Each year Research in the Rotunda at the Wisconsin Capitol features undergraduate research at the 13 Universities of Wisconsin. Six Freshwater Collaborative-funded projects, including BenthicNet, were showcased. The project involves students and faculty from UW-Parkside, UW-Stevens Point and UW-Madison. Two of the students shared their experiences.
Lessons from the Past: Leveraging museum Specimens to Advance Freshwater Biomonitoring
Jack Stecker, UW-Stevens Point, Fisheries major
Elyse Upthagrove, UW-Parkside, Applied Health Sciences major
Mentors: Jeff Dimick, Jessica Orlofske
Summarize the research and your role.
Upthagrove: A scientist named Hilsenhoff documented the aquatic bugs within the state of Wisconsin from the 1970s to the 1990s. Our research compares the bugs he found with current data. To do this, a specific point and uncertainty needed to be determined from each site and evaluated in terms of the current sites. Additionally, we need to bring the taxonomy up to date so we can determine which species Hilsenhoff would’ve been referring to, based on current taxonomic practices. This data can be utilized in the future to determine how the water quality has changed. Everyone had a role in each piece of the research; I mainly worked on georeferencing.
Stecker: My role is to track macroinvertebrate names in taxonomic databases to see if the names used by Hilsenhoff are still valid and to track sample locations that Hilsenhoff had used and give them an updated GPS location.
What skills have you gained?
Stecker: I’ve learned how to properly investigate if certain organism’s names are valid and how to locate the new names if the old names are invalid. I also learned how to properly geolocate a location and how to scale the coordinates to how certain I was with the location.
Upthagrove: I learned a lot about georeferencing: finding the uncertainty of points, comparing points, locating sites based on minimal data.
What was your favorite part and most challenging part of this project?
Stecker: My favorite part would have to be finding the different names of macroinvertebrates whether they are the old ones or the new ones. The most challenging part for me was trying to geolocate a location that did not have the clearest name or just a local name for its location.
Upthagrove: My favorite part of the experience was working with my group. Everyone had such an important role within the research, and the job couldn’t have been completed without each one of us. The most challenging part for me was figuring out what to put on the poster [for Research in the Rotunda]. Everything couldn’t fit, but each step of the research was so interesting and important for the end result. It was challenging to narrow it down.
What opportunities have you had because of this research?
Stecker: Through this research I have had the opportunity to join multiple workshops with UW-Madison and UW-Parkside on the proper practices of collecting and identifying specimens for a taxonomic collection.
What are your plans after graduation and how will this experience benefit your career?
Stecker: I plan to work at a fish hatchery or to work for the WDNR as a technician for a fish biologist. This experience has allowed me to broaden what I have learned in classes. It also helped me to understand just what it takes to name and classify organisms in our ecosystems.
Upthagrove: After school, I plan on going to vet school and hope to work in an animal shelter. This experience will benefit my career plans by making me a more well-rounded person through learning how to use different online tools, presenting information clearly and concisely, and communicating with others to complete our goal.
