FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
September 23, 2024
PRESS CONTACT
Katherine Levasseur
Media@VermontState.Edu.
Johnson, VT– Vermont State University (VTSU) is proud to announce that it was
recently awarded a $1.8 million National Science Foundation (NSF) grant, along with
researchers from the University of Maine, to conduct groundbreaking research on ticks
and invasive plant species.
VTSU faculty members Drs. Kristen Ross and William Landesman are co-investigators
on the grant. The project, titled “Management of linked human and ecosystem health
threats in the private woodland socio-environmental system” is funded through NSF’s
Dynamics of Integrated Socio-Environmental Systems program and will provide
valuable research opportunities for undergraduate students over the next five years.
“This research is crucial for understanding social dynamics involved in managing
ecological threats to forest and human health. This funding will also allow us to provide
in-depth, hands-on, impactful research opportunities for our undergraduate students
over the next five years,” shared Dr. Ross.
The multidisciplinary team, comprising biologists, social scientists, and mathematical
modelers will investigate land management decisions made by private landowners,
aimed at addressing threats to both forest and human health in the context of the
control of invasive plants and ticks.
“Tick-borne diseases are a persistent and rising concern in Vermont,” said Dr.
Landesman. This project will help us to implement land management to help reduce this
risk while maintaining the health of our forests. It is especially rewarding to do be able to
perform this research with students and in collaboration with faculty across the VTSU
system.”
“Researching the correlation between invasive species and number of ticks has been
hard work but it is really important to keep it going. The results of this research could
really impact what we know about tick habitat and possibly give more ways to help
control tick populations in certain areas. This research is important from both an
environmental and human health perspective,” said Allie Cloutier, a student at VTSU
Johnson who participated in collecting preliminary data during the summer of 2024.
Alexandra Williams, a VTSU Castleton Biology major who also participated in collecting
preliminary data this past summer, shared, “Getting the opportunity to work with Dr.
Ross and Dr. Landesman has been an incredible experience. As an undergraduate
student, this work has built my researching skills and expanded my knowledge outside
of the classroom. Exploring tick densities and invasive plants opened my eyes to a
whole other world of biological and ecological studies I never realized was so important
for the health of our state’s forests as well as human health.”
This initiative builds upon ongoing research led by Dr. Landesman and students from
the VTSU Johnson and Castleton campuses, supported by the CDC-funded New
England Center of Excellence in Vector-Borne Diseases. The NSF grant allocates
$238,000 to VTSU, with funding commencing on September 1, 2024.
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