Melanie Bogert

Background: I grew up in Iowa, followed a long line of family members to Iowa State University, and received a B.S. in Forestry in 2020. I also completed a minor in Hispanic Studies and had the fantastic experience of studying abroad in Valencia, Spain for a summer. As an undergraduate, I took courses in Animal Ecology before realizing I was more interested in the ecosystems that they inhabit, leading to my degree in Forestry and focus on the conservation and restoration of natural resources.

Research Interests: At this time, my research will involve the diversity of plant/pollinator communities and prairie restoration in the Midwest, as well as other potential outcomes of new or improved perennial systems, specifically economic impacts.

Personal Interests: I caught the travel bug at a young age after many fun family vacations, and now love to experience different cultures, places, and peoples as often as I can. When I can’t be traveling, I spend most of my time with my family/friends/dogs, hiking, biking, reading, drawing, baking, watching any inaccurate police procedural crime drama tv series, and collecting rocks.