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The Environmental Science and Design Research Institute (ESDRI) supports students through their undergraduate Fellows Program. In this program students across any major with interest in environmental science or design come together to form a like-minded, yet diverse, community of scholars. Fellows receive mentorship from ESDRI staff, including workshops and other career development opportunities, as well placement with a research or creative activity faculty mentor if desired. If fellows have a faculty mentor they may apply for funding for their research or creative activities. Fellows also enjoy spending time getting to know each other and relaxing at our social events!

 

At the end of the Fall 2024 semester, last December, two ESDRI fellows graduated, and in Spring 2025, four Fellows graduated! Check out these profiles to learn more about these students, including their reflections on their time in the ESDRI Fellows Program and what is next for them. Keep up these students and all the alumni here: /esdri/alumni

 

 

Fall 2024

Kathryn Burns
BA in Environmental Studies, minor in Environment, Peace, and Justice
 

Emily Campbell
BS in Organismal Biology
 

Emily joined the ESDRI Fellows Program for her senior year as it felt like a good opportunity to talk to peers and professors, and build a network. “I liked having the career support. It made me feel more prepared for the future,” said Emily. She mentioned liking the way the program was set up, as it was really nice to get together with people.

She participated in the Summer Undergraduate Research Experience program (SURE) in the summers of 2023 and 2024 in the lab of Lauren Kinsman-Costello, PhD (Department of Biological Sciences), where she conducted research on how restored wetland soil phosphorus dynamics are affected by restoration age and the constructed microtopography (lowland pools vs upland hummocks, hollows or woods). Generally speaking, she found that wetlands gain more capacity for phosphorus (P) as they age, and the pool sediment typically had a greater capacity for P, due to the accumulation of amorphous iron (and aluminum). Emily shared, “working in the Kinsman-Costello lab was one of the best decisions I could have made - it introduced me to so many great people and shaped me into the scientist I am now.”

Last year she presented a research poster at the Society for Freshwater Science Annual Meeting in Philadelphia, the Ohio Academy of Science Annual Meeting, the ESDRI Research Showcase, and the Undergraduate Research Symposium. She also participated in 3-minute research presentations for the SURE program each year. During her time at Kent she was an e-board member on the KSU Student Affiliates of the American Chemical Society (SAACS) Chapter. Emily was the recipient of two Biological Sciences scholarships, the Herald R. Papiska Award and the Dorothy J. Stualmiller Scholarship in Music and Biology.

After graduation in December 2024, Emily continued her research in the Kinsman-Costello lab as a Biogeochemistry Research Assistant. Presenting her work at the ESDRI Research Showcase and Undergraduate Research Symposium this Spring. In May 2025, she started as a Laboratory Technician I at Alliance Technical Group.

Spring 2025
 

Carla Wagner
BFA in Studio Art with a concentration in Painting; minor in Drawing
 

Carla first heard about ESDRI when she was a student success leader, and joined the Fellows Program in Fall of 2022. Carla really enjoyed being part of the program - especially because of its inclusivity. “I like that it’s inclusive of all majors, not just sciences. And I appreciated being able to share my art with the group.” She went on to share that it’s nice to have a smaller group, and of course funding available for research. Overall, she loved the inclusivity and opportunity to expand your horizons.

This year, Carla completed her senior thesis, titled “Limits Transcending”, advised by Shawn Powell. "I see the imagined world as my intuitive reality. My large-scale paintings bring to life these invented worlds with qualities of rhythm, spontaneity, and balance. Intuitive drawings influence my painting practice while mark making, color relationships and staining are foundations to my works. Moreover, through the act of layering, these paintings allude to progression and change, with repeatedly something new to discover. Optimistic feelings are shown through repeated forms and intentional marks that expand into a whimsical otherworldly realm - both familiar and unfamiliar," Carla explains.

For the last two years, Carla has been an Art Editor for Brainchild, the Honors literary and arts magazine. She has also completed two internships. One with both Cleveland Avant-garde Arts and Crafts Shows and Cleveland Cotton Candy, and another at the Emerald Hive Gallery in Fairlawn. In these internships she’s gained experience in PR and marketing, website management, curation, and event planning. She is a member of Alpha Lambda Delta and Phi Mu.

Carla won the 1st runner-up undergraduate award at the 2025 Student Annual Exhibition!

This summer Carla will start as an Art Intern at Feverdream, a Non-profit Art Organization in Cleveland, which for her is a dream job! She also plans to continue to make art as well as form connections in the art world. And after she works a few years in her field and makes some art outside of academia she’s thinking of applying for graduate school to pursue a Master’s of Fine Arts (MFA).

Hana Esber
BA in Environmental Studies; minors in Geography, Parks Management, and Biology for Environmental Management and Conservation 
 

Hana joined the Fellows Program in Summer of 2023 and has been plugging it to everyone she knows ever since! “It’s a really great organization for people in all sorts of places within an undergrad program, whether you have a research background or not,” says Hana. She shared that the program felt very supportive and is a fantastic organization to begin your networking and your research career. “Being part of the program was really accessible. It’s easy to apply, doesn’t require much time and effort during the year, and it’s free!" She also appreciated the events ESDRI hosted and the access to research funding, which she used to travel to Canada and present a research poster.

