When Stone Lab introduced its research scholarship program in 2005, Kelsey Reider was one of the first to participate.

At the time, she was a junior at The Ohio State University, double majoring in zoology and marine ecology. For Reider’s Research Experience for Undergraduates project that summer, she helped Dr. Kristin Stanford execute the Lake Erie watersnake recovery plan.

“My project was to examine how vehicle traffic affected the snakes,” Reider said. “I spent five weeks riding my bike around Kelleys, Middle Bass and South Bass islands, learning the ins and outs of real-world data collection. It might seem simple, but it contributed to the recovery plan for an endangered species, which felt incredible.”

Now an ecologist working toward her PhD at Florida International University in Miami, Reider says she wouldn’t be where she is today without that experience. Seeing working scientists doing what they love and making a difference inspired her to chase the same dream.

Her time at Stone Lab also paved the way for future opportunities, like a research experience through Kansas State University the following summer, and later, research fellowships that funded her studies in the Costa Rican rainforest and fieldwork in the Andes, where she studied frog species that live near melting glaciers.

“That Stone Lab REU scholarship is immensely valuable to students like me – a first-generation college student without the means to pay for a Stone Lab education on my own.”
Kelsey Reider

The intensity of Stone Lab’s accelerated classes helped prepare Reider for graduate school, and the herpetology class gave her an in-depth look at amphibians and reptiles that has been invaluable throughout her career.

None of that would have been possible without generous gifts from donors, Reider said.

“That Stone Lab REU scholarship is immensely valuable to students like me – a first-generation college student without the means to pay for a Stone Lab education on my own.”

Students like Kelsey Reider count on your support. Support Stone Lab students by making a donation or spread the word on Twitter or Facebook.