by Gretchen Gerrish
Gillum Award for Outstanding Graduate Achievement by Gretchen Gerrish
In 2021, Sandy Gillum generously worked with Trout Lake Station to implement the annual Gillum Award for Outstanding Graduate Achievement. Sandy knew that graduate students are at the heart of the TLS community, serving as undergraduate student mentors, driving cutting edge research and creative endeavors, and working to chart their future path in the freshwater sciences. With her award, Sandy hoped to help boost the careers of these young scientists and recognize achievements in both research and publication in scientific journals.
Sandy first became entranced with the clear waters and aquatic species, forests, and geology in the Northwoods area in the 1950s when she visited as a child. Her connection to the area persisted until she and her husband, Don, decided to ‘retire’ to Vilas County in 1988. Her ‘retirement’ stint was brief (all of 4 days!) and she quickly joined the WDNR Science Services program where she actively worked on shoreland restoration, avian monitoring, and a variety of projects, some directly connected with TLS.
Holly Embke received the first ever Gillum award in 2021 for her station involvement and research paper entitled, ‘Production dynamics reveal hidden overharvest of inland recreational fisheries’. This paper generated a lot of discussion among researchers, anglers, and management agencies alike, challenging some of our fundamental practices in walleye fishery management. In addition to producing top notch research, Holly has been a central member of the TLS summer communities for five years, mentoring teams of undergraduate fellows, developing community outreach, and facilitating regional partnerships with the WDNR and UW Stevens Point. Holly plans to complete her graduate work this spring at UW Madison but will remain connected to northern Wisconsin lakes in her new role as a Research Fish Biologist with the United States Geological Survey Midwest Climate Adaptation Science Center.
Who will the next Gillum Award go to???
We look forward to recognizing another graduate student in 2022 and nourishing a developing career path and helping the next generation of freshwater scientists conduct relevant and innovative research to steward lakes into the future.