. Front: AAMU President Dr. Andrew
Hugine and NFU President Dr. Chao Fuliang. Back: (from right) Dr. Lv Zhiying,
Deputy Director of the Office of Science and Technology; Dr. Huang Xin, Association Dean of College of Civil Engineering; Dr. Zhou Hongping, Dean of College of Mechanical and Electronic Engineering; Dr. Zhou Handong, Dean of College of Wood Science and Technology; Dr. Ye Jianren, Dean of College of Forest
Resources and Environment; Dr. Li Pingping, Vice President for International
Affairs; Dr. Lloyd Walker, Dean of College of Agricultural, Life and Natural Sciences (AAMU); Dr. Zhang Jinchi, Dena of Graduate School; Dr. Yong Wang
(AAMU); Dr. Gao Handong, Deputy Director of Office of Teaching Affairs; Dr.
Ding Yulong, Dean of College of International Education; Dr. Fang Shengzuo,
Director of Office of International Cooperation and Exchange; and Dr. Shi
Dongrong, Deputy Director of International Cooperation and Exchange; (above)
President Andrew Hugine and Dean Lloyd Walker visited the Tissue Culture Lab
of Nanjing Forestry University; (left) President Andrew Hugine delivered a speech
on behalf of AAMU and as a representative of all international delegates invited
to attend the celebration event for the 110 anniversary of the founding of NFU
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Education & outreach
The Center for Forest Ecosystem Assessment participates in a number of
educational and outreach activities.
AAMU’S ENVIRONMENTORS PROGRAM
Wubishet Tadesse, Chapter Director
The AAMU EnvironMentors Chapter (Chapter Director – Dr.
Wubishet Tadesse, and Coordinator – Jasmine Mitchell) began the
2011-12 Academic year with 12 students and mentors. We recruited students from Johnson High School due, in part, to
AAMU’s existing relationship with Johnson High School, AP Environmental Science teacher, Ms. Colette Moultry, and the North
Alabama Center for Educational Excellence (NACEE). Each student who completed the program (finishing both fall and spring
semesters, and completing a research project) was awarded a
$700 stipend, provided by USDA-NIFA Capacity Building grant
(Grant Award Number: 2011-38821-30968). NACEE, which also
participates in the AAMU “Earn and Learn” summer mentoring
program, helped the AAMU Chapter in recruiting as well as with
student transportation to and from our campus. At the end of the
program, nine students satisfactorily finished the program, and one
of the student, Asia Jefferson, mentored by Andrew Cantrell, travelled to Washington, DC on May 23-25, 2012, to attend the Na-
Name
Mentors and students for the 2011-2012 EnvironMentors program.
tional Fair.
For the 2012-2013 academic year, eight students have been selected
to participate in this year’s EnvironMentors program. Eight mentors
will be chosen this week, and the program is scheduled to begin on
October 26, 2012. Each mentor will consult with their student to
determine an appropriate research subject, and they will meet every
week for around three hours.
For more information, contact Dr. Tadesse at 256-372-4252.
AAMU EnvironMentor ParƟcipants for Academic Year 2011–2012
Grade
Mentor
Project Title
Xavier Scruggs
11th
Dawn Lemke
Land use land cover change in urbanized Huntsville, Alabama using GIS
Delvan Kelly
12th
Lisa Gardner
Comparison of bird abundance and species diversity between a riparian forest/agricultural edge habitat and a mixed forest/field habitat
Queena Elliot
11th
Dr. Elica Moss
Determining the abundance of fecal bacteria in stream water
Victoria Bell
12th
Douglas Washington
Characterize soil profile
Taurice Davis
12th
Heather Howell
Bacteria counts in selected streams in Madison county
Asia Jefferson
12th
Andrew Cantrell
Evaluating herpetofaunal communities in different habitats
Lendon Love
12th
Dr. Ernst Cebert
Regeneration of Jatropha curcas seedlings, a feedstock for biofuels
Dequasia Timmons
12th
Dr. Ernst Cebert
Regeneration of Jatropha curcas seedlings, a feedstock for biofuels
Shana Williams
12th
Allison Bohlman
Assessing water quality within Madison county to determine pollutants
of concern
A L A B A M A
F O R E S T S
&
C O M M U N I T I E S
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AAMU’S 3RD ANNUAL FORESTRY FAIR
Mathias Wallace, President, AAMU Forestry Club
AAMU hosted its 3rd annual Forestry Fair on the AAMU campus in the
Quad on September 25th. This event—co-organized by the USDA Forest Service, the AAMU Forestry, Ecology, and Wildlife Department, and
the AAMU Foresty Club—provided an opportunity for elementary-aged
students (5th graders from Martin Luther King Jr. Elementary and Rolling
Hills Elementary) to learn about forest-related subjects in an interactive
and sometimes hands-on manner.
