Skip to main content

Laura Belica Awarded NC Wildlife Federation Conservation Leadership Grant

A photo Laura Belica using pyranometers to measure solar radiation in a forest.
Laura uses pyranometers to measure solar radiation under forest canopies for modeling temperature in headwater streams.

Center Ph.D. student Laura Belica (Dept. of Forestry and Environmental Resources) has been named the 2016 recipient of the NC Wildlife Federation’s Conservation Leadership award. The $2,500 grant is given to “a student of exemplary merit” chosen for special recognition as part of the the annual NCWF student scholarship competition, according to the program website.

Laura’s award recognizes her research at the Coweeta Hydrologic Laboratory in Western NC, modeling stream water temperature in forested landscapes. Laura is advised by Stacy Nelson (a center faculty fellow) and Pete Caldwell (USDA Forest Service); her committee also includes center Associate Director of Geovisualization Helena Mitasova, center Research Practitioner Jim McCarter, and Jordan Smith, currently at Utah State University.

Congratulations, Laura, on this great achievement!