KBS Summer 2026 Mentor Profiles

I am a Ph.D. student in the Haddad Lab at KBS, and I am excited to mentor a student this summer!

I am broadly interested in butterfly-plant communities in the context of anthropogenic change (e.g., pollution, habitat loss/conversion, etc.). I am also passionate about pollinator conservation. I am currently investigating how sodium affects pollinator preference for flowers, and I am beginning to study how pesticides affect Monarch butterflies. I plan to conduct my research in restored prairie areas around KBS and in the greenhouse.

A student working with me should expect to work outside in the field and learn basic butterfly and plant identification. Potential projects could ask whether butterflies prefer salty nectar or whether pesticides affect a certain performance measure in Monarchs. I could provide ample support for any projects looking at butterflies, prairie plants, or bumble bees, but I am open (and excited!) to hear your own project ideas. Conducting experiments is only one step in the research process. I am excited to help you statistically analyze your own data and communicate your findings with the world!

Hi! My name is Carol Waldmann Rosenbaum and I am a fourth-year PhD student at the Litchman Lab. I research freshwater cyanobacterial algal blooms; specifically how environmental drivers such as temperature and nutrients affect these blooms. I use a trait-based framework to understand the differences and similarities between different cyanobacteria genera and how these traits determine the community composition during bloom seasons. Most of my research is done in the lab using over 300 cyanobacterial strains isolated from the Laurentian Great Lakes and Lake Victoria in Africa.

I am looking for an undergraduate student interested in freshwater quality, community ecology, and harmful algal blooms. As an undergraduate in the Litchman lab, you will have the opportunity to sample local lakes and get familiar with several sampling techniques, learn how to identify, isolate, and culture different groups of phytoplankton, and learn how to use different types of microscopes.

Together we will develop a research project that interests you and falls within the scope of what we do in the lab. Examples of research questions you could answer are: How cyanobacteria from different Laurentian (North American) Great Lakes compare to African ones? How do temperature or nutrients affect bloom dominance in Lake Erie? Have a different related idea? I am open to hearing your thoughts and developing something together.

No previous experience is necessary! I am looking for someone passionate about lakes and water resources that could see themselves working in a lab environment most of the time.