Lacawac Sanctuary Research Grants
Lacawac is committed to supporting primary scientific research. Thanks to the generosity of the Watres and Moeller families, we are able to offer research grants to faculty, post-docs, graduate students and undergraduate students. The Robert Estabrook Moeller Research Fellow Award and the Isabel and Arthur Watres Student Research Award funds scholars conducting research that incorporates Lacawac's natural resources.
Applications for both opportunities are accepted on a rolling basis. Review of applications begins April 15th of each year. See below for details, previous awardees, and to apply!
Applications for both opportunities are accepted on a rolling basis. Review of applications begins April 15th of each year. See below for details, previous awardees, and to apply!
Robert Estabrook Moeller Research Fellow Award
Lacawac is now accepting applications for the 2021 R. E. Moeller Research Fellow Award
Applicants can be graduate students, post docs, or faculty. Preference will be given to scholars who are new Lacawac users or are starting new projects, and who request funding to cover Lacawac lodging, lab, and/or boat fees. Awards are up to $5,000 but are generally ~$2,500.
2020 R. E. Moeller Fellows

Roger Thomas, The Academy of Natural Sciences of Drexel University
Freshwater Mussel Survey of Shallow-water Habitats within Lake Lacawac
Roger Thomas has been collecting and studying freshwater mussels throughout the United States for over 40 years. He and his colleagues at the Academy are currently working with researchers at the Partnership for the Delaware Estuary and the Philadelphia Water Department to propagate freshwater mussels and help to repopulate streams that, historically, contained a diverse freshwater mussel fauna. Mr. Thomas is the Project Support Section Leader of the Patrick Center of Environmental Research at the Academy as well as the Operations Manager of the Biodiversity, Earth, and Environmental Science Department at Drexel University.
Freshwater Mussel Survey of Shallow-water Habitats within Lake Lacawac
Roger Thomas has been collecting and studying freshwater mussels throughout the United States for over 40 years. He and his colleagues at the Academy are currently working with researchers at the Partnership for the Delaware Estuary and the Philadelphia Water Department to propagate freshwater mussels and help to repopulate streams that, historically, contained a diverse freshwater mussel fauna. Mr. Thomas is the Project Support Section Leader of the Patrick Center of Environmental Research at the Academy as well as the Operations Manager of the Biodiversity, Earth, and Environmental Science Department at Drexel University.

Jessica "JB" Moon, Murray State University
Assessing Watershed Health in Response to Deer Browsing and Recovery from Acid Rain
in a Hardwood Forest, Northeastern Pennsylvania
J.B. Moon has a Ph.D. in Ecology from The Pennsylvania State University, with a background in landscape ecology and wetland microbial biogeochemistry. She was a postdoc at the U.S. EPA’s Pacific Coast Ecology Branch and the University of Arkansas and is now an Assistant Professor in the Watershed Studies Institute and the Biological Sciences Department at Murray State University. She studies how landscapes affect fine-scale spatial variability in wetlands and alter their carbon and nitrogen cycles. In recent years, her research interests have expanded outside of wetlands. Last summer she was part of a team studying how carbon cycling changes across a land use gradient, from old-growth forests to abandoned rubber plantations in the montane rain forests of Borneo. She received a Franklin & Marshal COG Grant and the Moeller Award to begin studying the effects of deer browsing on soil microbial communities and their carbon cycling in the long-term deer enclosures at Lacawac.
Assessing Watershed Health in Response to Deer Browsing and Recovery from Acid Rain
in a Hardwood Forest, Northeastern Pennsylvania
J.B. Moon has a Ph.D. in Ecology from The Pennsylvania State University, with a background in landscape ecology and wetland microbial biogeochemistry. She was a postdoc at the U.S. EPA’s Pacific Coast Ecology Branch and the University of Arkansas and is now an Assistant Professor in the Watershed Studies Institute and the Biological Sciences Department at Murray State University. She studies how landscapes affect fine-scale spatial variability in wetlands and alter their carbon and nitrogen cycles. In recent years, her research interests have expanded outside of wetlands. Last summer she was part of a team studying how carbon cycling changes across a land use gradient, from old-growth forests to abandoned rubber plantations in the montane rain forests of Borneo. She received a Franklin & Marshal COG Grant and the Moeller Award to begin studying the effects of deer browsing on soil microbial communities and their carbon cycling in the long-term deer enclosures at Lacawac.
Isabel and Arthur Watres Student Research Award
Lacawac is now accepting applications for the 2021Isabel and Arthur Watres Student Research Fellows
Applicants can be undergraduate students at any stage of their degree program. Students must be advised by a faulty member, graduate student, or post-doc. Preference will be given to scholars who are new Lacawac users or are starting new projects, and who request funding to cover Lacawac lodging, lab, and/or boat fees. Awards are up to $500 but are generally ~$250.
2020 A. Watres Student Research Fellows

Doan Nguyen, Miami University of Ohio and Lacawac Sanctuary
Advisor: Craig Williamson, Miami University of Ohio
Visualizing High-Frequency Data at Lacawac Through Interactive Web Application
Doan first came to Lacawac Sanctuary as a Summer Scholar student from Miami University, and she absolutely loved the natural beauty of Lake Lacawac, its watershed and surrounding lands. As a Lacawac intern during the summer of 2020, Doan applied her Statistical college coursework to develop an interactive application that will display high-frequency data at the Sanctuary. This will serve towards the goal of increasing the visibility and accessibility of Lacawac's data. Her work will be helpful for future students, researchers, and educators at Lacawac and beyond.

Jakub Zegar, Drexel University
Advisor: Dane Ward, Drexel University
Revisiting Lacawac Sanctuary's Herpetofaunal Biodiversity, with Particular Focus on Salamanders (Urodela)
Jakub Zegar is a herpetologist and undergraduate senior at Drexel University. Born and raised in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Jakub’s exposure to wildlife and the natural sciences was minimal. While at Drexel University Jakub gained experience in field herpetology in Cameron, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and Michigan while studying frogs, snakes, turtles, and salamanders. It was through these experiences that Jakub developed a deep passion for herpetofaunal disease ecology and conservation, which he hopes to pursue in graduate school. In addition to his scientific passions, Jakub is a gifted science communicator and STEM educator. Jakub’s career goal is to hone these skills to better conserve rare and threatened herpetofauna globally.
Advisor: Dane Ward, Drexel University
Revisiting Lacawac Sanctuary's Herpetofaunal Biodiversity, with Particular Focus on Salamanders (Urodela)
Jakub Zegar is a herpetologist and undergraduate senior at Drexel University. Born and raised in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Jakub’s exposure to wildlife and the natural sciences was minimal. While at Drexel University Jakub gained experience in field herpetology in Cameron, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and Michigan while studying frogs, snakes, turtles, and salamanders. It was through these experiences that Jakub developed a deep passion for herpetofaunal disease ecology and conservation, which he hopes to pursue in graduate school. In addition to his scientific passions, Jakub is a gifted science communicator and STEM educator. Jakub’s career goal is to hone these skills to better conserve rare and threatened herpetofauna globally.