UW Graduate Students Awarded More Than $35,000 in Grants to Study Biodiversity

Ten master's and Ph.D. students studying biodiversity at the University of Wyoming received more than $36,000 in grants from UW's Biodiversity Institute. The Biodiversity Graduate Student Research Enhancement Grants are awarded each year to multiple master's and doctoral students to enhance or expand their ongoing research.

Because of many generous donors, the Biodiversity Institute was able to fund 10 different projects on topics including: freshwater mussel populations in Wyoming; white-nose syndrome in bats in South Dakota; wildlife use of beaver dam analogs; and quantifying the effects of protection gradients of large herbivores in Zambia.

In addition to world-class science, successful applicants had to show how they would communicate their research to diverse Wyoming audiences and assess their communication's effectiveness.

In the last 14 years, the Biodiversity Institute, housed in the Haub School of Environment and Natural Resources, has awarded more than 90 grants totaling over $240,000. This grant is possible due to the support of private donors.

"I am deeply grateful to receive the Biodiversity Graduate Student Enhancement Grant," says Renee Lile, a Ph.D. student in the Department of Zoology and Physiology. "The support of the Biodiversity Institute will allow me to complete my research analysis as I enter the final year of my Ph.D. program."

The grant will fund the hiring and training of a part-time research technician, as well as cover costs associated with publication and open data sharing, adds Lile, of Lakewood, Colo.

"My research examines how white-nose syndrome -- an invasive fungal disease -- has reshaped bat communities in the Black Hills of South Dakota, and how the bats that have survived its arrival interact with the parasites they carry," Lile says.

His dissertation work pursues three goals: tracking changes in bat species diversity and community composition following the introduction of white-nose syndrome; cataloging the external and internal parasites associated with these bats; and identifying which host characteristics and environmental conditions best predict parasite burden.

All grant recipients are asked to communicate their research through public outreach. The Biodiversity Institute hosts a science communication training for the students so that they can effectively communicate their work to both academic and nonacademic audiences through outreach, events and Science Café discussions.

The science communication training for recipients began in 2023.

"Students report they feel more confident in their ability to communicate their science after the training," says Abbey Morales, the Biodiversity Institute's communications and marketing specialist, and training host.

The 2026 Biodiversity Institute Graduate Research Enhancement Grant awardees, listed by hometown, department and research project, are:

Lincoln, Calif. -- Drew Suchomel, Program in Ecology and Evolution, "Elemental composition of cichlids in Lake Tanganyika."

Redwood City, Calif. -- Beatrice Bugos, Department of Geology and Geophysics, "Fossil and Modern Tropical Dry Forest Response to Disturbance in Elevated Global Temperatures."

Lakewood, Colo. -- Lile, Department of Zoology and Physiology, Program in Ecology and Evolution, "Investigating the community composition and diet of bats in the Black Hills of South Dakota following white-nose syndrome invasion."

Deltona, Fla. -- Zachery Holmes, Department of Zoology and Physiology, "Competitive Eavesdropping: Are frugivorous competitors cueing into the soundscape to increase frugivory and seed dispersal success?"

Durand, Ill. -- Miles Milbrath, Department of Zoology and Physiology, "Do Beaver Dam Analogs Mimic Beaver Dams?: Effects on Food Webs, Structure, Function and Water Quality in a Restored Stream."

Henderson, Md. -- Madison Molter, Department of Zoology and Physiology, "Multi-taxa Assessment of Wildlife Use at Beaver Dam Analogs Across Wyoming."

Omaha, Neb. -- Maria Sakowski, Wyoming Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit, "Interactive Effects of Climate and Land Use on Fish Assemblage Thresholds in the Great Plains."

West Hempstead, N.Y. -- Sarah Palmieri, Department of Zoology and Physiology, "Testing Relationships Between Male Plumage, Song and Genetic Ancestry in the Passerina Bunting Hybrid Zone."

Pittsboro, N.C. -- Emily Davis, Program of Ecology and Evolution, "Coexistence in a Hierarchical Guild: Behavioral, spatial, and trophic interactions among wolves, coyotes and red foxes in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem."

Chilanga, Lusaka, Zambia -- Howard Maimbo, Program of Ecology and Evolution, "Quantifying the effects of protection gradients on large herbivore densities."

To learn more about these biodiversity projects or about this grant, visit wyobiodiversity.org.