Area student to present his research at regional conference

2016 Mar 17

Jonathan Stetler of Northumberland, Pa., will give a talk on his climate-change research Saturday, March 19, at the Midwest Ecology and Evolution Conference in Ohio.

Stetler is a junior who is majoring in in fisheries and wildlife science at Paul Smith's College. His talk, titled "Interactive Effects of Temperature, Turbidity and Fish on Aquatic Primary Producer Biomass," will focus on a research project he conducted last summer, in which he investigated the effects of climate change on different types of water bodies.

Stetler and his mentors at MEEC discovered that changes in temperature and precipitation, as a result of climate change, would have very different effects on the food chain in water bodies that contain fish, as opposed to those that do not. The researchers suggest that all three of these factors should be considered in conservation and management strategies.

Stetler will also take part in a panel discussion at the conference titled, "How to Prepare for Graduate School: What to expect and how to do your best," in which he will discuss the importance of undergraduate research experience.

ABOUT PAUL SMITH'S COLLEGE

At Paul Smith's College, it's about the experience. Paul Smith's, which was founded in 1946, is the only bachelor's-degree-granting institution of higher education in the Adirondacks. Our programs - in fields including hospitality, culinary arts, forestry, natural resources, entrepreneurship and the sciences - draw on industries and resources available in our own backyard while preparing students for successful careers anywhere. For more information: www.paulsmiths.edu.

ABOUT MEEC

The Midwest Ecology and Evolution Conference (MEEC) is an annual regional conference hosted by different Midwestern institutions each year, and is organized and directed entirely by graduate students. This conference is graduate and undergraduate student-focused, providing a professional atmosphere for students of all levels to interact with and learn from their peers. Previous conferences have drawn between 250 and 300 attendees from universities around the Midwest. In 2016, MEEC will be returning "home" to Miami University, where it was founded in 1979.