Meridith Frazee, C’24 (pictured above left), spent the summer studying subalpine forest species at the Rocky Mountain Biological Laboratory (RMBL) in Gothic, Colorado. Working with Sewanee Visiting Assistant Professor of Forestry Tom Powell (pictured above right), Frazee contributed to Powell's Department of Energy-funded project examining the stability of subalpine forests in the Colorado River watershed. These forests are critical for regulating the supply of water to the Colorado River, which provides water to one in 10 Americans and supports a $1.4 trillion economy.
Over the course of the internship, Frazee harvested tree samples in the forest, measured samples in the lab, and presented results of the study—including the finding of important differences in water-use strategies between the four dominant subalpine forest tree species—to an audience of scientists at the RMBL.
Frazee’s internship was supported by the Office of Undergraduate Research and the Department of Earth and Environmental Systems. Read more about the research and scholarly opportunities available to Sewanee students—including the Summer Undergraduate Research Fellows (SURF) program—here.
