University of Michigan
Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology

Check out these awards received by EEB graduate students Ya Yang, Na Wei, Leiling Tao, and Alexa Unruh during the 2010-2011 academic year.

Yang was awarded $10,000 for one year from the National Tropical Botanical Garden for her project, “Phylogenetic analysis of Hawaiian Chamaesyce using nuclear low-copy markers.” Yang is investigating unresolved issues related to Euphorbia, an important genus of Hawaiian flora. Her research will contribute to an understanding of its biogeography and adaptive evolution. 

Wei received a Rackham International Student Fellowship of $7,500 for tuition or stipend during spring/summer 2011. Her research focuses on dissecting gene flow pathways in tropical forest tree species. She is interested in integrating ecological modeling and genetic approaches into the study of interactions between tree species and their dispersal vectors.  The award is based on a strong academic record, progress toward degree, demonstration of outstanding academic and professional promise.

Tao received a Matthaei Botanical Gardens Fellowship of $760.00. Tao is researching the interaction of plant stoichiometric imbalance and toxicity of secondary chemicals on herbivore growth. She is exploring whether the negative effects of plant toxins on animals are dependent on plant quality.

Unruh was awarded a Huron Mountain Wildlife Foundation research grant of over $10,000 to support her master’s thesis fieldwork in 2010-2011. Her study is titled, “Shrews and global change: An investigation of the microclimates experienced by shrews in the northern Great Lakes."  Unruh studies shrew communities and the microhabitat variables influencing them, with a particular focus on temperature and humidity in 10 different habitats.