KBS, MSU alums establish new endowment to support research equipment at KBS

Wilson Cunningham spent three years doing research at the W.K. Kellogg Biological Station decades ago, but impressions of that time have been long-lasting. Drawing from those experiences, he and his spouse, Jane A. Carstairs, have created a new endowment aimed at reducing the use of research grant funding to pay for costs associated with instrumentation and other equipment.

The purpose of the H. Wilson Cunningham and Jane A. Carstairs KBS Research Equipment and Instrumentation Fund is to allow more hard-earned research funding to be directed toward advancing the science by reducing the dollar drain of maintaining the facility’s infrastructure instrumentation.

Using research funds for research

An encounter Cunningham had at KBS with a refrigerated centrifuge, which resulted in a pricey repair, is a memorable example of how, as he said, “equipment acquisition, repair, or replacement had to compete with the direct research activity funding.” The mishap ate up the majority of an annual stipend and forced delays of the purchase other needed equipment, leaving Cunningham disappointed that the advancement of scientific knowledge had to be restrained due to lack of money for tools.

“The opportunity to work at KBS was a dream come true for an aspiring young aquatic ecologist.,” said Cunningham. “It was a ‘think-tank’ research facility for leaders of their respective disciplines.

“[KBS] leaders surrounded themselves with graduate assistants, postdoctoral and visiting researchers to advance the science through creative ideas, interactions and field observations. The ability to focus on field observations and measurements was a rare opportunity to those researching the driving forces of ecosystem functions.”

About Cunningham and Carstairs

Wilson Cunningham was a research assistant in the R.G. Wetzel laboratory at KBS from summer 1975 until December 1978, receiving his Master of Science degree in 1977. His research focused on biogeochemical nutrient cycles of freshwater wetlands. He went on to work as an analytical chemist for a variety of government and private companies.

Cunningham and Carstairs

In 1983, he started a 30-year journey of helping the printing industry to address environmental regulations, production material standardization, workplace safety and improving manufacturing efficiencies. He was internationally recognized for developing new industrial uses for agricultural products.

In 2013, he retired and focused on his lifetime passion for designing and building custom furniture and structures.

Jane A. Carstairs completed her Ph.D. in dairy science in the Roy Emery laboratory in 1978, and she continued a postdoctoral research program at the University of Wisconsin until spending two years developing international training programs for the United States Department of Agriculture.

She transitioned to financial program management for a variety of federal government contractors until her retirement in 2014.

Wilson met Carstairs on Michigan State University’s main campus, and they married in 1978.

Click here to contribute to the endowment.