The Environmental Science and Design Research Institute (ESDRI) supports students through the Undergraduate Fellowship Program. In this program students across any major with interest in environmental science, environmental design, or the like come together to form a like-minded, yet diverse, community of scholars. Fellows receive mentorship from ESDRI staff, including workshops and other career development opportunities, as well placement with a research or creative activity faculty mentor if desired. If fellows have a faculty mentor they may apply for funding for their research or creative activities. Fellows also enjoy spending time getting to know each other and relaxing at our social events!
In the 2025-2026 school year we had 5 Fellows graduate in December 2025, and in May 2026 we celebrated 8 graduating Fellows!
Check out these profiles to learn more about these students, including their reflections on their time in the ESDRI Undergraduate Fellowship Program and what is next for them. Keep up these students and all the alumni here: https://www.kent.edu/esdri/alumni
Fall 2025
Sophia Carmichael
BS in Environmental and Conservation Biology; minor in Geographic Information Systems
Sophia (Sophie) joined the ESDRI Undergraduate Fellowship Program in the Summer of 2024 and was a very active participant until her graduation in December 2025. Sophie shared, "My favorite event as a fellow was the Sustainability Forum! I loved hearing about the research being done in the field of environmental science from professionals outside of biology! Being a fellow exposed me to the different approaches to environmental research and gave me resources for professional development."
While at KSU she was an Archery Club officer, worked as a chemistry and ecology tutor and as a crew member in the Eastway Distribution Center, studied abroad in Florence for a semester, and conducted entomological research in Christie Bahlai's Applied Computational Ecology Lab beginning with the Summer Undergraduate Research Experience (SURE) program and continuing until graduation.
Her research on comparing insect trapping methods was presented at the 3-minute Presentation Competition, Undergraduate Research Symposium, and ESDRI Research Showcase - the last of which she earned 2nd place for her poster presentation at!
Sophie was a member of the Honors College and on the President's List. She received the President's Achievement Award, Rinier Biological Sciences Scholarship, Cook/Andreas BSCI Scholarship, Honors Bengier Study Abroad Scholarship, and Mary Louise Braun Huber Scholarship.
Since graduation she has been interning at Green Circle Growers in Oberlin, OH learning about plant production, integrated pest management, and irrigation testing techniques. Upon finishing the internship in May, she will start a position as an Environmental Technician with Davey Resource Group where she'll will be working on their environmental restoration team.
Drew Davis
BA in Environmental Studies & BS in Organismal Biology
Drew joined the Fellowship Program in Spring 2023. He participated in the 2024 SURE Program with Christie Bahlai (Department of Biological Sciences) as his faculty mentor, and continued to do research on insect bycatch and trap comparison until graduation. When he presented this research at the 2025 ESDRI Research Showcase he received an Honorable Mention. He was a member of the Honors College.
Lilia Ford
BS in Biology - Animal Ecology concentration
Lilia became a Fellow at the beginning of 2025. She conducted research in Sangeet Lamichhaney's lab, in the Department of Biological Sciences, using GPS to track the home ranges of non-migratory Black-capped chickadees. After graduation Lilia followed another love, coffee, and now serves as manager at Capybara Coffeehouse.
Samantha Poore
BA in Environmental Studies
In Spring 2022 Samantha joined the Fellowship Program. She participated in the SURE Program in 2024 with Christie Bahlai as her mentor, conducting surveys of bees on campus. She presented this research at the 3-minute Presentation in Fall 2024 and the ESDRI Research Showcase in Spring 2025 - winning first place at the Research Showcase!
Samantha studied abroad for the winter break South Africa program, conducting a research project while she was there. She presented this research at the 2025 Undergraduate Research Symposium and won first place.
After completing an internship at Cuyahoga Valley National Park (CVNP), she is now a Seasonal Park Ranger at CVNP.
Rachel Stauffer
BFA in Fashion Design & BBA in Marketing
Rachel became a Fellow in 2024 while conducting research with Archana Mehta (School of Fashion), having recently participated in the SURE program with her as her mentor. Rachel applied for Fellows Funding to present her circular, biodegradable fashion collection at an international fashion conference in London, UK. She also presented this research poster at the 2025 ESDRI Research Showcase and her full BFA collection was on display at the Kent State Annual Fashion Show.
After completing her BFA in Spring 2025, Rachel moved to New York City to finish her Marketing degree, which she did in December 2025, and pursue a career in fashion. She currently works as a handbag designer at Kate Spade New York and assists with in-studio workshops at Anthony Luciano.
