June is here and summer research is officially launched at both Hasler Lab and Trout Lake Station! We are excited for another fun summer of science and collaboration. Check out this video from our 2026 summer science communication intern Nalina to learn what is happening at TLS. Stay tuned for more updates from Nalina and other CFL researchers over the next few months.

Read Nalina’s introduction below!

Hello Hello! I’m the summer science communication intern here at Trout Lake, and I can’t wait to dive into all the wonderful science happening at the Station. The past few days have already been eventful. I moved in on Thursday, before any of the other interns were around. I spent the night alone in Juday house, which will be packed with THIRTEEN interns in the heat of summer. I’m looking forward to meeting all my new house mates, and I’m sure we’ll all be thick as thieves.

My first housemate moved in on Friday. Braydon Sprik is on the Forward Facing Sonar Project, a research program analyzing the impact of a specific type of sonar on catch rate. He loves fishing, and has been getting into aquatic plant and insect identification, so we spent Saturday mucking around at a nearby creek. He introduced me to Stone Fly larvae, a very friendly crayfish, and the biggest leech I’d ever seen. 

A few more of my housemates have moved in the past few days. Evelyn Yang is studying zooplankton. Ella Whiffen is torn between limnology and oceanography. Greta Moran drove all the way up from Tampa, FL and is studying environmental sciences. All three are on the LTER program. 

The coolest thing about living with all these people is HOW MUCH THEY KNOW. There’s not much that can match a walk in the woods with someone who sees (and hears, and smells) more than you do. A very wise entomologist quoting Robert M. Pirsig once told me, “the more you look, the more you see.” I’m seeing more and more by the day.

Today I had the delightful opportunity to get in a boat with Susan Knight, an aquatic biologist who was looking for water plants to show to the interns during orientation. We didn’t spend much more than an hour on the water, but I saw bald eagles, sedgey looking grasses, and more aquatic plants than I think I’ve ever bothered to look at. Susan even let me borrow her goggles and put my head over the side. I didn’t see much more than the sandy lake bottom and some mucky plants, but it was underwater and therefore very cool. 

I’m sure I’ll get to talk more about insects and aquatic plants later, but I should probably pause to introduce myself. My name is Nalina Cherr. I’m a rising senior studying science communication at UW Madison, and this summer’s science communication intern at Trout Lake Station (TLS). I’m working on a few projects with Carrie Kissman and Gretchen Gerrish, and will be organizing the TLS Open House this summer (so be sure to come by on July 31st!!!). I’ll be tagging along after scientists, taking lots of videos and pictures for social media (follow us on Instagram and Facebook!!!) and hope to be putting out other videos and audio highlighting the awesome work happening here. 

This isn’t my first science communication rodeo! I’ve actually been lucky enough to run a podcast, called Madison Science Mystery Tour, at the student radio station (WSUM). Every episode I invite a researcher to come talk about their science and why they do what they do. My job is to guide the conversation, asking questions and adding context. I’ll hopefully be interviewing a lot of the scientists here in addition to my official duties, so keep an eye ball out for that, and all of the Trout Lake Station social media and blog posts. And feel free to send me an email if you’re especially interested in anything going on at the station! I’d love to help answer questions, or highlight topics you care about.

I should skedaddle now, I want to go for a walk down to the dock before dinner to see if the teenage bald eagle is still hanging around.

Till next time!

Nalina Cherr

‘26 TLS Communications intern