This spring, 109 donors (and some generous matching grants) helped us raise $32,240 dollars during the UW-Madison’s annual “Day of the Badger” fundraising campaign. Every dollar went to our Student Support Fund and gave a group of amazing undergraduates summer fellowships. We wanted to share what your support meant to our students. Ellie Carrothers sent this in. Stay tuned for recaps from more students!
____
My name is Ellie Carrothers, and I’m from Ontonagon, Michigan. I’m a senior at Lawrence University majoring in Biology with a marine focus and minoring in Psychology.
This summer, I worked on a project investigating diel vertical migration (DVM) of zooplankton in lakes treated with added nutrients and Aquashade, a light-reducing dye. Essentially, these tiny animals called zooplankton migrate to darker waters in the daytime to escape predation from fish and then migrate to the surface at night to eat phytoplankton and algae. We wanted to know how our experiments with nutrients and Aquashade impacted this daily migration.
My role involved both field and lab work — from heading out on a boat to take early morning and late-night samples on the lakes, to heading to the lab to analyze zooplankton abundance and species composition under the microscope. I also helped record environmental data such as temperature profiles and light penetration in the water.
One of the best parts of the experience was spending so much time on the water, getting hands-on experience with sampling equipment, and seeing firsthand how lake ecosystems respond to changes in light and nutrient availability.
The most challenging part was the unusual hours — zooplankton sampling often meant heading out at dusk and staying out really late — but it made the DVM patterns we observed even more exciting. I loved my time up in the Northwoods, especially being surrounded by such beautiful nature. I learned a lot about limnological field techniques, experimental lake manipulations, and the complex interactions between light, nutrients, and aquatic food webs.
This experience strengthened my interest in aquatic ecology and experimental research. It also gave me valuable skills in data collection, statistical analysis, and scientific communication — all of which will help me in my future career, whether that’s in research, conservation, or something else.
One moment that stands out was sampling out on the lakes at night. The water was completely still, the stars were so bright, and I even saw some shooting stars.
I’m so grateful for the Day of the Badger supporters who made this fellowship possible. Their generosity allowed me to gain invaluable hands-on experience in aquatic research and explore questions that deepen our understanding of freshwater ecosystems. It’s an opportunity I’ll carry forward into my academic and professional journey.
