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Congratulations – Recent HTIRC Graduates

• Kalli Dunn successfully defended her MS Thesis on February 15, 2018. Kalli is the Assistant Property Manager at Glendale Fish and Wildlife Area under the Indiana  DNR division of fish and wildlife.
• Skye Greenler successfully defended her MS Thesis on April 11, 2018.  She will be attending Oregon State University for her PhD.
• Mariam Valladares successfully defended her MS Thesis on May 15, 2018.
• James Jacobs successfully defended his PhD. dissertation on July 13, 2017. James has a position with the USDA Forest Service, Northern Research Station as a Plant Pathologist.
• Kyle Earnshaw Rose (Former van Eck Scholar) accepted a new position as Assistant Professor at New Mexico Highland University (Las Vegas, NM) beginning in Fall 2017. He will work alongside Dr. Joshua Sloan (Purdue FNR PhD. in 2011 and former van Eck Scholar).  Dr. Owen Burney (Purdue FNR PhD in 2011), Assistant Professor with NM State University) directs a forestry center and experimental nursery 45 minutes away, present opportunities for research synergies.
• Nick LaBonte (Former van Eck Scholar) successfully defended his PhD dissertation on Thursday, August 3. Nick accepted a position as adjunct professor at Eureka College located in Illinois.
• Micah Stevens (Former van Eck Scholar) accepted a Lead Scientist-Director at ProTree Nursery LLC, MicroPlants Division located in Brentwood, California .
• Jun Hyung Lee successfully defended his PhD. dissertation on November 2, 2017. Jun has accepted a Post-doctoral position at the University of Tennessee-Knoxville where he will join Dr. Neal Stewart’s lab group.
• Graham Frank (Former van Eck Scholar) successfully defended his MS dissertation on November 21, 2017.

Purdue Researchers Release White Paper
on Indiana Forest Management Issues

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. – A team of forest and wildlife researchers from Purdue University’s Department of Forestry and Natural Resources has published a white paper addressing three critical questions in the ongoing discussion about management of Indiana state forests.

Bob Wagner, department head and professor, said the purpose of the paper, titled “Addressing Concerns about Management of Indiana’s Forests,” was to provide useful information to policymakers and the public.

“This is our best science-based assessment from decades of research on these issues,” Wagner said.

Questions addressed in the paper are:
* Are natural disturbances alone adequate to maintain a desirable structure and diversity of Indiana’s forests and wildlife?
* Is timber harvesting bad for wildlife?
* How is “old-growth” forest defined, and is it a relevant term for managing Indiana’s forests? Read More