Environmental Biogeochemistry Research Initiative
Contact: Anisa Abid, News Writer for Environmental Science and Policy Program: (517) 432-3823 or abidanis@msu.edu
December 10, 2007
Biogeochemistry is a discipline that has exploded in the last decade, says Dr. Merritt Turetsky, assistant professor in the departments of Plant Biology and Fisheries and Wildlife, and co-director of the Environmental Biogeochemistry Research Initiative (BERI). It's an integrative discipline that lies at the nexus of biology, chemistry and geology and looks at how living organisms (from microbes to plants and animals) interact with their chemical and physical environment. These interactions play important roles in limiting the abundance and distribution of plants and animals. Environmental biogeochemistry looks at the effects that human disruption of the environment has on these processes by studying the impacts of large scale changes such as global warming and declines in biodiversity. "With the onslaught of ecosystem stressors like climate change, our work is becoming at the forefront of exciting science, and is motivated and influenced by policy," Turetsky says. "It's the perfect home if you're engaged in environmental issues, but you're also interested in science and you like to do outdoor research."
BERI represents about 12 different departments, involving 35 faculty members and 23 students, and is considered a potential signature program for the university. The initiative is funded by the ESPP's Environmental Research Initiative, which is supported by the Vice President for Research and Graduate Studies, the Provost, the College of Social Science, the College of Engineering, the College of Agriculture and Natural Resources and the Michigan Agricultural Experiment Station.
The initiative seeks to build a sense of community by bringing faculty and students together. Dr. Nathaniel Ostrom, professor of Zoology and co-director of the BERI, says, "I think the process is working... I think students appreciate that there's a community out there." Turetsky agrees. "This group has been gelled by the ERI... it's the first time we.ve ever defined ourselves as a group of biogeochemists here at Michigan State," she says. She believes that MSU is now a competitive place to do biogeochemistry. Second year PhD student Jason Martina, who is one of the student coordinators of the BERI, said "at a big university where there are so many departments, it's hard to know all your resources... So, it's amazing how a (sense of) community can have an effect on a graduate student's perspective." The initiative has also created a web site, which helps to foster communication amongst participating faculty and students.
A central goal of the initiative is engaging students in the field of environmental biogeochemistry. Through funding, BERI has enabled students to participate in over a dozen biogeochemistry research projects. Students have been gathering data, traveling to conferences and work on getting published. The initiative is also working to form a master's specialization in biogeochemistry, which would complement other programs like Ecology, Evolutionary Biology, and Behavior Program (EEBB) and ESPP.
BERI is also reaching to the outside world to promote awareness of the field and the types of research being done at MSU. Participants are doing this by writing a series of white papers aimed at the university and public; these form a basis of scientific knowledge on issues that biogeochemistry examines, such as climate change and invasive species. The initiative plans to hold a forum in the next six months to discuss a key issue with scientists from around the region. One topic being considered is climate change in the Great Lakes, which are now exhibiting a temperature increases comparable to the Arctic region. "There is no real idea of how it will change the ecology of fisheries in lakes," Ostrom said.
Turetsky said that solving society's complex problems requires a variety of different backgrounds, and that biogeochemistry brings such people together. "[The initiative] has given our group more power in terms of communication, and allows us to leverage our collective wisdom" she said.
For more information on what BERI is doing, visit their web site: http://biogeochemistry.plantbiology.msu.edu/index.html
