The $4,000 fellowship was awarded in recognition of Mac’s outstanding academic achievement and his work on an important research project with Dr. Brian Kane. "Mac’s worked really hard on several projects with me, and he’s looking forward to continuing to work on research projects this summer," said Dr. Kane. Mac is currently investigating the extraction strength of different size lag screws in sugar maple and paper birch trees. Arborists typically use lag screws to install support systems in trees with poor branch attachments. Mac will present his findings at the International Society of Arboriculture’s annual conference on July 27, 2009 in Providence, RI, as well as at the Massachusetts Statewide Undergraduate Research Conference on campus on May 1, 2009.