Spring 2025
Annie Fink
BA in Environmental Studies; minors in Biology for Environmental Management and Conservation & Earth Sciences
Annie joined the Fellowship Program for her senior year, and was quickly surprised at how cozy of a group it was. "I thought there would be like a million people, but I was glad that it ended up being smaller and so feeling so personal," she said of the Program. During her year with us she especially enjoyed our Fellows Program Meetings, as well as ESDRI's annual Sustainability Forum.
Annie participated in the Summer Undergraduate Research Experience (SURE) Program in 2025 with David Kaplan (Department of Geography) as her mentor, and continued her research on community based food assistance programs with her Senior Honors Thesis. She presented this work at the 3-minute Presentation Competition in Fall 2025. She also presented posters on it at the Undergraduate Research Symposium and ESDRI Research Showcase in Spring 2026 - winning first place at both! Annie also was a volunteer and then laboratory assistant in the Eichler Lab in the Department of Biological Sciences. She received the James Riner Geography Scholarship twice, the Palmer Honors Research Scholarship, and was a member of the Honors College and Gamma Theta Upsilon Geography Honor Society.
In addition to on-campus research, Annie spend the last 3 years working as a Museum Ambassador at the KSU Fashion Museum and as a member of the Memento Mori Society club. She also served as an executive board member of the Kent State Survivor Club and has traveled to Mexico with Sarah Schmidt for a study away program.
Last summer Annie started working as an intern at the Mobius Nature Center in Aurora, Ohio. In May 2026 she graduated Summa Cum Laude and with University Honors, and now she will be continuing her internship for another year, with the goal of applying to international or sustainable development graduate school programs in 2027. She is also doing one more study abroad program with Schmidt to Rwanda for 3 weeks this summer!
Kyle Goertler
BS in Biology - Cellular and Molecular concentration
Kyle will admit that didn't know much about the Fellowship Program before applying the summer before his senior year. Now almost a year later, he shared, "it feels cool to say I was a part of something that brought together like minded, passionate people, but who are working on such different research, and now getting to see the cool jobs they are pursuing." Kyle enjoyed getting to know people at socials, his favorite being a hot chocolate bar we had this past winter.
Freshman year Kyle participated in the Provost's Leadership Academy. He started conducting research in Trevelline Lab in the Department of Biological Sciences in May of 2025, leading to poster presentation at the at Undergraduate Research Symposium and ESDRI Research Showcase in April of 2026 - receiving an Honorable Mention at the latter! He was also on the Deans List during his freshman & sophomore years.
This summer Kyle will continue to work in Trevelline Lab, switching from computer based modeling and image detection to working directly with birds in the aviary, doing RNA & DNA extractions in lab, and analyzing sequencing data. Simultaneously he'll be completing an HVAC and electrician apprenticeship and working on applications for Fall 2027 ecology/behavioral biology graduate school programs.
Jami Greb
BS in Zoology; minor in Environmental Studies
Jami joined the ESDRI Fellowship Program during her junior year and quickly became a very active Fellow. She really appreciated all the program had to offer including socials, help with things like her CV and the grad school application process, and funding for research and conference attendance. It also doesn't hurt to have gained another Fellow as a BFF! "I really enjoyed having structured time for things that I love, but don't make time for otherwise, like craft projects," said Jami of the social events. And of the research and career development support, she shared, "It can be easier to ask for help from someone you know."
In Spring 2024, she joined Sangeet Lamichhaney's OMICS lab in the Department of Biological Sciences. There she went on to participate in the SURE Program, present her work at the 2025 American Ornithological Society (AOS), and complete an Undergraduate Honors Thesis titled "Effects of seasonal changes on gut microbiome diversity and composition in American Goldfinches (Spinus tristis)." ESDRI was proud to support Jami in the SURE program and with Fellows funding for research and travel to AOS. You can read more about Jami's work as an ESDRI-supported SURE student here: https://www.kent.edu/esdri/news/behind-feathers-understanding-changing-gut-bacteria-songbirds. Jami also presented this songbird work at the Undergraduate Research Symposium, ESDRI Research Showcase, and 3-minute Presentation Competition, the last of which earned her second place!
During her time at KSU she went on two summer study abroad trips to the Galápagos Islands and Australia, which she really loved. In this admissions blog, Jami shares about her study abroad and research experiences: https://www.kent.edu/admissions/news/curious-nature-adventure-research
Jami is a member of the Honors College and Phi Beta Kappa Honor Society. She was awarded the following Department of Biological Sciences awards: 2025 Dorcus J Anderson Faculty Scholarship Award, 2025 Dr. & Mrs. Robert W. Squires Scholarship Award, 2026 Judith Koonce Award.
