Graduate Student Enhancement Fund

Discovery for Solutions

NC State offers the only applied ecology program in the nation. Our graduate students become scientists, collaborators and leaders. They develop research-based solutions to tackle challenges affecting ecological systems vital to food production, clean water, and human and animal health. Whether they are leading citizen science projects, representing labs at conferences or implementing real-time solutions in the field, our students lead the way in applying science directly to the conservation of our species.

Graduate Student Enhancement Fund

Give Now

Goal: $300,000

The Applied Ecology Graduate Student Enhancement Fund supports graduate students as they earn their master’s and doctoral degrees in Biology and Fisheries, Wildlife and Conservation Biology. Fund uses may include, but are not limited to:

• graduate awards
• tuition
• research funding
• other enhancements to the graduate experience

How Your Perennial Garden Can Shelter Bees

The hollow stems of perennials can provide native bees with winter housing or a nursery. Here’s how to get your garden move-in ready.  

Fortifying the Future for Bees

With multiple projects focused on the behavior, health and environment of bees, researchers in the Department of Applied Ecology are dedicated to supporting the well-being of these important pollinators.  

Applied Ecology Graduate students at work

Paddleboarding for Pollen

Can certain diets keep bees healthy? That’s what April Sharp, a graduate student in the Department of Applied Ecology, aims to find out by studying Crithidia bombi, a fecal-orally transmitted parasite that may contribute to world-wide bee declines. Sharp suspects that a bee’s diet, specifically pollen, may play an important role in reducing infection intensity.

Learn about the buzz 

Cold Stun: Mathematical Models Aim to Advance Fisheries Management

To fortify the future of North Carolina’s fishing industry, NC State University doctoral student Johnna Brooks is using biomathematics to quantify the effect of winter cold stun events on spotted seatrout in North Carolina estuaries.

Meet Johnna Brooks 

Research Advances the Next Wave of Aquaculture

Small pondside tanks may be key for a more sustainable future for the aquaculture industry. This innovative approach could help conserve water and maximize the use of earthen ponds in raising striped bass. Graduate student Erimi Kendrick investigates the critical role aquaculture plays in both fisheries science and conservation.

Catch up with the project 

Thank you for helping us grow the Applied Ecology Graduate Student Enhancement Fund. Funds supporting the Applied Ecology Graduate Student Enhancement Fund are collected and managed by The North Carolina Agricultural Foundation, Inc., a 501(c)3 non-profit, tax id 56-6049304. You will receive an official receipt for your donation.