Mathias Wallace, President of the Forestry Club and a senior Forestry
major, coordinated this event. Students were sectioned into manageablesized groups and visited each station in a circuit, after which they ate
lunch provided by the Office of Student Activities and the Forestry Club.
Students had the opportunity to learn about the basics of watersheds
and some things to consider in their proper management; healthy forests
and their relationship to healthy watersheds and species diversity; the
difference between a ‘good’ fire and a ‘bad’ fire, and using fire as a management tool for forests; forest wildlife; and ‘tools of the trade,’ as they
Daryl Lawson and some of the FireDawgs crew demonstrate some of
the gear used for fighting wildfires, and gear used in establishing controlled fires for forest management the annual Forestry Fair on September 25th.
ers and participants who, collectively, made this a great success! With
the continued support of all those involved, this event will become a
fall mainstay on the Quad.
If you would like to participate in next year’s Forestry Fair, contact Dr. William Stone at 256-372-4248.
FIREDAWGS
Daryl Lawson , FireDawgs Coordinator
Smokey Bear high-fives a student during the annual Forestry Fair on
September 25th.
cheered on forestry students who competed in log cutting and axe
throwing contests.
The USDA Forest Service (Bankhead National Forest) helped out, with
wildlife and forestry-driven information for children. Dozens of Smokey
Bear items and gift bags were provided by the Public Affairs division of
the National Forests in Alabama, Smokey the Bear was on hand to remind kids to be conscientious of fire, and to high-five the kids as well.
Transportation, trash cans, and a moon bounce was provided by Commissioner Bob Harrison of District 6. It was a great event and the weather could not have been more perfect! Many kudos go out to the organiz-
The FireDawgs program, headed by Daryl Lawson, is continuing to
gain credibility as undergraduate students receive hands-on experiences. The FireDawgs / AAMU Forestry will now be assisting with prescribed burning and natural resource management on four state parks
in north Alabama, thanks to a memorandum of understanding (MOU)
between AAMU and the Alabama State Park System in North Alabama. In spring of 2012, twelve students operated a booth at the
Hayes Nature Preserve’s Annual Earth Day event. Two separate
booths included SAF Forestry information, and the FireDawgs wildland
fire booth. This summer, 25 students secured summer internships
with various state, local, and federal agencies. Many students were
assigned wildland fire duties, along with various other natural resource
management assignments – congratulations! In September of this year,
six of our FEWP students became certified as Burn Managers in the
State of Alabama. Forty students participated in this year’s Forestry
Fair (also in Sept), helping teach 5th and 6th graders about forests,
watersheds, wildlife, and methods to manage them for their—and
our—better health.
Daryl Lawson is FireDawgs Coordinator, and CFEA
Outreach Coordinator. For more information on
the FireDawgs, please contact him at 256-3728287.
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Upcoming events
Please check in with the CFEA and AAMU websites for more complete
listing of upcoming events.
Association of Southeastern Biologists
April 10-13, 2013, Charleston, WV
Deadline for abstracts: Feb 1, 2013
http://www.sebiologists.org/meetings.html
CONFERENCES & MEETINGS
Conference and meeting attendance is a priority for research-minded
AAMU students. Presenting at conferences gives students experience in
presenting to large groups of their peers, allows them to see what others in their field are doing (and to compare notes, so to speak), and to
network with possible future employers and collaborators.
