External Organizations

Larry Ford Prescribed Fire Scholarship
Annual Alabama Prescribed Fire Council Meeting
Students:
Josue Chevez-Sahona, MS, Forestry
Kathleen Gabler, PhD, Forestry
Advisor: Heather Alexander

 

Auburn University

College of Forestry, Wildlife and Environment

External Organizations 

African Safari Club of Florida Inc. Graduate Award, $1,000 
African Safari Club of Florida 
Student: Andrea Miranda Paez, PhD student, Wildlife Sciences 
Advisor: Dr. Janna Willoughby

Best Graduate Student Oral Presentation 
Coastal and Estuarine Research Federation 
2023 CERF Conference, Portland, Oregon 
Student: Hannah Henry, MS student, Natural Resources 
Presentation Title: “Angler-Sea Turtle Dynamics on the Alabama Coast” 
Advisors: Drs. Kelly Dunning and Janna Willoughby

Bridge to GVP Program 
U.S. National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR) 
Boulder, Colorado 
Student: Hannah Henry, MS student, Natural Resources 
Advisors: Drs. Kelly Dunning and Janna Willoughby

Coastal and Estuarine Research Federation Rising TIDES Scholarship 
Coastal and Estuarine Research Federation 
Rising TIDES Program 2023, Location: Various (3 funded conferences) 
Student: Hannah Henry, MS student, Natural Resources 
Advisors: Drs. Kelly Dunning and Janna Willoughby 

Conference Travel Grant from the Genetics Society
Genetics Society of America, 2023
Research study title: Virulence genes influence and modulate disease severity in major fungal pathosystems  
Student: Temitope Ruth Folorunso, PhD student, Wildlife Sciences
Advisor: Dr. Janna Willoughby

Farm Bureau Fellowship, 2024
American Farm Bureau
2024 American Farm Bureau Leadership Workshop 
Student: Temitope Ruth Folorunso, PhD student, Wildlife Sciences
Advisor: Dr. Janna Willoughby

Florida Chapter of The Wildlife Society 2023 Undergraduate Student Scholarship 
The Wildlife Society (Florida Chapter) 
Florida Chapter of The Wildlife Society Scholarship Award Ceremony, Jacksonville, Florida 
Student: Hannah Henry, MS student, Natural Resources 
Advisors: Drs. Kelly Dunning and Janna Willoughby 

Forestry & Field Techniques Course Sponsorship $1,200 
Alabama Chapter of The Wildlife Society 
2023 Alabama Chapter of the Wildlife Society Conference
Student: Andrea Miranda Paez, PhD student, Wildlife Sciences
Presentation Title: Field Techniques Course Summer 2023
Advisor: Dr. Janna Willoughby

German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv) Grant
German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research
Student: Vasavi Prakash, PhD student, Wildlife Sciences
Advisor: Dr. Christopher Lepczyk

Graduate Student Policy Award
The Ecological Society of America, 2023
Student: Hannah Henry, MS student, Natural Resources 
Advisors: Drs. Kelly Dunning and Janna Willoughby

MANRRS Gold Scholarship, 2024
Minorities in Agriculture, Natural Resources and Related Sciences (MANRRS)
2024 MANRRS National Conference, Chicago, Illinois
Student: Temitope Ruth Folorunso, PhD student, Wildlife Sciences
Advisor: Janna Willoughby

NASA-MSU Professional Enhancement Award
NASA and Michigan State University
IALE-North American Annual Meeting, Oklahoma City, OK
Student: Ren Cao, PhD student, Forestry, Earth System Science
Advisor: Dr. Li An

NV5 Geospatial Student Spotlight, Summer 2023
Student: Nisham Thapa, PhD student, Forestry
Title of spotlight: Summer Student Spotlight Uses ENVI® to Monitor Invasive Species
Advisor: Dr. Lana Narine

