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👏 Well done, Melanie, @melaniebogert!
Melanie Bogert, a master's student in Natural Resource Ecology and Management and Graduate Research Assistant working on STRIPS defended her thesis, "Plant and Insect Community Responses to Manure Application in Prairies." Congrats, graduate! 👩🎓
Her novel research investigated what happens when you try to establish an instant-prairie in one year, discovering which prairies have more floral resources for pollinators: prairies with no manure, a little manure, more manure and a whole LOT of manure, and examining what happens to ground beetles when manure is applied to prairies. These insights will refine best management practices to improve insect habitat and minimize nutrient and sediment loss at field scales in prairie strips.
Reflecting on her time at Iowa State and working on the STRIPS team, Bogert said, "Whenever anyone asked what I'm studying in grad school, the simplest way I could describe it was with the 3 Ps: Prairies, Pollinators, and Poo. It's been quite the ride; I can't say my 10-year-old self would've guessed that I'd spend three years dumping cow poop onto flowers and catching bugs, but in my time here I've learned so much about prairie and insect ecology, midwestern agriculture, conservation research, and maybe most importantly, myself." She is looking forward to all the doors that will continue to open and find what's next.
Round of applause for Melanie and her efforts to make prairie strip practices more advantageous for pollinators and graduating this past weekend!
#regenerativeagriculture #regenerativefarming #pollinators #pollinatorsofinstagram #graduate #graduateschool #prairiestewards #manure #insect #thesis #beetles #beetlesofinstagram #ecology #ecologylife #agroecology #conservation
