University of Notre Dame Environmental Research Center

08/08/2025

We are so proud of all the hard work our Track 2 students did this summer! One student, Cade, investigated how ectoparasite abundances vary among different habitats in two species of deer mice under the mentorship of Dr. Michael Cramer. As a pre-vet student at Queens University of Charlotte, this project was a perfect start for Cade’s future work in wildlife veterinary medicine. 🐭🐾

Here’s a brief description of Cade’s research this summer:
A typical day in Cade’s research involves trapping mice in the field, combing them to collect ectoparasites, and bringing the samples back to the lab for identification. Although he collects all types of ectoparasites, his project primarily focuses on fleas, which are the most common on these mice. This research can help inform how ectoparasites spread within and between deer mouse populations, and which species or habitats may be more vulnerable to introduced diseases in the future.

08/04/2025

🎉 A big congratulations to all of our students for presenting their research last Friday! 🎉
Our Track 2 students kicked off the day with impressive oral presentations in the morning, followed by a poster session in the afternoon showcasing our Track 1 projects. We are so incredibly proud of everything they accomplished this summer!
We’d also like to extend a huge thanks to everyone who made this research possible: UNDERC’s director, assistant director, TAs, fellows, technicians, and maintenance crew, as well as the Bernard J. Hank Family Endowment. Their support and efforts are deeply appreciated and essential to the success of our undergrad programs!

07/28/2025

Mosquito Monday! 🦟 Meet Haley, a Track 2 student studying the UNDERC mosquitoes this summer. After studying the aquatic plant communities last summer as a Track 1 student, we are excited Haley decided to come back to focus on vector biology under the mentorship of PhD candidate Laurel Lown. Haley has recently graduated from Indiana University Northwest and will be joining Indiana’s Department of Natural Resources as a restoration technician in the fall.

Here is a brief description of Haley’s research this summer:
Haley is investigating the habitat and blood-feeding preferences of over 20 species of mosquitoes found on UNDERC property. Along with collecting data on the species habitat preferences, she will be analyzing the bloodmeals of female mosquitoes to discover which animals they are feeding on. Understanding the habitat and blood-feeding preferences of these species can help inform how mosquito-borne diseases may spread through the area if introduced in the future.

07/17/2025

Meet Caitlyn, another one of our Track 2 students doing amazing work this summer! Caitlyn is a senior from the University of Florida studying leaf hydraulics under the mentorship of Dr. Lukas Magee, UNDERC’s post-doc. Caitlyn originally began her collaboration with Dr. Magee at the Ordway-Swisher Biological Research Station working in their ForestGEO plot. While the majority of her research has focused on tree community dynamics, she is excited to be expanding into the world of plant physiology. Below is a brief summary of her research at UNDERC:

Caitlyn is studying how water acquisition and storage strategies differ across tree species, life stages, and environmental conditions. To do this, she is measuring a wide variety of traits such as stomatal density, stomatal conductance, leaf water content, and max pre-dawn to mid-day water potential. The long-term goal of this research is to perform niche modeling to determine whether their findings at UNDERC can be extrapolated to accurately predict the distribution of trees in the Wabikon Lake Forest dynamic plot.

07/14/2025

Track 2 Student Spotlight! With over 20 lakes on property, UNDERC offers an ideal setting for limnological research and Vera has taken full advantage. Vera became interested in studying lakes at the University of Wisconsin-LaCrosse where she worked with Dr. Eric Strauss studying a lake near UNDERC. This interest in lakes has led her to return to the Strauss Lab as a Master’s student in the fall. We are thrilled Vera chose to spend her first post-grad field season at UNDERC and can’t wait to see all that she accomplishes! Below is a brief description of her research up at UNDERC this summer:

Vera is comparing the quality and composition of carbon in lakes at UNDERC with low vs high levels of dissolved organic carbon (DOC). She is particularly interested in the carbon’s biodegradability (aka how much carbon can be consumed by organisms). This is because understanding the amount of DOC that is available for these organisms will not only help characterize the health of each lake ecosystem, but it will help inform how much DOC can be released as CO2 into the atmosphere.

07/07/2025

Our Track 1 students have completed four modules on forests, vertebrates, aquatics, and NEON. We are extremely grateful for our amazing instructors for sharing their expertise with our students: Dr. Nathan Swenson and Dr. Michael Cramer from University of Notre Dame, Dr. Eric Strauss from University of Wisconsin-La Crosse, and Ashley Spink and Caleb Slemmons from NEON. Our students will now take what they’ve learned to design and execute research projects which they will present at the end of the month! Good luck, Track 1! 🌳🐸🐭🐠

04/29/2025

This year for we asking for donations so we can purchase some new jon boats for students and researchers to access the plethora of lakes at UNDERC!! Help us support aquatic research!!

https://notredameday.nd.edu/organizations/environmental-research-center-underc

01/20/2025

Did you know: The U.S. Commission on Civil Rights’ new vision for equality may never have materialized were it not for the University of Notre Dame's 8,000-acre Land O’Lakes property?

When the group needed a quiet place to create its final report, Commissioner Rev. Theodore M. Hesburgh, C.S.C., former Notre Dame president, suggested the site at the Michigan and Wisconsin border, which today houses the University of Notre Dame Environmental Research Center (UNDERC).

During a fishing excursion at the property, Fr. Hesburgh ensured that pairs with sharply opposing views were placed in the same boats, allowing for areas of agreement, understanding, and partnership to unfold. The Commission's final report outlined a case for federal intervention against racial discrimination consisting of 12 recommendations related to voting, education, and housing.

On today's , learn more about the historic civil rights outcomes that this process advanced:

…

01/18/2025

NEON seasonal field techs get a lot of experience working in a variety of systems in a truly beautiful place!

11/16/2024

GLIFWC is doing much in the woods around UNDERC, including harvesting paper birch and black ash seeds and looking for southern red-backed voles! Read their informative newspaper for more info…

Catch up on recent GLIFWC field work, natural resources, and Ojibwe culture in the latest volume. Mazina’igan takes you across the Ceded Territories of Michigan, Wisconsin and Minnesota with features on namegos, elk season, lake sturgeon stewardship, plus a Ceded Territory Science doubleheader! Bats are on the wing as we explore the role of dream catchers in the biboon edition.

http://data.glifwc.org/download/archive.maz/Winter24.pdf