Outstanding Student Presentation Award
American Geophysical Union
2023 AGU Annual Meeting Award Section: Global Environment Change
Student: Thomas Kavoo, MS student in Natural Resources
Presentation title: A Parameter Sensitivity Study of Community Land Model at three National Ecological Observatory Network Tower Sites in the Southeastern United
Advisor: Dr. Sanjiv Kumar

Population Genetics Group 57 Conference Registration and Accommodation Grant
PopGroup57 and Genetics Society, 2023 
Student: Temitope Ruth Folorunso, PhD student, Wildlife Sciences
Research study title: Virulence genes influence and modulate disease severity in major fungal pathosystem  
Advisor: Dr. Janna Willoughby

14th Southern Forestry and Natural Resource Management GIS Conference Best Poster Presentation
Student: Swati Singh, PhD student, Forestry
Presentation Title: BSNB early detection in pine forests Using UAV-based multispectral and LiDAR image datasets
Advisor: Dr. Lana Narine

Summer Institute in Statistical Genetics Scholarship 
University of Washington, Summer Institute in Statistical Genetics (SISG)
Student: Gina Lamka, PhD student, Wildlife Sciences 
Advisor: Dr. Janna Willoughby

Texas A&M Student Workshop on International Coastal and Marine Management (SWIMM) Program 
Texas A&M University 
SWIMM Program 2023, Cancún, Mexico 
Student: Hannah Henry, M.S. student, Natural Resources 
Advisors: Drs. Kelly Dunning and Janna Willoughby

The Wildlife Society Conference Travel Award, $500 
Molecular Ecology Working Group of The Wildlife Society
2023 Wildlife Society National Conference, Louisville, Kentucky
Student: Andrea Miranda Paez, PhD student, Wildlife Sciences
Presentation Title: Analysis of the Population Genetics of the Mulchatna Caribou Herd in Southwest Alaska
Advisor: Dr. Janna Willoughby

The Wildlife Society’s Ronald F. Labisky Graduate Fellowship in Wildlife Policy 
The Wildlife Society 
2023 The Wildlife Society Conference, Louisville, Kentucky 
Student: Hannah Henry, M.S. student, Natural Resources 
Advisors: Drs. Kelly Dunning and Janna Willoughby

Trailblazing Graduate Research Award 
Ecological Society of America 
2023 Annual Meeting of the Ecological Society of America, Portand, OR 
Student: Arthur Lamounier Moura, PhD student, Forestry
Advisor: Dr. Heather D. Alexander

Wild Sheep Foundation Scholarship 
Wild Sheep Foundation 
2023 Scholarship Award Ceremony
Student: Hannah Henry, M.S. student, Natural Resources 
Advisors: Drs. Kelly Dunning and Janna Willoughby

Auburn University

Best Graduate Oral Presentation in CFWE Award
2024 Auburn Research Student Symposium 
Carly Cummings, PhD student, Forestry
Presentation: “Bridging the gap: Enhancing science education and promoting environmental sustainability in Alabama’s schools and communities through equitable and relevant learning experiences.”
Advisor: Dr. Maria Soledad Peresin

C.L. “Shot” Senn Fellowship, 2024
Auburn University Graduate School
Carly Cummings, PhD student, Forestry
Advisor: Dr. Maria Soledad Peresin

James Floyd Goggans Endowed Fellowship in Forest Biology
Swati Singh, PhD student, Forestry
Advisor: Dr. Lana Narine

Merriwether Fellowship
Auburn University Graduate School
Swati Singh, PhD student, Forestry
Advisor: Dr. Lana Narine

NSF National Research Traineeship (NRT) in Climate Resilience
Auburn University NSF National Research Traineeship in Climate Resilience Program
Andres Balder, MS student, Natural Resources
Research Title: “Assessing Tidal Extant of the Mobile-Tensaw- Apalachee River Delta’s Forested Wetlands”
Advisor: Dr. Christopher Anderson

Outstanding Masters’ Student Award
Auburn University Graduate Council
Olivia Sciandra, MS student, Wildlife Sciences
Advisor: Dr. Wes Anderson