Hana was an Undergraduate Research Assistant in the Kinsman-Costello Lab, researching wetland inundation with remote sensing. With her project she found that when adapting remote sensing inundation techniques in small wetlands you can see seasonality and hydrologic patterns. Also with the Kinsman-Costello Lab, in collaboration with the Rocha Lab (Biological Sciences), she looked at carbon in the wetland at Bird Family Bog in Portage County. And most recently, she traveled to South Africa for a study abroad program, led by David Ward, PhD. Hana worked with Kaylin to examine soil microbial activity and physical characteristics using a 90-day tea bag decomposition index in two land use areas in South Africa. 

Hana was in the 51���� Honors College, served as Co-President of Students for Environmental Change, and is a member of the Lake Erie Aquatic Research Network (LEARN), American Water Works Association (AWWA), International Association of Great Lakes Research (IAGLR), Great Lakes Young Professionals Network, and the Honor Societies Phi Beta Kappa and Gamma Theta Epsilon Geography Honors Society.

This semester she won a 3rd place poster award at the ESDRI Research Showcase, 1st place poster award in the Biology-Ecology category at the Undergraduate Research Symposium, Environmental Studies Major Award, and College of A&S 2024 Distinguished Student Leadership Award in Geography. Hana graduated summa cum laude in May 2025. 

In Fall 2025 Hana will begin pursuing a Masters of Science in Ecology and Evolutionary Biology at 51���� in the Kinsman-Costello Lab, researching wetland nutrient fluxes.

Kaylin Mentz
BA in Environmental Studies; minors in Economics, Park Management, and Biology for Environmental Management and Conservation
 

Kaylin became a Fellow last summer, prior to her senior year, and has never once regretted joining. “Anyone can do it!,” encourages Kaylin. She also said, “I really appreciate how helpful ESDRI staff is.”

She worked as an Undergraduate Research Assistant in the Ward Lab, in the Department of Biological Sciences, in collaboration with Andrew Lepp, PhD, assessing E. coli levels throughout the entirety of the Cuyahoga River. In this work, she found that E. coli levels were higher near the mouth of the river, in Cleveland, due to increased urban land use and sewage overflow. Kaylin also volunteered with Kinsman-Costello Lab, assisting with wetland fieldwork. For one project, which collaborated with the Rocha Lab, she assessed carbon in the wetland at Bird Family Bog in Portage County. This past winter break, she studied abroad for Biological Sciences' South Africa program. Kaylin, alongside Hana, assessed soil microbial activity and physical characteristics with a 90-day tea bag decomposition index in two land use areas in South Africa. 

Kaylin served as Co-President of Students for Environmental Change, and is a member of the Lake Erie Aquatic Research Network (LEARN), American Water Works Association (AWWA), International Association of Great Lakes Research (IAGLR), and Great Lakes Young Professionals Network.

This semester she won a 1st place poster award in the Biology-Ecology category at the Undergraduate Research Symposium and a 3rd place poster award at the ESDRI Research Showcase.

In May 2025, Kaylin started working as a Lab Technician at the Davey Tree Plant Diagnostic Laboratory, running diagnostics on samples of plants and soil from across the US. She’s excited about this new opportunity, but is also thinking about applying for grad school for next year.

Rae Baba
BA in Environmental Studies; minor in Environment, Peace, and Justice
 

Rae joined the program this past summer after participating in the Summer Undergraduate Research Experience (SURE) program as an ESDRI-supported SURE student. Each year, ESDRI supports a handful of students, who are mentored by affiliated faculty members, through the SURE program, providing a little extra mentorship and featuring their success. ESDRI especially enjoys supporting SURE students who are working on Seed Grant funded projects - like Rae was! You can read more about Rae’s experience here: /esdri/news/student-researcher-bridging-knowledge-two-eyed-seeing-method

Of the Fellows program, Rae said, “I really enjoyed being a fellow. I liked seeing others' research because it made me more comfortable with my own,” explaining, “sometimes you kind of feel like you’re grasping at straws, but when you see other’s work it can make things more clear for your own.” 

In the SURE program, Rae was mentored by Elaine Hsiao, PhD (Peace and Conflict Studies) and He Yin, PhD (Geography), working on a two-eyed seeing project. For Rae, the main goal was to give indigenous tribes the tools to reclaim their land, if they want them. Rae also conducted research for the senior integrative project class, taught by David Kaplan, PhD (Environmental Studies Program, Geography), where they looked at social ties that are developed through community focused environmental projects. Specifically asking, how are community ties developed when a large group of people are involved with a community project, like composting? After conducting interviews with people from Rustbelt Riders and Ridall Farms, Rae found they were better suited to adapt to climate change because of the relationship they have with other community members. 

In the Summer of 2023, they studied abroad in Florence, taking “Feasts and Plagues: the Science of Italian Food, Wine and Disease” and another course on fairy tales. This year, Rae gave a research talk at the Cleveland Library, presented a poster at the ESDRI Research Showcase, and a poster at Undergraduate Research Symposium - which won 1st place in the Geology/Geography/Business section! Also, they were on the Dean’s list for Spring 2025. 

As of the time of writing, Rae is currently interviewing for positions with Ohio Land Bank organizations. Once they get settled in a job, they would love to start volunteering with nonprofits or community organizations, such as a local community garden, to keep their community focus strong. 
 

You can follow along with our current fellows here. And see what is happening with our alumni here!
If interested in becoming a fellow, click here to learn more and apply.