Joyradyn James-Rollins, a McNair Scholar and undergraduate majoring in ecology and minoring in chemistry, is conducting research in the lab of Zacchaeus Compson, a biological sciences assistant professor affiliated with UNT’s Advanced Environmental Research Institute who specializes in food web ecology, aquatic ecology and DNA metabarcoding. James- Rollins’ project is titled, “Assessing the controls of C and N transfer from leaves to aquatic insects in streams of the National Ecological Observatory Network,” and is part of a larger stream ecosystem research project. Their research can be used to not only understand trophic systems in stream environments, but also to develop a comprehensive understanding that can help accurately predict how climate change or other factors may affect these ecosystems.