Outstanding Masters’ Student Award
Auburn University Graduate School Awards Ceremony
Jace McCauley, MS student, Forestry
Research: Communication between professional foresters and landowners
Advisor: Dr. Adam Maggard

Poster Presentation in CFWE Award
2024 Auburn Research Student Symposium, Auburn University 
Swati Singh, PhD student, Forestry
Presentation: “A comparative analysis of multispectral and lidar UAV-imagery for identifying pine trees infected with brown spot needle blight.”
Advisor: Dr. Lana Narine

Presidential Graduate Research Fellow
Negar Amiri, PhD student, Evolutionary Biology
Research Title: “Conservation genomics of wildlife: how can we use genetic data to inform management of species on the brink of extinction?”
Advisor: Dr. Janna Willoughby

College of Forestry, Wildlife and Environment 

African Safari Club Fellowship
Andrea Miranda Paez, PhD student, Wildlife Sciences
Advisor: Dr. Janna Willoughby

African Safari Club Fellowship
Catherine Cummings, PhD student, Wildlife Sciences
Advisor: Dr. Kelly Dunning

African Safari Club Fellowship
Kevin Ostrander, PhD student, Wildlife Sciences
Advisor: Dr. William Gulsby

African Safari Club Fellowship
Monet Gomes, PhD student, Wildlife Sciences
Advisor: Dr. Stephen Ditchkoff

African Safari Club Fellowship
Travis Stoakley, PhD student, Wildlife Sciences
Advisor: Dr. Stephen Ditchkoff

African Safari Club Fellowship
Tristan Swartout, PhD student, Wildlife Sciences
Advisor: Dr. Stephen Ditchkoff

Bradley Murphy Fellowship
Kayla Alston, MS student, Wildlife Sciences
Advisor: Dr. Aniruddha Belsare

Charles Barkley Graduate Research, Education, and Training (GREAT) Annual Fellowship
Favour Onyido, MS student, Forestry
Advisor: Dr. Sanjiv Kumar

Charles Barkley Graduate Research, Education, and Training (GREAT) Annual Fellowship
Kayla Alston, MS student, Wildlife Sciences
Advisor: Dr. Aniruddha Belsare

Charles Barkley Graduate Research, Education, and Training (GREAT) Annual Fellowship
Thomas Kavoo, MS student, Natural Resources
Advisor: Dr. Sanjiv Kumar

Charles D. McCrary Graduate Research, Education and Training (GREAT) Annual Fellowship
Khanal Ghanashyam, PhD student, Applied Economics 
Advisor: Dr. Daowei Zhang

Chuck Sharp/Ducks Unlimited, Inc. Annual Fund for Excellence 
Kathryn Temple, MS student, Wildlife Sciences
Advisor: Dr. Jean Fantle-Lepczyk

Drummond Company Endowed Fellowship, Outstanding Masters Student
Daniel Morris, MS student, Natural Resources
Advisor: Dr. Kelly Dunning

Drummond Company Endowed Fellowship, Outstanding Masters Student
Jace McCauley, MS student, Forestry
Advisor: Dr. Adam Maggard

Drummond Company Endowed Fellowship, Outstanding PhD Student
Yufei Nan, PhD student, Forestry
Advisor: Dr. Maria Soledad Peresin

George Crenshaw Moore Endowed Fund for Graduate Fellowships in Wildlife Game Management 
Kevin Ostrander, PhD student, Wildlife Sciences
Advisor: Dr. William Gulsby

George Crenshaw Moore Endowed Fund for Graduate Fellowships in Wildlife Game Management 
Matthew Day, MS student, Wildlife Sciences
Advisor: Dr. William Gulsby

George W. Peake Fellowship
Temitope Folorunso, PhD student, Wildlife Sciences 
Advisor: Dr. Janna Willoughby

Harry Murphy Excellence in Research Award 
Gina Lamka, PhD student, Wildlife Sciences 
Advisor: Dr. Janna Willoughby

