Lee Rumble

2015 | Robert Felix Memorial Scholarship

Education: Middle Tennessee State University

Pursued Degree: Plant and Soil Science, Biology minor

Expected to graduate:  May 2016

David (Lee) Rumble is from Nashville, Tennessee. He received his International Society of Arboriculture (ISA) Arborist Certification in May of 2010. Little did he know at the time this would only be the tip of the iceberg for his future educational endeavors. Lee immediately found himself enrolled at Nashville State Community College (NSCC), where he would graduate summa cum laude with an A.S. in Horticulture. In addition to maintaining a 4.0 grade point average, he enrolled in the NSCC Honors College, began volunteering, started independent research projects, joined campus sustainability clubs, and began tutoring fellow students. Next, Lee sought to continue his education having been awarded Middle Tennessee State Universities (MTSU’s) highest academic scholarship award for incoming transfer students, the Honors Transfer Fellowship, which is limited to only 15 students each year. He is currently working on a B.S. in Plant and Soil Science at MTSU with plans to use his education to promote awareness and support of the natural world around him through teaching and research. Lee is working on an ambitious undergraduate thesis project currently where he is surveying 750 trees found in both urban and forested environments to determine if tree wounding occurrences lead to reduced overall tree health as a result of anthropogenic activities. Lee hopes his work can be useful for urban builders, ecological planners, foresters, and fellow arborists alike. In addition, Lee has done research on bird diversity and abundance along urban greenways which he presented at the Tennessee Academy of Science.