Department of Fisheries and Wildlife Oregon State University, 104 Nash Hall, Corvallis, Oregon 97331-3803 T 541.737.4531 | F 541.737.3590 | fw.oregonstate.edu

August 26, 2014

Dr. Fariba Bigdeli Division of Mathematics and Sciences Kentucky State University 400 E. Main Street Frankfort, KY 40601

Dear Dr. Bigdeli.

It is my pleasure to enthusiastically support the promotion of Dr. Tamara Sluss, who is an invaluable member of our mentoring program for the Society for Freshwater Science (SFS). I met Tamara at an annual meeting of our society when she answered a general invitation for a Diversity Workshop where we discussed ways in which we might recruit students from under-represented groups into our discipline. This had been a dilemma our society struggled with for years. At last we had the right combination of youthful faculty, and following that workshop we developed a wonderfully successful recruitment initiative for undergraduates we named "Instars."

Instars gets a small sum from our Board of Directors (about $10,000 per year) that provides travel and meeting expenses for undergrads who are chosen for the program, but our faculty effort is entirely volunteer. Thus it requires a dedication and spirit of service to our students and our science that Tamara has shown with great energy and enthusiasm. I co- chair our small organizing committee, that started with 4 faculty, and now consists of 6 members. We have grown the program from 6 instars (in 2009) to 16 undergrads and 8 graduate mentors annually. That's 48 under-served students we've recruited in five years!

From the beginning of our efforts, Tamara initiated and continues a communication network for applicants and successful candidates. Her adept skills with social media, particularly Facebook, have been invaluable for getting out messages about the program, organizing travel plans, and keeping us in touch with the students during the meeting and in follow-up activities. Our students come from all over the country, and a fledging program like ours requires careful documentation of participation and participant evaluations. These are also records Tamara collects; these not only add to the students' learning experience but they are also critical to successful ongoing funding for the program. I understand from our conversations that her ease with social media and personal touch with students are integral to her work on campus as well. Undoubtedly her experience with boosting scholarship and internship participation on your campus has enhanced what she can do with our Instars.

I remember that the Diversity Workshop was Tamara's first exposure to our society. She was understandably tentative at that first meeting, but was eager to participate. I've enjoyed watching her confidence grow as she takes on increasingly more significant responsibilities. Our meetings move around the country from year to year, so balancing professional and family duties with attendance at our national meetings is undoubtedly a challenge for her. Yet she enthusiastically finds ways to engage with the students and help us bring together each year's activities. When she is able to attend in person, she