Eva Legge, a first-year Ph.D. student in biology at the College of Arts and Sciences, has been recognized with two significant national scholarships to support her research on fungi's role in forest health. Legge is one of only two researchers nationwide named a Mollie Beattie Visiting Scholar by the Society of American Foresters (SAF). This award honors Mollie Beattie, the first woman to lead the United States Fish and Wildlife Service, and aims to promote diversity in natural resource professions.
In addition to this honor, Legge has also received a National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship. These accolades come with financial support and professional development opportunities. As a Mollie Beattie Visiting Scholar, Legge will receive $10,000 for her research into how mycorrhizae—fungi that grow on plant roots—enhance forest resilience. The fellowship from NSF similarly includes a stipend and development resources.
Legge is part of the Mycorrhizal Ecology Lab led by A&S biology professor Christopher Fernandez and works with SUNY ESF Professor Andrew Vander Yacht’s Applied Forest and Fire Ecology Lab. Her research examines climate-adaptive forest management strategies such as timber harvests and prescribed fires to understand their impact on fungal-forest symbioses.
"Climate change will likely add to the many stressors facing eastern U.S. forests," said Legge in an SAF press release. "However, the positive benefits of fungal partnerships with tree roots can, in certain contexts, increase a forest’s stress tolerance."
With these awards' support, Legge plans to continue exploring how effective management practices can maximize mycorrhizae's benefits for seedlings adapted to future climates.
Professor Fernandez commented on Legge's achievements: “Eva is an exceptionally driven graduate student motivated by addressing critical knowledge gaps in forest ecosystem resilience to global change,” he said. He highlighted her multidisciplinary approach that bridges ecological research with applied management practices.
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