To the Svitek Family,

Hello, my name is Rachel Zevin, and this spring you awarded me with the Kate Svitek Memorial Award. It was thanks to your award I was able to move forward testing methodology and create a good proposal for my undergraduate thesis.

The reason I asked for the award was to test, in the Forest Service lab, a new methodology for studying ground beetle dispersal. This would contribute to my study on ground beetle dispersal in sites impacted by wind damage and salvage logging. I looked into this research because I want to know if these ecological disturbances reduce the distance traveled by ground beetles, a bioindicator species, in order to better understand how wind damage and salvage logging effect northern forest ecosystems.

I went into the Forest Service lab with a lot of questions that, thanks to your award, I was able to test. Some of them were, ‘Would the insects pick up the fluorescent powder? Would they be able to walk with it on their bodies? Can they pick up multiple colors?’ We tested each of these and to find out more check out my photo gallery at the end.

My original proposed thesis was to use fluorescent powder to measure beetle dispersal. After trying these methods out in the lab my advisor, Kimberly Wallin, we decided that, while it was an important project that we will continue researching, we still haven’t found that perfect methodology we would need to gain significant results. During the summer we will be continuing to work on this dispersal method as a side project to my thesis. My thesis will still use ground beetles as bioindicators, but will not incorporate their dispersal. This decision takes some of the pressure off my thesis because if the dispersal methods do not work in the field it will not leave me without adequate results. In addition, if we work out dispersal methodology, I hope that another student may pick up this project and see it to fruition.

Working in a lab is an interesting experience. It seems like with each question you answer, five more questions come. My time in the lab made me a more critical thinker and pushed me to think out of the box to find answers. Thank you again for giving me this opportunity.

Wishing your family the best,
Rachel Zevin