Category: Uncategorized
Analyzing the Viability of Surface-Enhanced Raman Spectroscopy for the Accessible Detection of Toxic “Forever Chemicals” (PFAS) in Drinking Water
The 2024 Research in the Rotunda featured 16 Freshwater Collaborative-funded research projects. Students shared more about their experience.
Student: Andrew Glasgow
University: UW-Madison
Major: Civil and Environmental Engineering, Environmental Emphasis
Graduation date: December 2023
Mentor: Haoran Wei
Summarize the research and your role.
The research was aimed at developing a novel, innovative approach for detecting per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) in drinking water. Despite PFAS exposure’s strong links to various cancers and other health effects, current PFAS detection approaches are very expensive and time-consuming, rendering them inaccessible to many communities — especially marginalized groups and those without financial resources. This inaccessibility is made even more pressing because marginalized communities are more likely to be continually exposed to high levels of PFAS in their drinking water.
Together with my advisors, Hanwei Wang and Dr. Haoran Wei, I worked to assess the viability of surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS) as a low-cost approach for the rapid detection of PFAS in drinking water. My role consisted of preparing, testing, and analyzing experimental data for different PFAS species, to determine if our experimental approach could help detect various compounds. I likewise had the unique opportunity to choose many of the next steps for experimental and variable analysis, and gained experience with advanced scientific instrumentation (e.g., scanning electron microscopy). Much of my work during the research program was accomplished in an independent manner, with my advisors being available for consultation as needed.
What skills have you gained?
The most valuable skill was gaining a strong comfort with the research process. Most of my prior research work had been “automatic,” with next steps being self-evident due to the nature of the experiments. My PFAS research through the SROP required a much more intensive and nuanced approach, as a slew of confounding variables (e.g., chemical properties) could potentially be influencing the results we obtained. Learning to trace and navigate the potential influence of these factors was an arduous process at first, but one that I believe made me a much more versatile researcher.
What was your favorite part of this project?
My favorite part was the opportunity to connect with like-minded individuals who are passionate about research that impacts the environment and society. Over the summer, one graduate student shared with me the importance of developing friendships with one’s coworkers, as they serve as a powerful motivator when the research process inevitably becomes discouraging. I found this piece of wisdom to be unequivocally true through my summer research experience and hope to continue to apply it during my future research endeavors.
What are your plans after graduate?
In autumn 2024, I will begin pursuing a Ph.D. in Environmental Engineering at Virginia Tech. In the interim between my graduation and the start of my doctoral studies, I have been working as a research assistant in two laboratories to gain additional experience with PFAS and contaminant research. Career-wise, I hope to become an environmental chemistry professor, to improve public health through the development of novel detection and treatment approaches for contaminants.
How will this experience help you attain your career goals?
This experience has provided me with significant knowledge and skills that will allow me to navigate graduate school and a career in the environmental chemistry field more easily. The experience solidified my dedication to scientific research that can improve society. For example, a true hope of mine one day is to aid in addressing the widespread and marked PFAS contamination in Okinawa, Japan. This goal stems directly from my research through the SROP, as the experience allowed me to fully realize my passion for research that can tangibly address severe environmental injustices.
Smart Farming and Precision Agriculture
The 2024 Research in the Rotunda featured 16 Freshwater Collaborative-funded research projects. Students shared more about their experience.
Aiden Drew and Josh Pederson created a video about their work. Watch the video.
Below is a Q&A with Aiden Drew.
Student: Aiden Drew
University: UW-Stout
Major: Applied Mathematics and Computer Science
Expected graduation date: May 2025
Mentors: Ahmed Elmagrous, Saleh Alneali, Keith Wojciechowski
Summarize the research and your role.
My research is on smart farming and precision agriculture. My role is to develop new ideas and build prototypes of new technologies that would be useful for growers. One of these technologies is a weather box that is placed in the grower’s field, which captures real-time data and sends it back to the grower by a mobile app.
What skills did you learn?
I have learned important team-oriented skills like team communication and time effectiveness. I am able to be creative in the way I approach a problem. There are no wrong answers, just ideas.
What are some of the opportunities you’ve had because of this research?
I’ve been able to attend different research conferences. At these conferences, I’m not only able share my research, but I also receive good questions/feedback from outside perspectives.
What kind of career do you hope to go into after graduation?
I hope to go into data science/analysis, where I can use different mathematical methods to approach data visualization.
