Current Wormsloe Fellows

Two doctoral students have joined the slate of researchers delving into the flora and fauna of one of the most ecologically and historically significant sites along Georgia’s coast, becoming the newest members of the Wormsloe Fellows program, administered by the University of Georgia Libraries.

With funding from the UGA Graduate School and the Wormsloe Foundation, the fellowship will allow Marisa Mizzoni and Piper Cole to pursue field work at the Center for Research and Education at Wormsloe, a libraries facility on the Isle of Hope dedicated to experiential learning in fields such as ecology, history, archaeology, and the arts.

Mizzoni is researching the impacts of contaminants like heavy metals and pesticides on the ecology and health of bats. Cole will study pollination ecology of the Southern Magnolia, investigating native tree stands on the property to uncover differences in the floral signals and insect communities. For both topics, the researchers say their work on the Wormsloe property could provide groundwork for future environmental policy that could allow the species to thrive.

“Wormsloe represents a pristine, non-polluted environment where bats are continually active during winter months due to warmer temperatures,” said Mizzoni, who is pursuing her doctorate in the Odum School of Ecology with assistant professor Tamika Lunn as her advisor. “My hope for this project is to understand how contaminants seasonally interact with bat health in wild populations to better inform conservation management and environmental policy.”

Cole, an entomology student in the Salzman Lab in the College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences, will explore the interaction of beetles and honeybees with trees at the site. “This project will provide a thorough understanding of the pollination and signaling of a heavily cultivated, ancient plant lineage,” she said. “Understanding the pollination ecology of native Magnolia at this site will aid in protecting these species outside of Wormsloe, as this research will build a baseline for what healthy, native Magnolia habitat in the southeastern U.S. looks like.”

“I am delighted to welcome the newest Wormsloe Fellows, Piper Cole and Marisa Mizzoni, to the Center for Research and Education at Wormsloe,” said Mary Socci, director of the Center for Research and Education at Wormsloe. “They join a cohort of researchers who are expanding our understanding of coastal ecology and generating valuable data on the impact of human-driven changes to the environment. I look forward to seeing the results of their studies.”

Cole and Mizzoni join three other doctoral students conducting important ecological studies at the Center for Research and Education at Wormsloe. The three students who will continue their Wormsloe Fellowships areTaylor Pearson, Daniel Gilley and Diane Klement. 

Taylor Pearson is a PhD student working under the guidance of faculty members Christopher Cleveland and Michael Yabsley at the Southeastern Cooperative Wildlife Disease Study in UGA’s College of Veterinary Medicine. Her research focuses on the prevalence and diversity of tick species and tick-borne pathogens along the Georgia coastline.

Daniel Gilley’s research involves the foraging patterns of honeybees. At the same time, he’s working with assistant professor Lewis Bartlett, his advisor, to better understand the invasion of the Yellow Legged Hornet into the United States and the impact it’s having on local pollinator species.In addition to his research on plant-pollinator interactions, Gilley is interested in science education and active learning pedagogies and hopes to become an ecology professor.

Diane Klement, a native of Augusta, is on her way toward becoming a triple Dawg, after earning both her bachelor’s and master’s degrees from UGA. At Wormsloe and on nearby Little Saint Simons Island, Klement studies poorly understood factors in the life cycle of the Painted Bunting, a declining migratory songbird. She is working with Clark Rushing, associate professor of wildlife, to examine the buntings’ diet and use of space during the post-breeding season. After graduation, she plans to continue in migratory bird conservation in the southeastern U.S., helping to protect vulnerable landscapes for future generations.