Rising sophomore Katherine Spiller has come to recognize that while many people believe meaningful change must occur on a global or national scale, she has found that impactful change can happen anywhere—even in our own backyards.
Katherine Spiller, an environmental sciences and peace studies major from Forney, Texas, has dedicated her summer to conducting research and fieldwork in the local community, as part of the St. Joseph County Kettle Lakes Corridor Research Project.
The “corridor,” as Spiller refers to it, is a chain of lakes located west of South Bend. The region acts as a corridor allowing different animals and plants to move throughout the area. This movement is crucial for maintaining healthy populations.
Having earned a Sustainability in Action Fellowship, Spiller has gained valuable experience and perspective through her work with Dominic Chaloner, Professor of the Practice and Director of Undergraduate Studies for the Environmental Sciences major. Throughout their fellowships, participants are asked to write three reflections documenting their growth and development. “It’s been really interesting seeing the progression of my work,” Spiller said. “It’s taken a totally different trajectory than I thought it would, and I love being able to go back and reflect on it.”
Spiller began her work on the preexisting St. Joseph County Kettle Lakes Corridor Research Project. The multifaceted initiative involves monitoring amphibian populations, testing water quality and conducting interviews with local residents. Spiller’s work has taken her to many locations throughout the corridor. Her hands-on fieldwork has included documenting the conditions at various lakes, implementing pollinator-monitoring stations at a local bog, and contributing to a wide variety of ongoing tasks.
“We’re trying to establish a baseline for current ecosystems, so that in the face of developments, we have this baseline to compare it off of,” Spiller said.
Chaloner said that documenting the corridor today will eventually allow researchers to measure how these ecosystems change over time.
“By collecting information now about the current status of things, we can establish in the future how much change has occurred and then make predictions about how much further change will likely occur,” he said.
Spiller’s initial interest in environmental science was sparked at an early age. As a child, she felt drawn toward animals and the outdoors: feeding rabbits in her yard, nursing injured birds back to health, and eagerly watching the animated series Wild Kratts. Spiller explained that she feels a “sense of peace in nature,” and feels especially close to God when spending time outdoors.
Spiller’s primary role in the project involves interviewing local residents to gain a better understanding of how people impact these interconnected lakes, what drives their actions, and how the community can better care for this important habitat. Chaloner said that “if we do not consider the human component, then more than likely the solutions we come up with will not work to address environmental change.” Spiller aims to create natural dialogue between herself and the residents. For Spiller, the most rewarding part of her work is finding the connections among people and places.
Chaloner introduced Spiller to a new way of approaching research. One concept he emphasizes with his mentees is “parallel processing,” which involves the ability to think ahead about what you hope to achieve, while simultaneously working through challenges and tasks of the present moment. For Spiller, this change in mindset has reshaped the way she approaches her research, and the long-term impact it may have.
The St. Joseph County Kettle Lakes Corridor Research Project is a long-standing effort that has been shaped by the contributions of many students. Isabella Rempel, a rising senior, established the water-monitoring and water-sampling component of the project, while fellow rising senior Jayden Meredith has begun pollinator-monitoring efforts. Thaddeus Lipinski and Samuel Bosio, both recent graduates, also played integral roles in launching the project through their work with amphibian monitoring, helping establish the foundation for the research being conducted today, which rising senior Hannah Hartnett has continued. Spiller hopes to build upon these efforts.
After spending the summer researching and analyzing the community around her, Spiller said, “Yyou don’t have to go to an exotic place to make a difference.” She encourages others to look closer to home, and recognize the opportunity to create meaningful change in their own communities.
“Think globally, and act locally,” said Spiller.
Originally published by at science.nd.edu on August 11, 2026.