Ecological Society of America
August 4-9, 2013, Minneapolis, MN
Deadline for abstracts: Feb 21, 2013
http://www.esa.org/minneapolis/
Soil Science Society of America
November 3-6, 2013, Tampa, FL
Below is a number of the more common conferences attended by some Deadline for abstracts: tba
of our students. As a research student, you should be considering which www.acsmeetings.org/meetings
conferences you want to attend this academic year, and prepare acBiennial Southern Silvicultural Research Conference
cordingly. Often, oral/poster presentation abstracts are due months in March 5-7, 2013, Shreveport, LA
Deadline for abstracts: CLOSED
advance of the event!
http://www.bssrc.org/17thbssrc/Welcome.html
Many conferences and meetings offer student travel awards, and if you
Southeast Partners in Amphibian and Reptile Conservation
present your research at a conference (representing AAMU in the pro(SEPARC)
cess), you will be reimbursed for your registration fees and travel exFeb 21-24, 2013, Hickory Knob State Resort Park, SC
Deadline, oral: Dec 2, 2012; Deadline, poster: Feb 8, 2013
penses. Talk to your advisor for more information.
http://www.separc.org/home
For more upcoming conferences, see the CFEA website
U.S. Regional Association of the International Association for
(www.aamu.edu/cfea) in the News & Events link. If you don't see a
Landscape Ecology
conference or meeting listed and would like it listed, please contact Lisa
April 14-18, 2013, Austin, TX
@ x5950 or by email: lisa.barillas@aamu.edu.
Deadline for abstracts: tba
http://usiale.org/
90th Annual Meeting of the Alabama Academy of
Science
March 20-22, 2013, Samford University, AL
Deadline for abstracts: tba
http://alabamaacademyofscience.org/
American Ornithologist’s Union / Cooper Ornithological Society
August 14-19, 2013, Chicago, IL
Deadline for abstracts: tba
http://www.aou.org/meetings/
American Society of Ichthyologists and Herpetologists
July 10-15, 2013, Albuquerque, NM
Deadline for abstracts: tba
http://www.asih.org/annualmeetings
F O R E S T S
&
OTHER EVENTS
GIS Day at AAMU: Discovering the World Through GIS
November 14, 2012, 9:00am-noon; Carver Complex South
For more information, contact Dr. Wubishet Tadesse at 256-372-4252
and visit www.gisday.com
Alabama Chapter of the Wildlife Society
March 13-14, 2013, Auburn University, AL
Deadline: tba
http://www.actws.org/
A L A B A M A
For updates on upcoming conferences and meetings, please visit the
CFEA website at www.aamu.edu/cfea.
Extension Youth Day at Auburn University
Saturday, November 17th; $15 registration fee
Participate in Extension Youth Day before you watch AAMU Bulldogs play Auburn Tigers!
For more information, visit: http://www.aces.edu/4-H-youth/youth/EYD
Research Experiences for Undergraduates in China 2013
Alabama A&M University and Nanjing Forestry University
Summer 2013 (exact dates unknown at this time)
Deadline to apply: tba; we will be accepting applications soon!
Contact Dr. Elica Moss for more information at 256-372-8219
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AAMU Research Experiences for Undergraduates Program in China, 2012 ParƟcipants
Undergraduates
Name
Mentor
Home Institution
Project Title
David Farris
Dr. Yong Wang, Dr. Jianqiang Li,
Dr. Changhu Lu
The Effects of Different Land Use Practices on the
Avian Population in Nanjing, China.
Erin Brechbiel
Dr. Xiongwen Chen, Emily Summers, Dr. Yulong Ding, Dr.