How will this experience help you attain your career goals?
I am able to work with large sums of data, where I can learn new ways to approach data analysis/visualization. Working with experts in the field, I am able to learn from the best in terms of how to tackle different scenarios with math.
Sex Based Spawning Behavior Differences in Lake Michigan Walleye
The 2024 Research in the Rotunda featured 16 Freshwater Collaborative-funded research projects. Students shared more about their experience.
Student: Carly Phalen
University: UW-Madison
Major: Wildlife Ecology with a certificate in Environmental Studies
Expected graduation date: December 2024
Mentor: Dan Isermann, UW-Stevens Point
Summarize the research and your role.
My role as an intern was to assist on a diverse array of graduate projects, including trout sampling in streams, conducting bass nest surveys, setting drift net arrays for sturgeon, and much more.
What skills have you gained?
Through this experience, I have acquired many skills, including electrofishing, eDNA sampling, otolith removal, drift and trawl net sampling, PIT tagging, and data analysis.
What was your favorite part of this project?
My favorite part of this experience was electrofishing for brook trout in spring ponds. These sampling sites were gorgeous, with crystal clear waters, and I enjoyed being hands on with such a beautiful fish species.
What are some of the opportunities you’ve had because of this research?
Through this experience, I was able to assist in an event at Kemp Station in which we gave kids a hands-on learning experience focused on engaging them in fisheries.
What are your plans after graduate?
After graduation, I hope to have a conservation-based career. I’m hoping to have a career conserving reptiles and amphibians.
This experience gave me many new skills necessary for a career in wildlife ecology, including a season conducting field research and data analysis. I believe these will be especially useful for my future, since I am planning on going to graduate school.
Steamer NIAGARA: Her Demise, Her Artifacts, and Her Significance
The 2024 Research in the Rotunda featured 16 Freshwater Collaborative-funded research projects. Students shared more about their experience.
Student: Nick Quaney
University: UW-Milwaukee
Major: History with a minor in English and a certificate in Celtic Studies
Expected graduation date: May 2025
Mentor: Kevin Cullen, Wisconsin Maritime Museum
Summarize the research and your role.
My research was at the Wisconsin Maritime Museum, going through their shipwreck artifact collection, specifically artifacts from the steamer NIAGARA, and researching maker’s marks. I was the only student researcher, working under the collections manager and curator.
What skills did you learn?
I learned quite a bit about the many databases on maker’s marks, specifically British manufacture during the mid-19th century, the requirements, and procedures on how to handle artifacts, as well as the practical and less-flashy information on how museums operate, the structure of personnel and operations, and the making of museum exhibits.
What has been your favorite part about this experience?
Connecting with the museum staff and their partners at NOAA was one of my favorite parts, and the unique experience of looking at actual shipwreck artifacts.
What are some of the opportunities you’ve had because of this research?
I have had the opportunity to present my research at multiple symposia, in addition to the many connections I’ve made with academic advisors, curators, and NOAA federal employees.
What kind of career do you hope to go into after graduation?
I hope to go to graduate school for a PhD in history, with a focus on military history, and to eventually teach at a university.
How will this experience help you attain your career goals?
I have made so many connections through my research, and the people I have met are more than willing to help me achieve my goals. The skills I gained have added to not just the way I look at my own field, but also the practical application of my studies, both of which are invaluable.
Coastal Bird Use of Small Stream Mouths Along the Western Lake Michigan Shoreline
The 2024 Research in the Rotunda featured 16 Freshwater Collaborative-funded research projects. Students shared more about their experience.
Student: Sarah Baughman
University: UW-Green Bay
Major: Biology with emphasis on Conversation and Ecology
Expected graduation date: May 2025
Mentor: Erin Giese
Summarize the research and your role.
My research focused on coastal bird use of small to medium-sized stream mouths along the western Lake Michigan shoreline. The findings of this project are intended to inform restoration projects and contribute to research on lesser known and understudied creeks and streams around the Great Lakes. I took part in all phases of this project, so I was able to gain experience with proposal development, volunteer outreach and coordinating, site scouting, surveying, data collection and analysis, report writing, and presentation of results.
What skills did you learn?
