Work to support our environment and natural resources is powered by people.
This May, we’re celebrating SENR students, researchers, and programs making a difference across Ohio and beyond.
First up: Our Students
Everyday SENR students are making an impact. From creating container gardens on campus to delivering environmental education at the Wetlands, they are initiating projects to better connect students to each other and science.
Bringing the SENR Student Research Symposium to life
Graduate students played a central role in shaping and delivering the annual School of Environment and Natural Resources (SENR) Research Symposium from start to finish. This year’s event, held on April 24, 2026, welcomed around 30 student presentations across both poster and oral formats, highlighting the incredible breadth of SENR research.
"Supporting the symposium was deeply meaningful because it allowed me to help create a platform where students’ hard work, passion, and discoveries could truly shine. The most rewarding moment was watching months of planning come to life as our students confidently shared their projects with the SENR community. Seeing that energy in the room was a reminder that this event is more than the presentations, it is about cultivating connection, recognition, and pride in the incredible work our students are doing." – Sophia Roberts
From PFAS and macroinvertebrates to restoration and animal populations, this year’s Symposium showcased the diversity, innovation, and dedication of our student researchers.
SENR faculty member Dr. Steve Matthews was invited to present the Keynote and spoke of resiliency in research, including the ideas of persistence, presence, development and collaboration.
Six students were recognized for their research as part of the Awards ceremony. Congratulations to our student presenter awardees: Kelly Helton, Hunter Heyden, Sam Stachler, Ryan Donahue, Hunter Slear, and Sophia Roberts.
Thirteen generous sponsors helped to make the symposium possible.
2026 SENR Student Research Symposium Committee Members. Photo by Molly Bean
On Bringing the symposium to life – reflections from co-chairs Julia Glandorff and Sophia Roberts
SENR connected with co-chairs Julia Glandorff and Sophia Roberts on their experience co-chairing the symposium.
SENR: How has the experience of being involved and co-chairing helped you grow, develop as a professional, or meet some of your professional goals?
Julia: Organizing the symposium helped me learn how to communicate across students, staff, faculty, and sponsors to secure the success of the symposium. It's been great to learn more about all the people invested in SENR and its students, and I've learned why it's important to involve people from all over the SENR community to talk about science. I personally value talking to people from diverse scientific backgrounds, so it's been great to encourage that kind of discussion to benefit many people.
Sophia: Serving first on the fundraising team (in 2025 and again in 2026) and now as co-chair has been an incredibly formative part of my professional growth. It has strengthened my abilities in fundraising, sponsor relations, and strategic stakeholder communication while giving me invaluable experience in the behind-the-scenes work that makes large-scale events successful. From cultivating sponsor partnerships to managing detailed logistics and implementation, this role has sharpened both my relationship-building and organizational leadership skills. It has reaffirmed how much I value thoughtful coordination, collaborative planning, and the kind of purposeful work that turns big ideas into meaningful experiences.
SENR: What did you like most about providing leadership for the symposium, or why did you want to be involved?
Julia: This has been a great opportunity to practice professional communication and event organizing. I value bringing people together to talk about science, which I do a lot informally, but putting together a fairly formal event has helped me understand how to present myself and talk in front of a large crowd, as well as facilitate communication across many people.
Sophia: I have always been drawn to spaces that celebrate student research because I know firsthand how powerful those opportunities can be.
SENR: What do you hope the symposium offers our graduate students and our wider SENR community?
Julia: I hope the symposium offers a glimpse into what all our students are researching and gets people excited about all the amazing science happening here. There are a lot of problem solvers in SENR who deserve to share their research, and I hope this was a good platform to practice presentation skills and learn about ways to improve students' own research. We hope to involve stakeholders outside of the immediate SENR community such as members of the public and research sponsors as we go forward.
Sophia: I hope the symposium served as both a celebration and a catalyst by highlighting the remarkable diversity of student research while creating space for meaningful exchange across our community. Our students are doing extraordinary work, and too often those ideas exist in separate corners. This symposium offers a rare opportunity to bring those perspectives together, encouraging us to learn from one another, challenge our thinking, and spark new conversations. More than anything, I hope it inspired a stronger sense of connection and possibility within SENR where collaboration, curiosity, and shared passion continue well beyond a single day.
About the 2026 co-chairs:
Julia Glandorff is a 4th year PhD student studying native stream fish under Dr. Lauren Pintor. She enjoys reading, communicating, and doing science as well as hanging out with her cats and going for walks.
Sophia Roberts is graduating with her Master of Science in Environmental Social Sciences from the School of Environment and Natural Resources (SENR) at The Ohio State University. Over the past two years, she has specialized in Environmental Education while working as a Graduate Research Assistant in the Learning Ecologies Lab. She has presented her work at on- and off-campus conferences and serves in various leadership positions around the school from GradRoots to our Symposium.
Lead image: SENR undergraduate student Sam Stachler presented, “Heat Treatment of Acorns to Reduce Weevil Damage and Improve Direct Seeding in Restoration” at the 2026 SENR Research Symposium. Sam is advised by Dr. Jo Peacock. Photo by Duane Gandelot.