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<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\nOutstanding contribution of an undergraduate student to sustainability research
Cade King, Undergraduate Student, Ecology and Environmental Sciences<\/em><\/h3>\n\n\n\nCade is a recent graduate of the University of Maine with a B.S. in Ecology and Environmental Sciences. For several months, Cade worked with Sean Smith (UMaine) and Neil Thompson (UMFK) on the Headwaters Stream Diagnostics Project<\/a>, which is funded by the Maine Water Resources Research Institute. In summer 2022, Cade and his colleagues spent two weeks in the Smith Brook watershed, west of Caribou, mapping and collecting data on stream conditions. The team\u2019s goal is to develop and demonstrate methods for monitoring and diagnosing stream conditions in Maine\u2019s north woods; these methods will provide new watershed management decision tools for landowners and businesses in the region.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\u201cBy doing this foundational research, collecting all this data and developing both a diagnostics toolkit and a classification framework, we are creating a jumping-off point for future research in the region,\u201d Cade said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Active forestry operations in the Smith Brook watershed have the potential to alter the hydrology of watersheds, which can have consequences for stream conditions. Business owners and researchers can use the diagnostic toolkit Cade helped create to better understand how climate change and forestry operations impact the watershed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cResearch like this is \u2026 important because it provides undergraduate students with the opportunity to do real, important research that can kick-start a career in STEM. It\u2019s certainly been a great experience for me, as it has helped me develop as an early-career environmental scientist,\u201d said Cade. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cBy doing this foundational research, collecting all this data and developing both a diagnostics toolkit and a classification framework, we are creating a jumping-off point for future research in the region,\u201d Cade said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Active forestry operations in the Smith Brook watershed have the potential to alter the hydrology of watersheds, which can have consequences for stream conditions. Business owners and researchers can use the diagnostic toolkit Cade helped create to better understand how climate change and forestry operations impact the watershed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cResearch like this is \u2026 important because it provides undergraduate students with the opportunity to do real, important research that can kick-start a career in STEM. It\u2019s certainly been a great experience for me, as it has helped me develop as an early-career environmental scientist,\u201d said Cade. <\/p>\n\n\n\n