Published October 24, 2025
MONROE, La. 鈥� Grant Erbelding, a graduate student in the biology program at the University of Louisiana
Monroe, has been awarded $10,000 for his research on the bottomland hardwood ecosystem.
Erbelding is one of only two students across Louisiana to receive the Graduate Interjurisdictional
Research Award Fellowship (GIRAF). This NASA and NOAA joint fellowship, offered through
the LA Space Grant and LA Sea Grant programs, seeks out and supports graduate researchers
tackling the needs and challenges facing high-priority coastal and wetland ecosystems.
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This fellowship will support Erbelding's year-long research project into using a combination
of drone and satellite data to further our understanding of how Louisiana鈥檚 wetland
forests are coping with the effects of climate change and shifting anthropogenic pressures.
As Erbelding states, 鈥淚鈥檓 honored to be selected for this prestigious fellowship,
but what means most is that it allows me to dedicate my time and energy to this work
I care deeply about.鈥�听
Dr. Joydeep Bhattacharjee鈥檚 Plant Ecology Lab in the biology program has been on the
cutting edge of contemporary ecology research, using the latest in drone and satellite
technology, as well as on-site meteorological and phenological measurements. Its members
are investigating Louisiana鈥檚 forests from a fresh, new perspective and are finding
new, innovative methods to not only characterize our forests and how they are changing,
but also identify and track where they鈥檙e most vulnerable. 听
Along with its undergraduate members, the Plant Ecology Lab acts as a dynamic learning
environment where all members can contribute to new and exciting discoveries. 鈥淚 am
extremely proud of Grant for being awarded this research grant. In addition to being
an outstanding researcher, Grant has furthered our understanding of bottomland hardwood
forest ecosystems at scales from a single tree to a forest stand. The combination
of three different methods - using near-surface (UAVs), remote sensing (satellite),
and in-the-field, has helped us gain a deeper understanding of these unique forested
wetlands鈥�, says his major advisor, Dr. Bhattacharjee. 听
Erbelding鈥檚 proposed project expands on the Plant Ecology Lab鈥檚 research into bottomland
hardwood forests, a defining ecosystem that once covered large swaths of land across
Louisiana. Not just a stand of trees, these forests serve as critical habitat for
migratory birds and game species, while helping with CO2 sequestration, climate and flood regulation, and nutrient filtration. Despite their
value, agriculture and logging pressures in the past have reduced Louisiana鈥檚 bottomland
hardwoods to barely 25% of their historical range. Continued fragmentation of this
ecosystem threatens not only the unique animal and plant communities it directly supports,
but also all the downstream riverine and coastal ecosystems.听
Erbelding鈥檚 project will dive into how these wetland forests are responding to and
coping with increasing stress from heat and drought, brought on by longer, hotter
summers, and changes in their natural flooding patterns. By using drones and access
to NASA and NOAA satellite data, each equipped with a variety of sensors, this project
seeks to understand the patterns of forest health and resilience. The results of this
research will then be used in collaboration with the Louisiana Department of Wildlife
and Fisheries to enable land managers with the tools to effectively protect and restore
these valuable ecosystems. Through this, Erbelding hopes to take his work out of the
lab and apply it through the ongoing management of these forests in partnership with
the LDWF. 听
The GIRAF program also encourages its fellows to share their work with wider audiences
through both talks and collaborations. Erbelding will present his findings and progress
to researchers and community groups through a number of conferences and outreach activities,
while also engaging in a collaborative project with graduate students from a similar,
partnered program based in North Carolina to tackle the issues affecting both regions.
Through this, Erbelding aims to better connect the people of Louisiana with the valuable,
beautiful ecosystems that surround them. 听听
For more information about the projects selected for GIRAF grant, visit .听
