Four students receive Kansas Biological Survey Student Research Awards for 2026
LAWRENCE — The Kansas Biological Survey & Center for Ecological Research at the University of Kansas has awarded $4,000 in funding this spring for student research to be conducted in the coming academic year. Four students will receive assistance through the research center’s 2026 Student Research Awards.
The students’ work covers subjects such as prairie restoration following redcedar invasion and belowground dynamics in prairie plants. In spring 2027, each student will give a presentation on their research.
The Kansas Biological Survey & Center for Ecological Research houses a diverse group of ecological research and remote sensing/GIS programs. It also manages the 3,200-acre KU Field Station, a resource for study in the sciences, arts, humanities and professional schools.
“This year’s awardees are doing impressive research on problems that matter in Kansas,” said Sara Baer, who chairs the awards committee. “We’re very happy to provide assistance.”
Baer is a senior scientist and director of the Kansas Biological Survey & Center for Ecological Research as well as a KU professor of ecology & evolutionary biology.
The individual awards and recipients are listed below. Each award is funded through KU Endowment, the independent, nonprofit organization serving as the official fundraising and fund-management organization for KU.
Kenneth B. Armitage Award
The Kenneth B. Armitage Award provides support for research conducted by an undergraduate or graduate student at the KU Field Station. Yufan Zhou, doctoral student in ecology & evolutionary biology from Urumqi, Xinjiang Province, China, was awarded funding for his project, “Can plant-soil feedback predict microbially mediated plant competition and overyielding in native Kansas prairie species?” His advisers are Maggie Wagner, associate professor of ecology & evolutionary biology and an associate scientist at the Kansas Biological Survey & Center for Ecological Research; and Jim Bever, Foundation Distinguished Professor of Ecology & Evolutionary Biology and a senior scientist at the Kansas Biological Survey & Center for Ecological Research.
The W. Dean Kettle Conservation Award
The W. Dean Kettle Conservation Award provides support for research conducted by an undergraduate or graduate student at the KU Field Station in the area of natural resource conservation. Martel Ellis, graduate student in ecology & evolutionary biology from Romulus, Michigan, was awarded funding for his project, “Completing the root economics spectrum in Tripsacum dactyloides (eastern gamagrass): Quantifying root nitrogen to integrate belowground trait strategies.” His adviser is Maggie Wagner, associate professor of ecology & evolutionary biology and an associate scientist at the Kansas Biological Survey & Center for Ecological Research.
Mari F. Pesek Award
The Mari F. Pesek Award provides support for research conducted by a graduate student at the KU Field Station. Holly Andres, doctoral student in ecology & evolutionary biology from Lawrence, was awarded $1,000 in funding for her project, “Disentangling biotic and abiotic soil legacies in tallgrass prairie restoration following Juniperus virginiana encroachment.” Her adviser is Ben Sikes, professor of ecology & evolutionary biology and a senior scientist at the Kansas Biological Survey & Center for Ecological Research.
Kansas Biological Survey & Center for Ecological Research Awards
The Kansas Biological Survey & Center for Ecological Research Awards provide support for research conducted by one or more undergraduate or graduate students. Lola Klamm, doctoral student in ecology & evolutionary biology from Boise, Idaho, was awarded funding for her project, “The interactive effects of root water uptake and soil organic carbon loss on soil structure.” Her adviser is Sharon Billings, University Distinguished Professor of Ecology & Evolutionary Biology and a senior scientist at the Kansas Biological Survey & Center for Ecological Research.