As an undergraduate student, I’ve had the privilege of holding a variety of roles in this project and I learned something with each phase. I gained experience with writing a proposal, communicating with advisors and volunteers, and protocol development. I gained self-confidence as I navigated communicating the goals of this project to others and asking for access to private lands. My bird identification skills have increased, and I have felt capable of joining other bird-related research projects. In presenting at Research in the Rotunda, I was able to break through anxieties about public speaking, and I am now a more confident and thorough communicator. All of this to say: I have learned so much.
What has been your favorite part about this experience?
Seeing my personal evolution from the start of this project to the present and encouraging other students to embrace similar opportunities.
What are some of the opportunities you’ve had because of this research?
Bird researcher for the Great Lakes Coastal Wetland Monitoring Program; student research presenter at multiple symposia and conferences including the Chancellor’s Open House in 2023; Audubon Fly-In in Washington, DC; Cat Island Piping Plover Conservation Team Member.
What kind of career do you hope to go into after graduation?
Wildlife biologist; volunteer outreach; researcher and field team leader
How will this experience help you attain your career goals?
This experience has strengthened my confidence and communication skills; a foundation I can build future career choices on. I am a more competitive undergraduate student than I would have been without this experience.
Economic Impacts of Wisconsin Fishing Supported by The Freshwater Resources of Lake Michigan and Bay of Green Bay
The 2024 Research in the Rotunda featured 16 Freshwater Collaborative-funded research projects. Students shared more about their experience analyzing how different fishery management strategies and climate change scenarios may affect the quality, and therefore economic value, of Lake Michigan and the Bay of Green Bay. Changes in quality and economic value in turn affect the health of regional economies and welfare of residents and visitors. Ultimately, this information helps inform resource managers about the most efficient and effective strategies available to maximize the value of this resource now and in the future.
University: UW-Whitewater
Mentor: Matthew Winden
Students:
Alaina Jacobs
Major: Entrepreneurship
Expected graduation date: May 2026
Clare O’Donnell
Major: Environmental Science
Expected graduation date: May 2024
Summarize the research and your role.
Jacobs: This research consisted of estimating the economic value of Lake Michigan and the Bay of Green Bay. We conducted multiple surveys for anglers to gain more information on their expenditures.
O’Donnell: I was involved in writing sections of the literature review and referencing other surveys sent out about commercial/ recreational/ charter boat fisheries. I then created the section of the survey that collects data about commercial fisheries (this is ongoing) and helped review the survey in its entirety. I also helped customize and create the poster that we presented at Research in the Rotunda.
What skills did you learn?
Jacobs: I learned how to use Qualtrics and how to create a literature review on Excel.
O’Donnell: I learned how to reference past studies to aid in future research practices. I also learned how to properly write a literature review. I learned how to create surveys in a way that optimizes results while still being easy to navigate for respondents.
What has been your favorite part about this experience?
Jacobs: My favorite part of this experience has been working with the team. Our varying backgrounds and perspectives propelled our research process.
O’Donnell: My favorite part of this experience has been collecting the data and learning how important having the numbers can be when it comes to future decision-making. I also enjoyed referencing similar studies and seeing what we did differently and how we can improve.
What are some of the opportunities you’ve had because of this research?
Jacobs: I have had the opportunity to connect with local legislators and professors. This research has put me into important spaces. I had the opportunity to work alongside my peers, who also have a passion for the intersection of science and economics.
O’Donnell: This research has given me more relevant experience for the jobs I am interested in pursuing. It has allowed me to gain more experience in collaborative working and experience in how to properly conduct research.
What kind of career do you hope to go into after graduation?
Jacobs: I want to go into environmental entrepreneurship.
O’Donnell: I hope to work in something related to environmental policy, environmental social governance, environmental health and safety or environmental consulting.
How will this experience help you attain your career goals?
Jacobs: This experience has enhanced my ability to convey information effectively. I learned how to use Qualtrics and how to create a literature review in Excel. This high-impact practice strengthened my critical thinking skills, and that is a quality I will need as a business owner.
O’Donnell: This experience helped me gain relevant experience that can be applicable to many of the jobs I am interested in. I have learned so much through this process, and I am ready to use all the skills I have learned in the workforce.
Adsorption of PFAS in Nanoporous Solids
The 2024 Research in the Rotunda featured 16 Freshwater Collaborative-funded research projects. Students shared more about their experience.
Student: Olivia Stellpflug
University: UW-Stevens Point
Major: Chemical Engineering with a Waste Resources Minor and Environmental Ethics Certificate
Expected graduation date: May 2025
Mentor: Joe Mondloch
Summarize the research and your role.
