Tess Carter '16 is lead author of a new paper published in the journal Ecosphere, due in part to support received while completing a Voss Fellowship at IBES.

Carter, who currently works as a contractor to the US Global Change Research Program's National Coordination Office and serves on the IBES Advisory Council, has always been interested in applying scientific research to questions of policy. Under the guidance of her adviser Meredith Hastings, Carter contributed a literature review to the EPA's ongoing conversation regarding air quality standards for nitrogen and sulfur. This work ultimately resulted in her most recent publication, Mechanisms of nitrogen deposition effects ontemperate forest lichens and trees, through collaboration with scientists from the EPA, US Forest Service, US Geological Survey, and others. The paper reviews the consequences of excess nitrogen on forests, a problem that has surged in recent decades due to anthropogenic emissions.

While at Brown, Carter's research was also supported by a Royce Fellowship.

Read Carter's paper, or learn more about the Voss Fellowship program.