Harry Murphy Excellence in Research Award 
Yongfa You, PhD student, Earth Systems Science 
Advisor: Dr. Shufen Pan

Harry Murphy Graduate Student Award
Manish Parajuli, PhD student, Foresty
Advisor: Dr. Thomas Gallagher

James Floyd Goggans Endowed Fellowship in Forest Biology 
Eric Brubaker, MS student, Forestry 
Advisor: Dr. Heather D. Alexander

James Henderson Dukes Memorial Endowment for Fellowships in Foresty
Arthur Lamounier Moura, PhD student, Forestry 
Advisor: Dr. Heather D. Alexander

Lyle C. Tom Endowed Graduate Award
Michael McIntosh, PhD student, Applied Economics 
Advisor: Dr. Daowei Zhang 

Walter Beshears, Jr., and Rebecca P. Beshears Endowed Graduate Award in Wildlife Sciences
Stephanie Braswell, MS student, Wildlife Sciences
Advisor: Dr. Robert Gitzen

The Westervelt Company Endowed Fellowship  
Tabeth Mwema, PhD student, Wildlife Sciences
Advisor: Dr. Janna Willoughby

External Organizations

Coastal and Estuarine Research Federation Rising TIDES Scholarship
Hannah Henry, MS student, Natural Resources
Advisor: Dr. Kelly Dunning

NSF National Research Traineeship (NRT) in Climate Resilience
Auburn University NSF National Research Traineeship in Climate Resilience Program
Andres Balder, MS student, Natural Resources
Research Title: “Assessing Tidal Extant of the Mobile-Tensaw- Apalachee River Delta’s Forested Wetlands”
Advisor: Dr. Christopher Anderson

Presidential Management Fellows
Greg Johnson, PhD student, Daniel Morris, MS student, Natural Resources
Advisor: Dr. Kelly Dunning

Auburn University

Top 20 Outstanding Doctoral Students
Spring 2023 Graduate Student Award Ceremony
Student: Yufei Nan, PhD student in Forestry
Advisor: Dr. Maria Soledad Peresin

Outstanding Master of Science Graduate Student Award
Spring 2023 Graduate Student Award Ceremony
Student: Jace McCauley, MS student in Forestry
Advisor: Dr. Adam Maggard

Best Graduate Poster Presentation in the CFWE Award
2023 Auburn Research Student Symposium, Auburn University 
Student: Eric Brubaker, Forestry (MST Program) 
Presentation title: Chinese tallow (Triadica sebifera) seed viability decreases rapidly in pine forests along the Gulf of Mexico coast 
Advisor: Dr. Heather D. Alexander

Best Graduate Oral Presentation in CFWE Award 
2023 Auburn Research Student Symposium, Auburn University
Student: Gina Lamka, PhD in Wildlife Sciences
Presentation title: How and when can we use connectivity to support and restore populations on the brink of extirpation? 
Advisor: Dr. Janna Willoughby

College of Forestry, Wildlife and Environment

African Safari Club Fellowship
Arielle Fay, Dylan Stewart, Tristan Swartout

Charles Barkley Foundation Annual Fund for Excellence
Amani Dotson, Favour Onyido

Chuck Sharp/Ducks Unlimited, Inc. Annual Fund for Excellence
Stephanie Braswell

Drummond Company Endowed Fellowship
Andrea Miranda Paez, Zihao Bian

George Crenshaw Moore Graduate Fellowship in Wildlife Game Management
Tristan Swartout

Harry Murphy Graduate Student Award
Youngfa You, Gina Lamka

James Floyd Goggans Endowed Fellowship in Forest Biology
Naiqing Pan

James Henderson Dukes Memorial Endowment for Fellowships in Forestry
Henrique Haas

Kykenkee Fellowship
Arthur Moura

Lyle C. Tom Endowed Graduate Award
Javier Diaz

W. Walter Beshears, Jr. and Rebecca P Beshears Endowed Graduate Award in Wildlife Sciences
Tristan Swartout