My name is Ella Flattum, I am from Appleton, Wisconsin. I am a dual major in Ecological Biology, Environmental Science and Conservation at the University of Wisconsin Platteville, and I am planning to graduate in 2027. This summer I conducted dendrochronology research; this work has taken me all over the state. My research primarily focuses on white cedars within the Ridges and Swales Sanctuary in Door County Wisconsin. I processed my data and analyzed my samples in the Tree Ring Earth and Environmental Sciences Laboratory at the University of Wisconsin Platteville. One of the most challenging things about my research was the abundance of brown rot I found living within the piths of the white cedars along the ridge I was studying. This rot would appear in clusters of cedars near swales and would void my core sample for that tree; finding healthy trees was a big struggle in these areas. It was very interesting to not only see such a unique geological area of Wisconsin but to be able to study it! The Ridges and Swales Sanctuary formed over the past 1,400 years and reflects Lake Michigan water levels. My research this summer is specifically on the relationship between Lake Michigan and groundwater levels within the sanctuary, and how the groundwater levels affect white cedar growth.
I decided to participate in the Freshwater @ UW program because of the opportunities to learn new information in the freshwater field, which is what I plan on pursuing in grad school. This program taught me about the application process, daily life, and workload with a freshwater focus on getting a master’s degree. The thing that I found most beneficial from this program was the people scheduled to speak to us each week. The program brought in people who were in academia, the government, and nonprofits; each showed a different perspective on the freshwater field. Each panel presented different routes life in freshwater studies might entail, which was extremely helpful. The program also brought in current grad students attending the University of Wisconsin Madison, who spoke on their experiences within this field, and the paths that they took to get there. This was amazing to hear for me because I had always hoped to work for a few years before going back and getting my master’s, and some of these students had taken that exact route, which was amazing to hear their stories and what my future may look like. I also had the amazing opportunity to meet with faculty from the University of Wisconsin Madison and Milwaukee and learned more about what the freshwater program looks like at each University. Our trip to Milwaukee was one of my favorite opportunities from the Freshwater @ UW program. After I graduate from the University of Wisconsin Platteville, I hope to pursue a career with the Department of Natural Resources and go on to receive my master’s at either the University of Wisconsin Madison or Milwaukee.