Honghua Ruan, Dr. Lin Cao
Dr. Khairy Soliman, Rashidah Farid,
Dr. Lian Xu
University of Connecticut, Hartford,
CT
Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ
Michigan State University, Lansing, MI
Gene Cloning and Identification of the Fatty Acid
Biosynthetic Pathway in Camellia chekiangoleosa.
Joanna Kukla
An Analysis of Soil Compactness at Six Sites in Jiangsu Province, China.
Calvin Means
Dr. Khairy Soliman, Rashidah Farid,
Dr. Tongming Yin
Alabama A&M University, Normal, AL
Genetic Map Construction of the Salix integra.
Rakeyta Scales
Dr. Elica Moss, Jonjala Jackson, Dr.
Yei Tian, Dr. Shengzhou Fang
Alabama A&M University, Normal, AL
Soil Nutrient Availability at the Chenwei Forest Research Station in Jiangsu Province, China.
Dustin Mielke
Dr. Xiongwen Chen, Emily Summers, Dr. Yulong Ding, Dr.
Honghua Ruan, Dr. Lin Cao
Dr. Elica Moss, Jonjala Jackson, Dr.
Ben Fan
St. Cloud State University,
Distribution Patterns of Plant Branches in Dongtai,
Jiangsu Province, China.
Alabama A&M University, Normal, AL
Dr. Yong Wang, Kevin Messenger,
Dr. Liang Wei
Eastern Illinois University,
Determining Plant Growth Promoting Effect of Potential PGPR (Plant Growth Promoting Rhizobacteria) Strains.
Trouble in Paradise: Examining the Impacts of Human
Activity and Elevational Gradients on the Herpetofauna of Hainan Island.
Nara McCray
Iwo Gross
Graduates
Name
Major Advisor
Project Title
Rashidah Farid
Khairy Soliman
Anthocyanin Pathway Gene Expression in Peach (Prunus persica) Flowers
Emily Summers
Xiongwen Chen
Spatial Dynamics of Air Quality in the Jiansu Province of China
Jonjala Jackson
Elica Moss
Effects of Thinning on Soil Microbial Diversity by DNA Analysis
Kevin Messenger
Yong Wang
Survey of Southern China’s Herpetofauna.
Visiting Faculty
Name
NFU Collaborator(s)
Primary Research Interests
Dr. Yong Wang
Dr. Changhu Lu, Dr. Yulong Ding
Urban ecology, ornithology, herpetology, forest disturbance ecology
Dr. Khairy Soliman
Dr. Tongming Yin, Dr. Lian Xu
Molecular genetics
Dr. Xiongwen Chen
Dr. Honghua Ruan, Dr. Yulong Ding, Dr. Lin Cao
Landscape ecology
Dr. Elica Moss
Dr. Ben Fan, Dr. Yei Tian, Dr. Shen
Environmental science
(REU-China, from page 5)
In Beijing, they experienced a whirlwind tour of the City’s historical
sites. In every one of these sites, there were literally thousands upon
thousands of Chinese tourists, there as tourists as well. REU members
climbed the Great Wall, walked through the halls of the Forbidden
City and the Summer Palace, maneuvered through a crowded Tiananmen Square, and observed the mile-long line of people waiting to see
and pay their respects to Chairman Mao and view his preserved body.
Upon returning to AAMU, students attended statistics and scientific
writing courses (Drs. Yong Wang and David Mays) designed to assist
them in their final scientific paper. They also took a website design
class (Dr. Sha Li) and created websites about their research and culA L A B A M A
F O R E S T S
&
tural experiences. They refined their research findings and presentations,
and presented them a second time around to the AAMU community.
In short, everybody had an experience they will never forget. We are
grateful to NFU’s President for his eagerness to host us and his incredible
sense of gracious hospitality, and we look forward to another successful
REU summer, as well as continuing to strengthen our relationship with
NFU.
For more information and to read our students’ research and cultural
reports, please visit the AAMU REU website at www.aamu.edu/
Academics/alns/bes/Centers/Pages/REU-China!.aspx
If you are interested in participating in the 2013 REU program—as mentor or
student, please contact Dr. Elica Moss at 256-372-8219.