For the summer of 2026 Jami will be a Seasonal Field Technician with Iowa State University in Iowa and Nebraska studying wood thrush migration and reproduction success. At the same time, she'll be working on applying for graduate programs for Spring/Fall 2027 admission cycles.
Nora Haddon
BS in Environmental and Conservation Biology; minor in Environmental Studies
Nora joined the Program in Spring 2025, after participating in the Summer Undergraduate Research Experience (SURE) program as an ESDRI-supported SURE student in the of Summer 2024 with Lauren Kinsman-Costello as her faculty mentor. Each year, ESDRI supports a handful of students, who are mentored by affiliated faculty members, in the SURE program, providing a little extra mentorship and featuring their success. You can read more about Nora’s experience here: https://www.kent.edu/esdri/news/exploring-nutrient-dynamics-wetlands-summer-research-journey
Of the Fellowship Program, Nora said, "It was really helpful to be able to have my research supported as it took stress of me and my advisor." ESDRI's Fellows Funding allowed Nora to present her wetland research at in international conference (2025 Society for Ecological Restoration) in Denver. Additionally, though campus has many resources, she loved being able to use ESDRI staff as an additional (and at times less intimidating) resource to help with things like research posters, LinkedIn, and graduate school. Lastly, Nora loved being able to meet new friends through the social events, even turning a class friend to a best friend.
Including her time in the SURE program, Nora worked in the Kinsman-Costello lab for 3 years researching nutrient dynamics in wetlands. She presented this work at the aforementioned Society for Ecological Restoration Conference, Society for Freshwater Science Conference, ESDRI's Research Showcase, KSU's 3-minute presentation competition (earning 1st place in 2024!) and Undergraduate Research Symposium.
Nora was a member of Choose Ohio First and the Honors College during her 4 years at KSU. She was also a member of the KSU Women's Rugby Team.
During the 2024-2025 & 2025-2026 school years Nora was awarded 2 Biological Sciences Scholarships each year - the Dr. G Dennis Cooke and Dr. Barbara K. Andreas & James Rinier Conversation Scholarships.
After graduation Nora is planning on taking a well-deserved break while applying for graduate school programs and jobs in the environmental sciences field, perhaps leading her back to her (other) home state of Colorado.
Allison Remick
BS in Zoology; minor in Music
Allison joined the Program in Summer 2025, after participating in her second summer in the SURE program, this time as an ESDRI-supported SURE student. You can read more about Allison’s research and experience in the program here: https://www.kent.edu/esdri/news/inside-egg-exploring-microbial-inheritance-lizards. "I loved the socials, other fun activities, and getting to talk to everyone about what they are doing because everything is so different and interesting," said Allison of the Fellowship Program. She especially enjoyed the hearing about Dr. Phil Levin's career path when he talked to ESDRI members while on campus for the book launch of "Nature of Our Times" in collaboration with The Wick Poetry Center.
Allison was a member of 4-H for 12 years until she aged out during her freshman year. She participated in the Provosts Leadership Academy and spent two years as a mentor, even presenting campus improvement projects at the Undergraduate Research Symposium. She then worked in the Provost's Office for a year and half, getting to make connections with various executives on campus. She is a member of the Honors College, Ornithology Club, and the Pre-Vet Club, serving as Vice President for the latter for a year. She has also had the pleasure of assisting the Biology Club with developing a dermestid beetle colony and making an eBird project for tracking bird sightings at the 2026 KSU Bioblitz. Allison is also a member of the Kent State University Chorale, where she enjoys performing in the twice a semester concerts.
Allison began her lizard research in Brian Trevelline's lab (Department of Biological Sciences) during her sophomore year. She has been able to present her research on campus at the 3-minute Presentation Competition twice (2nd place one year & 1st the next!), the Undergraduate Research Symposium, and the ESDRI Research Showcase, at which she received an Honorable Mention in 2026. Off campus, she has presented at the Society for Integrative and Comparative Biology in Portland, OR and the Midwest Microbiome Symposium at Ohio State University. Allison and her work have been featured by the University on the College of Arts & Sciences Instagram, and in Kent State Today for Flash Focus and to feature her SURE program research.
