Emma receives a Hooper Undergraduate Research Award (HURA) from NAU.

In April 2020, Emma received news from NAU's Office for Undergraduate Research and Creativity Activity and the HURA Review Committee that she was a recipient of the Hooper award for her project: How is climate affecting a key forest species, Engelmann Spruce, over a Rocky Mountain latitudinal gradient?
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The intent of HURA is to encourage greater participation of undergraduate students in various disciplines in research, scholarly, and creative activities supervised by a faculty member. In Emma's case, Dr Fule is supervising her important research.

Below is a brief description of the project provided by Emma. Congratulations on this achievement, the team is proud of you and all your hard work, Emma! 

"In order to see the effect of climatic shifts in tree species, annual rings collected from tree cores will be measured and analyzed. Because Engelmann spruce’s (Picea engelmannii) range extends from northern British Columbia to its southern range in northern Mexico, two sites were selected to sample tree cores from in different locations of the species range in the Bighorn National Forest in Wyoming and the Lincoln National Forest in New Mexico. In order to understand how climate shifts are affecting these sites, tree ring widths will be compared with local climatic data to observe the relationship between temperature, precipitation, and annual growth over time.  The similarities and differences in how this species is being affected in different areas of its range will allow managers to prepare for future changes that they may have to facilitate for Engelmann spruce. ​"