Undergraduate Researcher of the Year 2009
College of Natural Resources

Richie Gardner has been involved in undergraduate research since he was a sophomore.  Initially, he assisted with a project involving freshwater mussels in several states.  Richie was part of a field crew working for the Umatilla Indian Tribe in Oregon, and he quickly became one of the core project members.  He obtained SCUBA certification to enable more extensive sampling in deep water, improved the project collection protocols, and attended to a plethora of details with respect to equipment and vehicles.  Following the mussel work, Richie was involved in a project on Phragmites, an invasive reed.  Richie was responsible for setting up an extensive greenhouse experiment comparing the growth of native and invasive strains of the reed in Utah. During this project, Richie again showed a remarkable ability to work meticulously and independently.   A manuscript on this project is currently in preparation.

Most recently, Richie has been involved in several projects related to aspen population genetics.  He has continued to demonstrate extraordinary field skills, practical know-how, and leadership abilities. During the summer of 2008 Richie supervised a crew of other students (including graduate students) sampling aspen leaves in a remote part of Utah.  While working on this project, Richie really began to function more as a professional collaborator than a technician, refining field protocols, managing databases, and discussing future projects.  This past summer, Richie designed and obtained funding for his own undergraduate research project, involving a collaborator at the University of Wisconsin and a USU graduate student.  The objective of the project is to determine whether there is a tradeoff in aspen clones between growth and phytochemical protection against herbivory.  This project is currently underway, but Richie has already presented his preliminary results in a poster and this spring will be preparing a manuscript for publication in a peer-reviewed journal. The Center for Integrated Biosystems has also played a big role in Richie's research experience.

Richie is an exemplary undergraduate researcher, making the very most of the opportunities presented to him.  His independence, field skills, and intellectual abilities will serve him well in his academic pursuits and in his future career as a natural resource professional.