Rich Walker
photo by UTC
University of Tennessee at Chattanooga Assistant Professor Rich Walker has been named a recipient of the 2025 Ralph E. Powe Junior Faculty Enhancement Award from Oak Ridge Associated Universities (ORAU).
Walker, a faculty member in the UTC Department of Biology, Geology and Environmental Science, is one of just 36 early-career faculty members nationwide selected for the award, which supports the research and professional growth of junior faculty at ORAU-affiliated institutions. His project, titled “The Cicadian Rhythm: Integrated Research And Education To Reveal The Cascading Effects Of A Rare But Massive Terrestrial Resource Pulse In Stream Ecosystem,” explores how aquatic systems respond when massive numbers of cicadas die and enter streams.
“It feels great.
I’m grateful that I was given this opportunity,” said Walker, who joined UTC in fall 2024 after previously teaching at Upper Iowa University.
The cicada research first took shape during the rare double brood emergence in 2024 of both a 17-year brood and a 13-year brood. Walker said the opportunity to study cicadas’ effect on stream life, especially fish, became too compelling to pass up.
The $5,000 award will support his continued research and expand opportunities for student engagement.
“By fostering interdisciplinary collaboration and promoting conservation education, the ORAU Ralph E. Powe Junior Faculty Enhancement Award will allow Dr. Walker to engage undergraduate and graduate students in meaningful and impactful research,” said Biology, Geology and Environmental Science Department Head Gretchen Potts. “This will enhance the understanding of aquatic-terrestrial connections and strengthen ecology and conservation curricula for underrepresented communities, inspiring students to pursue careers in STEM and supporting effective conservation practices.”
Walker said he and his UTC student researchers now have the opportunity to process data from three different brood emergence events, and—thanks to the ORAU funding—they will add a new experimental component to their work: a streamside mesocosm that simulates cicada decomposition and its ripple effects through microbes, invertebrates and fish.
A mesocosm is an enclosed, controlled outdoor environment that mimics natural conditions, allowing researchers to study ecological processes in a realistic yet manageable setting. In this case, it will enable Walker and his team to isolate and measure how decaying cicadas influence stream ecosystems.
The Ralph E. Powe Junior Faculty Enhancement Awards program is open to full-time assistant professors within two years of their initial tenure-track appointment. ORAU is a consortium of over 160 colleges and universities that collaborates with federal agencies to advance health and scientific knowledge.