Appelmann, Saint Preux Receive Organization, Industry Scholarships

Two FNR students are celebrating recent scholarship awards. Senior wildlife major Beca Appelmann received the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation Leadership Award scholarship, while PhD student Jean Fritz Saint Preux was awarded a Ramsey scholarship from the Indiana Arborist Association.

Appelmann has been a part of many undergraduate experiences at Purdue from research to field work and club leadership. She is currently the president of the Purdue Student Chapter of The Wildlife Society. She also is an FNR Student Ambassador and the treasurer of the FNR Undergraduate Student Council (STUCO). Beyond FNR, Appelmann is the TWS representative for the Boiler Green Coalition.

On the research front, Beca spent 2022-2025 studying “The effect of cover crop species on soil N bioavailability” under Dr. Shalamar Armstrong in the Soil Ecosystem and Nutrient Dynamics (SEND) lab. She also researched the “annual variation of eastern gray squirrels and fox squirrel densities” under Dr. Elizabeth Flaherty in the spring and summer of 2025. In Dr. Pat Zollner’s lab, Beca is looking at “experimental design for gray fox occupancy in Indiana” and completed data collection for a gray fox field study in 2025. Currently, she is part of two additional projects in the Zollner lab. In addition, she is working as a field technician and drone pilot under Griffin Broviak, conducting avian monitoring related to HPAI. She also is a flight crew technician on master’s student Emma Johnson’s flight surveys of deer, turkeys and coyotes. Away from Purdue, Beca is a biological science technician for USDA APHIS.

Appelmann has presented her research at the Midwest Fish and Wildlife Conference, the Purdue Fall Undergraduate Research Expo, The Wildlife Society annual meeting, American Society of Mammalogists Conference and the Agronomy Society of America International Conference. 

Beca has been honored for her research, academics and leadership with several scholarships and awards. She is a Martin Agricultural Research Scholarship recipient, a Dean’s List and semester honors recipient and was named as FNR’s Outstanding Sophomore for 2023-24.

“Given the combination of Beca’s proposed research, her academic strengths and her leadership experience I know she is extremely well qualified for this scholarship,” Zollner said. “Beca is set up to succeed at her research project and beyond that to excel as a wildlife biologist in her future career.”

PhD student Jean Fritz Saint Preux received the Ramsey Award at the IAA annual meeting in Indianapolis on Jan. 20.

The Ramsey Award is given to a Purdue student who has a professional interest in some aspect of urban forestry or related area. The award is named in honor of Paul Ramsey, who was an outstanding professional arborist in Indiana.

Saint Preux completed his second master’s degree last summer, presenting his thesis on “Economic Studies of Maple Syrup Consumers and Producers in Indiana.” His work under Dr. Mo Zhou follows a bachelor’s degree in agricultural sciences and minor in agricultural economics at the State University of Haiti (2019) and his first master’s degree in rural sociology at Auburn University (2022).

His thesis work saw him develop the first comprehensive financial analysis model for maple syrup producers identifying consumer preference for non-timber forest products in the state through statewide surveys. In Fall 2025, he conducted sentiment analysis using machine learning and web scraping in conjunction through The Purdue University Data Mine in partnership with BASF. He supported a USDA SARE-funded project in Indiana by performing data analysis and preparing professional reports for stakeholder presentations. He also is interested in applying GIS and digital tools to support forest development and management.

Saint Preux is currently studying forestry economics and policy and expects to finish his PhD in 2028. His research earned second place awards at the FNR Poster Competitions in 2024 and 2025. He also has shared his work at several conference and community outreach events, including the Indiana Society of American Forestry Fall 2024 Conference, the Purdue Digital Agriculture Symposium, a guest lecture at Shoals Community High School and forestry outreach and survey activities at the Indiana State Fair.

In the fall of 2025, Saint Preux was selected by the Society of American Foresters as a participant in the Future Forest Scholars program. The program aims to empower students who are part of underrepresented groups in forestry and natural resources to help them navigate, grow and thrive in the profession. The cohort of scholars engages in virtual and in-person opportunities to develop leadership and networking skills and create community among each other and the broader SAF network. Each student also is pair with a mentor based on career interests and goals, who will aid in the success and experience of students while offering professional advancement and skills.