DU and UGA's Institute for Resilient Infrastructure Systems celebrate a milestone as the first natural infrastructure fellow graduates from the program in August.
Madlyn Carpenter on stage during the DU x IRIS panel at DU’s 87th Annual National Convention in San Diego, California.
In a landmark achievement for sustainable development and nature-based solutions, the University of Georgia’s Natural Infrastructure Graduate Fellowship proudly announces its first program graduate, Madlyn Carpenter of Lincoln, Nebraska. The Natural Infrastructure Graduate Fellowship is a funded master's degree program through the collaboration between Ducks Unlimited (DU) and UGA’s Institute for Resilient Infrastructure Systems (IRIS).
The collaborative DU and IRIS fellowship, established to advance research on natural and climate-resilient infrastructure methods and engineering practices, is helping guide future conservation efforts while encouraging more natural infrastructure projects. This program places students with DU’s conservation field teams as interns to help advance their research in project planning, design, implementation and monitoring phases.
“Madlyn’s research provides insight into balancing water quality improvements and waterfowl habitat,” said Kali Rush, DU regional biologist-Great Lakes Atlantic Region. “Her research will help advance our partnership with the Michigan Department of Natural Resources and other partners to restore, enhance and protect wetlands in the Saginaw Bay and Lake Erie watersheds.”
After earning a Bachelor of Science in biological sciences engineering from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, Carpenter joined UGA’s Natural Infrastructure Graduate Fellowship. Interested in restoration ecology and multidisciplinary design, her fellowship research involved balancing tradeoffs between wetland phosphorus retention and waterfowl habitat to determine whether the wetland can provide a suitable water quality and habitat for waterfowl. Before defending her thesis, Madlyn served on a panel with other IRIS cohorts at DU’s 87th Annual National Convention in San Diego, where she further explained her research and passion for the environment and natural infrastructure.
A vital component of this fellowship is the opportunity for fellows to participate in implementing natural infrastructure projects by working alongside seasoned conservation professionals from DU. Madlyn worked with DU staff out of the Great Lakes Atlantic Region (GLAR) to focus on water quality, specifically Lake Erie’s harmful algal blooms. Madlyn developed models that will help conservation staff and partners maximize water quality improvement and habitat functions of wetland restoration projects. While Madlyn credits much of her success throughout the IRIS program to her advisor, Dr. Brian Bledsoe, IRIS director and Will Mattison, IRIS engineer and research manager, she is grateful for the time spent with DU team members during her research. Carpenter worked alongside DU team members Kali Rush, regional biologist; John Colucci, director of conservation science and planning; Brian Nicholson, manager of engineering services, and Sara Burns, water program specialist, to help quantify the benefits of DU’s wetland restoration work.
“Being a part of the natural infrastructure fellowship was an invaluable opportunity for me,” said Madlyn Carpenter, fellowship graduate. “While the real-life experiences through the program’s internship helped further my research of watershed sustainability, my biggest takeaway from the program was learning to trust myself and my work. As an engineer, it can be easy to get hung up on overcomplicated approaches, but staying confident in yourself throughout the process is the key to achieving meaningful work.”
As the first IRIS Natural Infrastructure Fellowship graduate, Madlyn is thrilled to start her professional engineering career in her home state of Nebraska. Madlyn will join the engineering consulting firm Felsburg Holt & Ullevig as a water resources engineer specializing in natural infrastructure projects.
Carpenter’s graduation marks a significant achievement for the Natural Infrastructure Fellowship. It highlights the critical role of education, innovation and collaboration in addressing environmental challenges. The partnership between Ducks Unlimited and UGA’s Institute for Resilient Infrastructure Systems is instrumental in providing hands-on experience and problem-solving skills essential for the holistic development of future program fellows. We look forward to the continued impact of this partnership and the future engineers and leaders it will cultivate in the realm of natural infrastructure and environmental stewardship.
For more information, contact:
KayLeigh Mitchell
Sustainability Communications Coordinator
(601) 562-2425
kmitchell@ducks.org
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