In Fall 2026 Allison will be starting in the Ecology and Evolutionary Biology Ph.D. Program in the Trevelline lab. She plans to investigate post-hatch physiology of germ free house sparrows. Then, using all of her knowledge from her undergraduate research, she'd like to compare between house sparrows and wall lizards. Her ultimate goal is to continue in academia become a professor.
Andrew Shenal
BA in Environmental Studies; minors in Geography and Geographic Information Systems
Andrew joined us at the tail end of the Spring 2024 semester, becoming an active participant that Fall. Now, 2 years later he reflected on the Program stating, "I met a bunch of cool people and feel that the events really brought students together." He really enjoyed attending our annual Research Showcase to see what kinds of research everyone else is doing and one of his favorite events was a career talk we hosted with Dr. Phil Levin.
ESDRI Fellows Funding was helpful for Andrew in his research in Patrick Bitterman's Human-Environment Systems, Interactions, Impacts, and Intelligence (HESI) Lab in the Department of Geography, where he conducted research during his senior year. Prior to that he worked with He Yin, also in Geography, in He's SensLand Lab: Remote Sensing and Land Science Laboratory. Andrew participated in the SURE Program in 2024, as an Anti-Racism and Equity Institute (now Community Engaged Research Institute) Fellow.
Andrew has presented his research at The American Geophysical Union Annual Meeting, several local conferences, and the 2025 & 2026 3-minute Presentation Competition, Undergraduate Research Symposium, and ESDRI Research Showcase. In 2025 he won 1st place at the Symposium and 3rd place at the Research Showcase, and in 2026 1st place again at the Symposium and 2nd place at the Research Showcase.
He served as Editor-in-chief of the Environmental Studies newsletter, and is a member of the Honors College and Choose Ohio First. In 2025, he was an Ohio Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Scholar, and in both 2025 & 2026 an Ohio Space Grant Consortium Scholar.
Andrew has been working for Davey Resource Group, and will be continuing his GIS work there after graduation.
Mallory Turnbull
BA in Environmental Studies; minor in Negotiation, Mediation, and Conflict Management
Mallory joined the Fellowship Program in summer 2025 while participating in SURE, working with Elaine Hsiao in the School of Peace and Conflict Studies on an ESDRI Seed Grant project - a collaboration between Hsiao and He Yin (Geography). This two-eyed seeing work was previously conducted by an ESDRI Alum and former ESDRI-supported SURE student. With this, she had the opportunity to apply for ESDRI Fellows Funding and travel to California to present at the California Native American Tribal GIS Summit.
Mallory complemented ESDRI's communication and assistance, stating "I appreciated that applying for funding wasn't just a blind process and I received help revising my funding application." As a commuter student she didn't always get to attend events, but her favorite was the Sustainability Forum. Mallory took strides to get the ESDRI name out there so that her classmates knew what she was a part of, but her plea would be for more people to know what ESDRI is all about (if you are reading this we hope you know more now!).
She presented her work at the 3-minute Presentation Competition and Undergraduate Research Symposium, winning 2nd place at the Symposium! She also presented her SURE research and another project at the ESDRI Research Showcase.
Mallory was on the President's List both semesters during her senior year, and she participated in the Mexico study abroad trip with Dr. Schmidt.
After graduation, Mallory will be starting at the Holden Arboretum as an Assistant Researcher for their Urban Ecology Program. She is also thinking about applying to Environmental Science/Studies, Ecology, or Conservation graduate programs for Fall 2027. And hopefully her research with Elaine will be submitted for publication this summer with Mallory as a co-author.
Lana Vistan
BS in Public Health - Pre-med concentration
Lana joined us in Spring 2025, as she was interested in how environmental factors impact human health. She enjoyed the Fellowship overall and her favorite activity was a rock painting social.
With Lana's interests, we connected her with Manabu Kurokawa in the Department of Biological Sciences, whose research program is, broadly, to investigate the molecular mechanisms of cancer development and drug resistance. She conducted work there, learning to genotype, ween, and perform dissections on model mice.
Lana is a Phlebotomy Technician at the Cleveland Clinic. She spent two years volunteering with the American Red Cross as a Blood Donor Ambassador and as a member of the KSU Chapter of the American Medical Student Association, of which 1 year was a as Programming Coordinator. She is also a member of the Honors College.
Lana still has school on the brain and is thinking about pursuing a degree in Medical Laboratory Science.
Due to growing popularity of the Program, in late 2025 ESDRI reached Program capacity and switched from rolling applications to competitive application cycles. With folks graduating we have open spots in the Undergraduate Fellowship Program for Fall 2026. If interested in applying, please subscribe to our newsletter to be notified when applications are opening.