I have now been in two different research labs on campus–both studying PFAS adsorption to test methods for removing it from water. My role in both labs has been to prepare samples and record data to gather results on how these methods are performing.
What skills did you learn?
It has improved my lab skills greatly outside the classroom, including preparing reagents, measuring out samples, and collecting data. Part of this role is also learning about the chemistry we are utilizing and how to interpret results and move forward. The biggest skill I have gained experience with is problem solving and troubleshooting when samples are not behaving the way we expected, and we must alter our approach.
What has been your favorite part about this experience?
My favorite part of this experience is learning from mentors on campus and to be part of a potential solution to an environmental concern.
What are some of the opportunities you’ve had because of this research?
This research has helped me have background experience to draw on for future roles. I have been able to participate in research presentations and talk to administrators and officials, and it’s helping me secure future positions.
What are your plans after graduation?
My number one priority is environmental issues, and my goal is to work toward solutions to clean our planet. I hope to find a career in engineering solutions and sustainability to protect nature.
How will this experience help you attain your career goals?
My research experience has helped me take the first step toward this goal by developing my lab skills, problem solving, and communication that will allow me to be successful in my career. It has also expanded the range of knowledge I have of environmental issues.
Overstimulation of the Innate Response by the Neonicotinoid Pesticide Thiamethoxam: How Does This Contribute to Observed Toxicity in Fish?
The 2024 Research in the Rotunda featured 16 Freshwater Collaborative-funded research projects. Students shared more about their experience.
Student: Nicole Kooij
University: UW-La Crosse
Major: Biology with a Biomedical Science concentration
Expected graduation date: May 2024
Mentor: Tisha King-Heiden
Summarize the research and your role.
I am the lead of my research, both carrying out the experimental process and data analysis with the help of my research mentor. I started my research studying the effect of chronic exposure to a neonicotinoid pesticide, thiamethoxam, on the innate immune response of zebrafish. I carried out this experiment by measuring the amount of reactive oxygen species present in the organism at the selected time frame. This was then used to analyze whether the organism experienced a change in immune system functions.
What skills have you gained?
I gained skills such as reading and synthesizing primary literature and designing the experiment to test our hypothesis. Additionally, I used different statistical programs to analyze and interpret the data, which inspired me to examine the data.
What was your favorite part of this project?
My favorite part of this experience was being able to carry out my own experiment, and this has aided me in my graduate school applications.
What are your plans after graduate?
I will be attending graduate school for a Ph.D. in Microbiology and Immunology.
Marissa Jablonski, Executive Director
Dr. Marissa Jablonski is an accomplished water engineer, environmental advisor, and plastics-reduction expert who has worked in more than 45 countries on Earth. Her way of understanding and engaging in complex interactions between human beings and environmental systems, combined with her skills in storytelling and systems processes, make her a much sought after consultant and public speaker.
Marissa lives her life as part of a global community. She is a founding member and mentor to the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee student chapter of Engineers Without Borders, and advises on the design and implementation of projects in Guatemala. She also serves as International Coordinator of a Guatemalan-led NGO that builds infrastructure with indigenous communities’ to meet the needs of five groups involved in each project.
After earning a PhD in Environmental Engineering and serving as an instructor of Peacebuilding, Engineering, and Physics at numerous institutions in Milwaukee, Wisconsin she moved to Washington, DC to work in policy. During her time as a 2017-19 AAAS Science Technology and Policy Fellow at USAID, she was both a Public Diplomacy Fellow in the Office of American Schools and Hospitals Abroad and also an Environmental Advisor to the Office of Food For Peace. During this time, she was also asked by the US Embassy of Thailand and the Phuket Hotels Association to serve as an Embassy Science Fellow to design and lead a 5-point model to help reduce their single-use plastics by more than 6 million in 2018.
Marissa is an advocate for people underrepresented in STEM fields. She served as coordinator of NSF’s FORTE program during 2009-2015. During that time, she also designed an internationally recognized project that engaged with informal dye industries in rural India to affordably clean their wastewater. Marissa’s innovative outlook on research, business, and life has won her many awards and praise from groups that include the National Science Foundation, Philanthropic Education Organization, Mondialogo, and the Karnataka State Pollution Control Board.
Be sure to follow Marissa on Instagram and Facebook @MarissaJablonski.