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Q&A: HOW 3 UNCA STUDENTS’ FIELDWORK IS ADVANCING THE SCIENCES & SUPPORTING COMMUNITIES IN WESTERN NC

By UNC Asheville

February 23^rd, 2026

Q&A: How McCullough Fellows’ Fieldwork Advances the Sciences and Supports Communities in Western NC

For the past decade, a curious and intrepid cohort of UNC Asheville undergraduate students has been selected each summer for the competitive McCullough Fellowship. The prestigious program provides students with the funding, mentorship, and support needed to immerse themselves in high-level, applied environmental research.

Each fellow pairs up with a community partner and faculty mentor who help ensure they have the resources and guidance needed to complete and present their fieldwork. Many of the project outcomes provide helpful and practical insights that benefit Western North Carolina communities, improving the region and everyday life.

Read on to meet a few of the 2025 McCullough Fellows as they share their research experiences and reflect on how the fellowship helped them to achieve their goals while giving back to their communities.

Student Spotlights: Ximena Reyna-Campozano | Ian Miller | Kasidy Loggins

Name: Ximena Reyna-Campozano

Major: Biology

Project: Insect Visitation in Urban Landscapes Varies by Native Plant Arrangement

Faculty Advisor: Professor of Biology, Jennifer Rhode Ward, Ph.D.

Community Partner Organizations: Copland Arnold Rudolph, Asheville City Schools Foundation

Q: Tell us about the project and why it matters:

(Ximena) A: This project examines insect visitation to various plant arrangements to determine the best garden spaces for insects. We created four spatial arrangements of 10 native plant species from two different color families, then observed these arrangements over 20 days in summer 2025, noting the number and types of insects visiting flowers.

It’s important because in urban landscapes, our spaces to plant are limited, and I think it’s important to plant intentionally. Locals can use this information when planting their gardens, knowing which plants have the greatest visitation rates.

Ximena Reyna-Campozano standing amongst potted native plants, part of her research on how plant arrangement affects insect visitation in urban landscapes.

Q: How Did Your Coursework and Mentorship at UNC Asheville Shape This Project?

A: Undergraduate research is very demanding. We have to manage a project’s progress and adapt to changes and circumstances. It not only prepares you for future work in your field but also builds skills in management, networking, and identifying opportunities you might not have known about. The McCullough Institute showed me exactly that, and also provided strong support and encouragement. It was also inspiring to meet with Leslie McCullough Casse, an architect of the McCullough Institute and current board member.

But I couldn’t have completed my research journey without Dr. Ward. Her support made my undergraduate research possible, and she taught me so much about the many ways researchers think, which is indispensable. The Biology Department at UNC Asheville has passionate professors and students who are always helpful, and every professor and peer has taught me something valuable.

"Undergraduate research not only prepares you for future work in your field but also builds skills in management, networking, and identifying [new] opportunities."

Q: How Did This Project Create Impact Beyond Your Own Research?

A: Asheville City Schools Foundation invited me to lead after-school club days with students from Asheville Middle School. It was a wonderful opportunity to practice my communication skills and learn what interests students. I developed infographics and lesson plans about plants and insects that appealed to the students and are available for use by other programs or community members.

The students I worked with were enthusiastic and inquisitive. I also taught immigrant students at the Buncombe County Soil and Water after-school program, who were also very passionate and interested in the topics and my background. They asked me about studying Biology and how I was accepted to UNC Asheville. It was a way to help them see themselves as potential scientists and show them that it’s possible to become whatever they aspire to.

An info sheet on the orange daylily, a drought-tolerant, butterfly-attracting perennial used in Ximena’s insect visitation study.

Q: What's Next for You and This Research?

A: The University already takes planting into account for aesthetic reasons and ease of maintenance, so this project can offer several options for how it plants on campus and allow it to incorporate this information while considering conservation issues. Homeowners and community members in general could also use this information, since even a single flower can offer an insect the resources it needs. It can also serve as a small idea that encourages larger-scale thinking, such as for the North Carolina Department of Transportation, which could incorporate these types of plantings into its flower beds.

I’d love to work with agricultural opportunities such as the NC State Mountain Horticultural Crops Research and Extension Center and pursue additional career ambitions. In the future, we can continue to study plants and how they interact in urban spaces, how they respond to urban effects, and learn more about plants in general while sharing plant awareness materials with people in Western North Carolina.

Ximena Reyna-Campozano leads a small group of students in a field lesson, sharing insights from her research on insect visitation to native plants.

Name: Ian Miller

Major: Environmental Science

Project: Impacts of Pastured Chickens on Soil Fertility in a Mixed Silvopasture System in Western North Carolina

Faculty Mentor: Assistant Professor of Environmental Science, Jake Hagedorn

Community Partner Organization: Lyric East, Wild East Farm

Q: Tell us about the project and why it matters:

(Ian) A: This project explores the effects of pasturing meat chickens in fruit and hazelnut tree lanes on a silvopasture system to assess soil fertility. Chickens are rotated daily through the field during the spring, summer, and fall seasons.

Chicken litter is particularly nutrient-rich, containing plant-available nitrogen, potassium, and phosphorus, which are key nutrients found in fertilizers and make it valuable in stimulating plant growth and improving soil nutrient content.

Because there are limited studies on controlled pasture poultry in a silvopasture field within the Western North Carolina microclimate, this project helps address gaps in the literature. As a preliminary study, this project lays the groundwork for future research on how pasture poultry in silvopasture systems can enhance ecosystem surfaces and soil fertility.

