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Principal Investigators: Kurt S. Pregitzer
(MTU), Donald R. Zak (UM), Andrew J. Burton (MTU) and Erik A. Lilleskov (USDA
Forest Service)
Kurt Pregitzer, Don Zak and Andrew Burton have collaborated
for more than 17 years in an attempt to better understand fundamental
ecosystem processes. Erik Lilleskov, who is an expert in both mycorrhizae
and ecosystem ecology, joined our team in 2003 as a full-time federal
scientist stationed in the USFS Forestry Sciences lab on MTU’s
campus.
Other Research Personnel: Research Scientist Bill Holmes (stable
isotope biogeochemist) and post doc Christopher
Blackwood (molecular microbial ecologist) are a critical part of the University of Michigan
Team, and Jennifer Eikenberry
(stable isotope analyst) plays a crucial role at Michigan Tech
University. Three outstanding Ph.D. students, Alan Talhelm (plant ecophysiology,
MTU), Linda Van Diepen (AM mycorrhizae,
MTU), and John Hassett (lignin degradation, UM) are
also intimately involved current research on the Michigan Gradient.
Graduate and Undergraduate Students: Perhaps the most important
contribution we can make to science is a continued commitment to education.
Since NSF first funded this long-term experiment in 1993, we have involved
over 134 undergraduates (52% female and minority), including 8 REU
students. We also have emphasized graduate and post-doctoral training,
with 17 graduate students (35% female and minority) and 4 post-doctoral
scholars directly involved in the research (see list
below).
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Gradient
Personnel: (click on name or photo
for web page and links to CV)
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Dr. Kurt S. Pregitzer, Professor and Chairperson at University
of Nevada, Reno.
ksp@cabnr.unr.edu
(775)
784-4020
Research Interests: Forest ecology, biogeochemical cycling, forest
productivity, global changes and ecosystem science.
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Dr.
Donald R. Zak, Professor at University of Michigan
drzak@umich.edu (734) 763-4991
Research Interests:
Connections between microbial community composition and
function, the importance of
microbial activity in regulating ecosystem-level processes, links between
plant and microbial activity within terrestrial ecosystems, and the influence
climate change may have on these dynamics.
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Dr. Andrew J. Burton, Research Associate Professor at
Michigan Technological University, Director of the Midwestern Regional
Center of the National Institute for Climatic Change Research
ajburton@mtu.edu (906) 487-2566
Research Interests: Forest responses to global change factors,
belowground processes, carbon and nutrient cycling, physiological ecology
of tree roots, ecosystem ecology, undergraduate research.
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Dr. Erik A. Lilleskov, Research Ecologist, USDA
Forest Service and Adjunct
Assistant Professor at Michigan
Technological University
elilleskov@fs.fed.us (906) 482-6303 ext. 18
Research
Interests: Using molecular genetic, physiological,
stable isotopic, ecosystem analytic and statistical tools to investigate
the relationship between ecosystem attributes and microbial community
structure and function.
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Ms. Jennifer Eikenberry, Assistant Research Scientist, Michigan Technological University
Research
Interests: Stable isotopes and
forest ecology, mass spectrometry
jreikenb@mtu.edu (906) 487-1774
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Graduate
and Postdoctoral Students
Masters Students
Daniel Goldfarb
(MSU 1989)
Hua Ouyang (MTU
1990)
C. Jeff Lane (MTU 1991)
Diana Randlett (UM 1991)
Eimar Kuuseoks (MTU
1994)
Usha Govindarajulu
(UM 1995)
David E.
Rothstein (UM 1995)
Jeff Crawford
(MTU 2002)
Kelly Saiya-Cork (2002, U Toledo)
Jennifer Eikenberry (MTU 2004)
William Eddy (UM
2005)
Doctoral Students
Ronald L. Hendrick (MSU 1992)
James McLaughlin
(MTU 1992)
Hal O. Liechty (MTU 1994)
Andrew J. Burton
(MTU 1997)
Gregory P. Zogg (UM 1997)
Shannon E. Brown
(MTU 1999)
David E.
Rothstein (UM 1999)
Eugenie Euskirchen (MTU 2003)
Jared DeForest (UM 2004)
Linda Van Diepen (MTU, in progress)
Alan Talhelm (MTU, in progress)
John Hassett (UM, in progress)
Post-Doctoral Associates
Wendy Loya (MTU)
Gregory Zogg (UM)
Kurt Smemo (UM)
Chris Blackwood
(UM)
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