Student News Forestry graduate student awarded Best Poster at SFA Graduate Research Conference Ashley Wahlberg, a Houston native and doctoral student in the Arthur Temple College of Forestry and Agriculture, won best poster for her dissertation, “Mechanisms of Establishment of the Non-Native Brown Widow Spider (Latrodectus geometricus) into a Native Spider Community.” Her advisor was Dr. Christopher M. Schalk, assistant professor of forest wildlife management. “Winning this award has given me satisfaction in knowing that my hard work is paying off,” Wahlberg said. “I have a full-time job on top of my research and classes, and it gets to be overwhelming at times.” Wahlberg’s dissertation and the poster she created for it discusses how the non-native brown widow spider fits into the local spider community. Specifically, she explores the mechanisms that allowed the brown widow to establish itself in East Texas and how its presence affects native species. “The conference is a great place for faculty members from all across the university to see what research is being done in other departments,” Wahlberg said. “It also provides students a place to practice presenting in a formal setting and receiving feedback from students and advisors, which is very helpful when preparing to attend larger conferences.” To view all 2021 GRC presentations, visit sfasu.edu/grc2021.
SFA Sylvans take top honors during Louisiana Forest Festival Following more than a year hiatus in competing due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the SFA timbersports team, the Sylvans, made a triumphant return during the Louisiana Forest Festival, winning the collegiate portion of the event’s timbersports competition. “Our team did a great job representing SFA and our programs,” said Dr. Jeremy Stovall, professor of forestry and Sylvans faculty advisor. The team took first place in the Jack and Jill crosscut, ax throwing, log chopping and single buck crosscutting events. The team earned second place in men’s crosscut, women’s bowsawing and men’s bowsawing. Established in 1979, the Louisiana Forest Festival takes place in Winnfield, Louisiana, and celebrates the timber industry’s contributions to the state.
12| Arthur Temple College of Forestry and Agriculture