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cfea seminar series
Our Seminar Series brings researchers from all over the world
to AAMU, to share their knowledge—right here at home! Cerulean Warbler captured in the
Walls of Jericho, AL in 2008. This
bird was fitted with a transmitter
and tracked using radio telemetry.
The CFEA Seminar Series is intended to bring outside research to students and faculty, and to promote collaboration. Seminars are typically
held at noon with a pizza lunch and drinks provided.
Last academic year, guests spoke on a wide range of research-related
subjects, including:
 Dr. Shermin de Silva, post-doc at Colorado State University, and
rulean Warbler status and how its protection may tie to the protection of oak forests in Mexico.
 Dr. Bruce Jones, Senior Research Scientist at USGS. Dr. Jones
discussed the National Climate Change and Wildlife Science Center,
and the research this federal agency is currently involved in.
...and more!
Director of the Uda Walawe Elephant Research Project in Sri Lanka.
Subject was population ecology and the human-elephant interface.
Our seminar line-up is not yet determined for the
2012-2013 academic year. If you have somebody in
 Dr. Hank Loescher, Associate Director for Biometeorology for
mind whom you think would be a great seminar
the National Ecological Observatory Network (NEON). Dr. Loeschspeaker of an appropriate topic, please contact
er gave an overview of NEON and its Fundamental Instrument Unit
Lisa Gardner at 256-372-5950. For updates, please
(FIU), and participated in a panel discussion of how AAMU and NEON/FIU could collaborate.
visit our website, www.aamu.edu/cfea.
 Dr. Paul Hamel, USDA Wildlife Biologist from the Center for
Bottomland Hardwoods Research. Dr. Hamel presented on the Ce-
SPECIAL THANKS GO OUT TO OUR COLLABORATORS AND SUPPORTERS!
NATIONAL SCIENCE FOUNDATION’S CREST & REU
PROGRAMS
ALABAMA DEPARTMENT
OF CONSERVATION &
NATURAL RESOURCES
DEPARTMENT OF THE
INTERIOR’S OFFICE OF
SURFACE MINING
USDA FOREST SERVICE BANKHEAD
NATIONAL FOREST
Center for
Forest
Ecosystem
Assessment
The Center for Forest Ecosystem Assessment
(CFEA) at Alabama A&M University in Huntsville,
Alabama is a Center of Research Excellence in Science and Technology (CREST), a National Science
Foundation (NSF) program. NSF, through the
CREST program, provides resources for minorityserving research institutions and acts as a catalyst
College of Agricultural, Life, and Environmental
for the development of education and research in
Sciences
ecology.
Alabama A&M University
Carver Complex South—Rm 212B
CFEA participates in long-term collaborative re-
P.O. Box 1927
search with several state and federal agencies, in-
Normal, AL 35762
cluding the USDA Forest Service and Southern
Visit us at www.aamu.edu/cfea
Research Station, and the Alabama Department of
Conservation and Natural Resources.
Tel: 256-375-5950
Fax: 256-372-8404
For more information, please contact Lisa Gard-
E-mail: cfea@aamu.edu
ner, Technical Manager, at 256-372-5950, or visit
our website.
CFEA Alabama Forests and Communities Newsletter needs
your help!
The CFEA Newsletter is in need of contributors! If you are an affiliate or partner and would like to
contribute an article, please submit! We are seeking research and ecosystem related articles pertinent to the Southeast. This newsletter is printed three times per year: fall (September), spring
(February), and summer (June), so we ask just that you have them to us in advance.
Additionally, if you have any upcoming events you would like advertised (research/ecology/
outreach/education related), we are happy to assist.
Finally—we are looking for volunteers to assist in getting this newsletter prepared and ready for
print in a timely manner. If you have MS Publisher experience and a creative flair and would like to
expand your resume, contact us!
If you are interested in any of the above, please contact Lisa Gardner at 256-372-5950 or
through the CFEA website at www.aamu.edu/cfea.