April 2026 MAA Meeting: Student Research Forum and VISTA Award

When
04/15/2026
4:00 PM - 7:00 PM
Location
The Natick Elks Lodge, 95 Speen Street Natick MA
Spaces left
11

Registration

Member Ticket - Standard Rate – $70.00
Click ADD GUEST to add other members of your team!
Non-Member Ticket – $85.00
Available to non-MAA members

REGISTRATION HAS BEEN DISABLED.
The meeting is at capacity. Walk-in registration cannot be guaranteed.

Hear from 2 UMAss Student researchers and celebrate Dan Mayer, MCA, the recipient of the 2026 VISTA award.

VISTA AWARD PRESENTATION
Congratulations to Dan Mayer, MCA - the 2026 VISTA award recipient!

STUDENT RESEARCH PRESENTATIONS
We will hear two brief presentations from UMass students on the cutting edge!

Sprouts and Wings: Expected and Unexpected Impacts of Pruning

How do our arboricultural practices, specifically pruning, as well as various tree factors including growing zone, tree size, site conditions and species influence the community of insects associated with a tree?

Stella Dee, MCA is a Ph. D. candidate in Forest Resources and Arboriculture supervised by Dr. Brian Kane and research assistant with the Frank A. Waugh Arboretum at UMass-Amherst, as well as a commercial/residential climbing arborist. Stella earned her Masters of Forestry from Michigan Technological University and her BA from Duke University.

Stella Dee, MCA, PhD Candidate, UMASS

Environmental Analysis Tools and Urban Forest Management

A review of environmental justice mapping tools. Sean's presentation compares five tools—Tree Equity Score, EJScreen, CalEnviroScreen, ParkScore, and i-Tree—and discusses their strengths, limitations, and real-world uses. Sean will also discuss some recent applications of these tools by Regreen Springfield on projects in Springfield and Holyoke.

Sean Mullen is a graduate student completing a Masters in Forest Resources/Arboriculture in the Department of Environmental Conservation at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst. His graduate work examines the practical application of online urban forestry and environmental justice mapping tools, as well as updating a UMass Extension field guide on common problems affecting urban planting and green infrastructure.

Sean Mullen, MA Student, UMASS