Earlier this month, we hosted the eight annual CNR Graduate Research Symposium. The spring event showcases the outstanding research conducted by our talented graduate students. Congratulations to all of our winners this year! 👏

See the full list of winners below.

✨ Poster Competition ✨

Human and Environment Interactions:

First Place:
Delaney Serpan | Forestry and Environmental Resources, “Defeating a Defoliator: Management of Elm ZIgzag Sawfly in North Carolina”

Second Place:
Laura Maria Arango Saavedra | Forestry and Environmental Resources, “Tree Diversity and Regeneration Patterns in Community-Managed Pine-Oak Forests of of Sierra Norte, Oaxaca: Comparing Silvicultural Management and Conservation Approaches”

Human Systems:

First Place:
Brooklyn Joyner | Parks, Recreation, and Tourism Management, “Do scientists pass the vibe check? Measuring public trust in science and scientists with a new multidimensional survey tool”

Second Place:
Anna Woodroof | Parks, Recreation, and Tourism Management, “W.E.I.R.D. Influences on eBird Data: Exploring Western influence on large-scale citizen science project”

Natural Systems:

First Place:
Eli Horner | Center for Geospatial Analytics, “Quantifying and partitioning landscape patterns of uncertainty in ecological forecasts”

Second Place:
Titilayo Tajudeen | Center for Geospatial Analytics, “How Is Climate Change Reshaping Coastal Ecosystems?”

Sustainable Technology:

First Place:
Shaikat Chandra Day | Forest Biomaterials, “From Pyrolysis Oil to Hard Carbon Anode for Sodium-ion Batteries”

Second Place:
Anny Morales | Forest Biomaterials, “Development of Paper Composites for Al-Air Batteries"

✨ 3MT Competition ✨
First Place:
Chisom Umeileka | Forest Biomaterials, “Designing Sustainable Packaging from Nature”

Second Place:
Kushagra Meshran | Parks, Recreation, and Tourism Management, “Protecting Nature via Tourism: Exploring Pathways to Protected Area Ambassadorship”

Third Place:
Clarisse Owens | Forestry and Environmental Resources, “Engaging with Heirs` Property Owners to Address Land Retention”

Spring has entered the chat. 🌸 🐺 #NCStateOnCampus #FirstDayOfSpring

Meet the NC State College of Natural Resources. 👶❤️

Congratulations to Chisom Umeileka, who took home first place at last week’s three-minute thesis (3MT) competition! 🎉 The 3MT is a long-standing tradition at the annual College of Natural Resources Graduate Research Symposium, which showcases the talented research work of our graduate students.

Chisom is a Ph.D. candidate in the Department of Forest Biomaterials (@ncstatefb). Her research focuses on transforming wood biomass into sustainable, high-performance materials with improved moisture barrier properties for environmentally-friendly packaging applications.

She currently volunteers with International Student & Scholars Engaged in Reaching out and Volunteering (ISSERVE), where she participates in service activities that support the local community. In addition, Chisom has served as vice president of the Nigerian Student Association at NC State, where she helped to foster community, engagement, and support among students.

“Winning first place in the 3MT competition is very meaningful to me because it reflects the perseverance, passion and communication skills that have shaped my academic journey.

As an international student pursuing research in sustainable biomaterials, preparing for 3MT challenged me to share complex ideas clearly and concisely, which strengthened my confidence and determination. This recognition motivates me to continue advancing my work while also sharing the importance of sustainable materials with broader audiences, reinforcing my commitment to creating environmentally responsible alternatives to traditional plastics.”

After graduation, Chisom hopes to work in the industry at the intersection of research and innovation, helping turn sustainable materials science into real-world products and technologies. Her goal is to contribute to the development of bio-based materials that can replace petroleum-based plastics and support a more sustainable and circular economy.

Join us in congratulating Drs. Whitney Knollenberg and Rajan Parajuli as the college’s newest University Faculty Scholars. 🎉

Dr. Whitney Knollenberg, an associate professor of parks, recreation and tourism management and a department Extension leader and specialist, focuses on leadership, planning, policy and partnerships that support sustainable tourism development across diverse contexts, including rural tourism, agritourism, food tourism and volunteer tourism.

Dr. Rajan Parajuli, an associate professor of forestry and environmental resources and an Extension specialist, specializes in forest product markets, trade and policy; economic impacts and development in forest-based regions; carbon and bioenergy markets; forest finance and investment; natural resource policy and governance; and social and community forestry.