Ian Miller poses with a soil core sampler, a tool used to collect undisturbed soil samples for analyzing how pasture-raised chickens affect soil fertility in silvopasture systems.

"UNC Asheville is very supportive of my work... You’re open to every facet of help, and it’s easy to get in contact with professors."

Q: How Did Your Coursework and Mentorship at UNC Asheville Shape This Project?

A: UNC Asheville is very supportive of my work. In the natural sciences departments, there’s a real interdisciplinary spirit. The community is intertwined, so it’s not a competition when it comes to research. You’re open to every facet of help, and it’s easy to get in contact with professors.

I took an Agriculture class with my advisor, Professor Jake Hagedorn, and learned the intricacies of agriculture. He brought up problems with commercial agriculture, the conventional tillage, and extensive practices. I wanted to work with him more because Dr. Hagedorn is focused on giving students a way to get into the field, and not just the classroom. I found out he’s a soil scientist who collaborates with UNC Asheville alumni Noah and Lyric East, the owners of Wild East Farm. Through the ENVS 358 Agriculture class, I found out I loved geoscience. Noah and Lyric were more than willing to have students come to the farm, which allows students hands-on learning opportunities.

The McCullough Fellowship allowed me the space to devote time to this project and allowed my community partner and mentor space to work with me. We had the largest cohort in the fellowship’s history, but when everyone came together, it was extremely productive. We ran our presentations for three weeks over and over, peer-to-peer, and supported each other as the quality of our presentations improved.

Q: How Did This Project Create Impact Beyond Your Own Research?

A: I’ve been recognized as “the chicken guy,” and after my research presentation, I saw another student looking up Wild East Farm on their laptop. So, I think the work helped nurture other students’ interest in agriculture.

Also, the outcome of my research can help people in the local area since we focused on the microclimate around Asheville. Doing the best with what you can in a small acreage — even as a homesteader — is important since many commercial farms have purchased most large plots of land in the area.

Q: What’s Next for You and This Research?

A: This low-acreage, biointensive work is both good for the environment and extremely profitable. I don't know the details of the economics, but my partners at Wild East Farm have some data and figures on soil fertility to back up their biointensive silvopasture practice, and they’re sharing the information with other farmers in the area.

Collecting soil data in the field, Ian Miller uses a core sampler to assess nutrient levels.

Name: Kasidy Loggins

Major: Mechatronics Engineering

Project: Repurposing 275-Gallon Water Totes from Tropical Storm Helene: Prototypes of Rain Catchment Systems for Emergency Water Supply

Faculty Mentor: Director and Collaborative Co-founder of STEAM Studio, Sara Sanders

Community Partner Organizations: Dulce Mirian Porras, Semilla de Vida Huertos, and Elevate AVL

Q: Tell us about the project and why it matters:

(Kasidy) A: The idea came from the water shortage during Hurricane Helene. My community partner, Dulce Mirian Porras, already had rainwater barrels set up at her home. That ended up being crucial for people in the Erwin community, where she lives. The area is primarily occupied by immigrants who were able to use rainwater for basic hygiene and flushing toilets when the water was out due to the storm.

We designed and installed two rainwater catchment prototypes. One was installed at Dulce’s house and the other at the Swannanoa Communities Together center. We wanted to make sure people could source barrels from Dulce’s community organization, Semilla de Vida Huertos, for free, and also construct a system with attachments that were easily available. We ensured it was accessible to both English and Spanish-speaking communities by creating bilingual materials, including a maintenance manual. This is also part of a climate resiliency plan being developed by Elevate AVL, which provided financial support for the project.

Kasidy Loggins stands next to a 275-gallon water tote, part of a rainwater catchment system designed for emergency water supply and community use.

Q: How Did Your Coursework and Mentorship at UNC Asheville Shape This Project?

A: Director of the McCullough Fellows, Lecturer of Environmental Science, and Director of Sustainability, Casey King, was a great resource, helping me to stay on task and organized, and building connections with relevant people who aided the project. That includes Tim Ormond at Blue Earth Engineering, Inc., and Renee Fortner at Riverlink, whom I met at the kick-off fellows' lunch. Those relationships made the project possible, while also keeping me open to further opportunities long after the project is completed.

I really wanted to explore something sustainability-oriented as a Mechatronics Engineer major, and the fellowship became the foundation for allowing me to do that. My mentor, Director and Collaborative Co-founder of STEAM Studio, Sara Sanders, provided me with mentorship and a big workstation to conduct prototyping and design work. Sara lent her experience as a mechatronics graduate and helped me with the design process and fabrication. That was the best sort of teaching to me.

Q: How Did This Project Create Impact Beyond Your Own Research?

A: People will continue to use the existing tanks we installed, not only when the water is out, but also for their gardens.

We want to make sure this project is replicable. I’m working on a manual to help people make and upkeep barrels and to distribute them in their communities. I’m also making STL files for 3-D printers, and we may have people commission us to print the designs. This opportunity really helped me to understand the small-scale impact I can make in a community and widened my perception of what I could do with my major.

Q: What's Next for You and This Research?

A: I’ll continue to tweak my prototypes and observe how they change over time. Once I’ve fixed them up so they work at their best, I’ll make sure Dulce’s house and the community center are properly outfitted.

Balancing on a ladder, Kasidy drills into a downspout to redirect rainwater into a 275-gallon tank.

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