Published September 5, 2013
Earlier this summer, University of Louisiana at Monroe graduate Jenae' Clay received
$1,000 in research funding from Tulane University's Oscar Lee Putnam Cultural and
Intellectual Enrichment Grant.
Since then, Clay has been working in ULM's plant ecology lab with Dr. Joydeep Bhattacharjee,
associate professor of biology.
Jenae' Clay working in the field, performing research funded by Tulane
University's Oscar Lee Putnam Cultural and Intellectual Enrichment Grant.
"Jenae' is extremely enthusiastic about doing science, a very quick learner, and always
wears a smile – not just indoors, but also during harsh field conditions with temperatures
in the high 90s, swarms of mosquitoes, and under extremely humid conditions due to
thick vegetation," said Bhattacharjee.
"This really reflects the fact that she thoroughly enjoys doing research."
Clay's interest in the interdisciplinary fields of meteorology and biology led her
to work with the plant ecology lab during her senior year at ULM.
As a student of the Honors Program, she wrote a thesis entitled, "Canopy-mediated
Micro-climatic Effects of Abiotic Variables on Plant Growth: the Nurse Plant Hypothesis."
Nurse plants, widely researched in plant ecology, are usually trees or shrubs that
ameliorate conditions for the establishment and growth of other vegetation in their
proximity.
The results of her research were presented at the Louisiana Collegiate Honors Council
Conference in New Orleans and at ULM's Annual Academic Summit, facing positive reception
from both collegiate platforms.
While her experiment for her honors thesis yielded support for the nurse plant hypotheses,
it was conducted in a controlled environment.
Clay wanted to further test the role of trees as "nurse plants" in a natural forest.
"Receiving the Putnam Grant has presented me with the opportunity to carry out independent
research that combines my interest in the fields of atmospheric science and biology,"
said Clay.
"My present research explores biotic and abiotic variables in the Ouachita Wildlife
Management Area to determine if trees undergoing secondary succession in this bottomland
hardwood forest act as nurse plants for other trees' seedlings."
Since the beginning of the summer, Clay has collected vegetation and atmospheric data
from under and outside of 30 tree canopies with the intent of determining relationships
between the biotic and abiotic variables.
She displays strong enthusiasm for the opportunity to do independent research with
Bhattacharjee with funding made possible by the Oscar Lee Putnam Grant.
"It is an enriching opportunity to work with the plant ecology lab as I am carrying
out my research," said Clay.
"This experience has emboldened my aspirations to pursue a master's degree in biometeorology
in the fall of 2014 and conduct more research in the future."
Clay received a Bachelor of Science in Atmospheric Sciences from ULM in May 2013,
graduating with Honors in the University. She grew up in Lafayette.
Field photo of Jenae' Clay courtesy Dr. Joydeep Bhattacharjee
