Undergraduate Research with C. LeRoy

Rigorous quantitative and qualitative research is an important component of academic learning in Environmental Studies. This independent learning opportunity is designed to allow advanced students to delve into real-world research with faculty who are currently engaged in specific projects. The program will help students develop vital skills in research design, data acquisition and interpretation, written and oral communication, collaboration and critical thinking skills—all of which are of particular value for students who are pursuing a graduate degree, as well as for graduates who are already in the job market.

Carri LeRoy conducts research on linkages between terrestrial and aquatic environments. She is trained as a freshwater ecologist and primarily studies in-stream ecosystem processes and aquatic communities. She and her students do fieldwork and lab work to understand organic matter processing, aquatic macroinvertebrate community structure, aquatic microbial community structure (algae, bacteria, fungi), hydrological variables, and water-quality measurements in stream and river environments. Students in this program will be involved in new research projects funded by the National Science Foundation at streams at Mount St. Helens and ongoing research in streams within the campus forest reserve. See Dr. LeRoy's website for more information: https://sites.evergreen.edu/carrileroy/.