BW professor, students find trees talk at Metroparks forest

For students Madison Dolnicek '21 and Abigail Cox '23, a deep-dive research project with a BW professor was the perfect way to escape the confines of COVID-19 while adding a valuable research line to their resumes.

Together with BW biology professor Dr. Kathryn Flinn, the students spent the summer studying the growth and changes in the forest at A.B. Williams Memorial Woods in the North Chagrin Reservation of the Cleveland Metroparks.

They collected tree cores from beech, sugar maple and hemlock trees to analyze the history and development of the forest from the tree rings and predict how the forest will continue to develop.

For Dolnicek, who transferred to BW from her hometown of Westerville, Ohio, last year after earning an associate's degree, the research opportunity has affirmed her interest in environmental science and pursuing a career that puts her outside in the natural world.

Cox is also going into her second year at BW. The sophomore, who is majoring in biology and resides in Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio, is appreciative of the experience and BW faculty like Flinn, who are helping her reach her goal of going to medical school.