Funded Projects

The Freshwater Collaborative of Wisconsin invests in programs that recruit, retain and train students for Wisconsin’s water workforce.

Our funding is part of a statewide initiative, backed by the Wisconsin State Legislature and Gov. Tony Evers, to tackle 10 grand water challenges. We support K-12 outreach programs, hands-on coursework, undergraduate research opportunities and internships, career development, and field training experiences at the 13 Universities of Wisconsin.

Read 2024 Outcomes Report: Training Wisconsin’s Future Workforce

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A Collaborative Research on Synthesis of Carbon-based Materials

PFAS is a group of chemicals detected in the drinking water of millions of Americans due to their widespread applications. They have been linked to several health concerns. The main objective of this work is to synthesize graphene oxide (GO) from sustainable resources, such as walnut shells, and to investigate the performance of GO for PFAS removal from water. Several students from UW-Stevens Point and UW-Madison will be trained to perform the research. Moreover, they will participate in disseminating the results, collaborating with industrial partners, engaging our community with STEM education, and increasing public scientific literacy on PFAS contamination.

Deposition and removal of emerging contaminants in the Milwaukee Estuary Area of Concern

The Greater Milwaukee Estuary faces pollution from emerging contaminants, such as PFAS and pharmaceuticals, posing risks to both the environment and public health. These contaminants are removed from the water through natural processes and accumulate in sediment, where they can persist for long periods, threatening organisms and humans who come in contact with them. The pollution history of these contaminants in the estuary remains poorly understood. This collaborative research project involves the analysis of sediment cores to study the contaminants’ history and behavior. The findings will aid in managing and remediating aquatic contaminations.

Development of a Collaborative Undergraduate Research Experience to Improve Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl (PFAS) Adsorption in Nanoporous Solids

Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl substances (aka PFAS) are emerging contaminants in Wisconsin’s waterways. This project provides funding to develop a collaborative undergraduate research experience between UW-Stevens Point and UW-Milwaukee to develop new PFAS adsorption technology. Researchers will test our technology against PFAS contaminated waters including real-world samples from Wisconsin’s waterways. Hands-on experience using start-of-the-art instrumentation will prepare students to enter the workforce with experience in PFAS chemistry, analysis, and treatment.

Development of Stable Carbon-Based Adsorbents with Metal Nanoparticles for PFAS Adsorption and Decomposition: Research, Education, and Community Engagement

This project develops a new type of carbon-based material with tiny metal particles that can both capture PFAS from water and break them down into safe final products such as water and carbon dioxide. Students play a central role in this research, working in the lab to make and test these materials, run experiments, and analyze results. They also share their findings with the public, present at conferences, and develop hands-on PFAS workshops for K-12 students and teachers. This project addresses a critical water quality challenge while preparing the next generation of scientists and engineers to protect Wisconsin’s water resources.

Empowering the Next Generation of Water Stewards Through Transformative Research Experiences: Tackling the Toxicity of PFAS to Larval Fishes

Various communities across Wisconsin struggle with PFAS-contaminated water and the impacts of these forever chemicals on ecosystem and human health. This project addresses knowledge gaps with respect to sensitivities of fish larvae to environmentally relevant concentrations of PFAS. The fish toxicity assays evaluate effects on key developmental milestones that can impact the ability of fish populations to sustain themselves, and data translates to human health. Working with undergraduate and master’s level students, faculty is examining impacts on development, behavior and the immune system. Beyond technical experience, students gain familiarity with goal-oriented project management and effective time management, while strengthening their written and oral communication skills. These experiences develop competencies that speak to career-readiness and prepares students for success in graduate programs.

Engaging Undergraduate Students in Cutting-Edge Research on the Use of Earth Materials for the Removal of Contaminants including Per- and Polyfluorinated Substances (PFAS)

Polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) are forever chemicals, indicating that they stay in water and the environment permanently. UW-Parkside and UW-Milwaukee will engage 10 undergraduate students per year to conduct cutting-edge research for PFAS and color dyes removal from water. In addition, they will conduct PFAS analyses using state-of-the-art instruments for water samples collected from local drainage and Lake Michigan. The results will help southeastern Wisconsin to develop strategies to remove emerging contaminants from water and to help protect the region from contamination by forever chemicals.

Engaging Undergraduate Students in Cutting-Edge Research on the Use of Earth Materials for the Removal of Contaminants including Per- and Polyfluorinated Substances (PFAS)

Polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) are forever chemicals that stay in water and the environment permanently. In the previous project, researchers focused on legacy PFAS such as PFOA and PFOS. Recently, there is a growing concern about the occurrence and environmental impacts of an emerging type of PFAS, bis-perfluoroalkyl sulfonimides (bis-FASIs). Thanks to their excellent electrical conductivity, electrochemical stability, low volatility, and low flammability, bis-FASIs have been widely used as electrolyte and antistatic agents to produce rechargeable LiBs. The continuation of this project is allowing faculty researchers to work with and train undergraduate students to study the presence of bis-FASIs in Wisconsin’s surface water and groundwater and to quantify the removal efficiency of bis-FASIs through adsorption and/or filtration.

Land Application and the Occurrence, Fate and Mitigation of Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances and Nitrate

Original Project Description: In Wisconsin, land application is typically the most cost-effective and common practice for handling biosolids, the semi-solid residual of wastewater treatment. However, groundwater contamination is a potential risk Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), a suspected hazardous chemical present in numerous household products and used in manufacturing, aren’t included in biosolids land application regulations. This research will help predict future PFAS groundwater contamination, generate future guidelines to protect groundwater wells from PFAS, identify Wisconsin groundwater sources at risk, and evaluate a low-cost treatment (biochar produced from agricultural waste) to minimize PFAS and nitrate leaching. Undergraduates will be trained in methods for measuring the fate and transport of contaminants that affect water quality.

Outcomes: This project funded a total of eight undergraduates from four universities — UW-Green Bay, UW-Madison, UW-Platteville and UW-Stevens Point — to work on research under the mentorship of the PI from UW-Green Bay. Students conducted water quality monitoring and leaching experiments. Their preliminary data was used in two submitted proposals to the USDA, which are pending review. It was also included in a publication in ACS EST Water 2024, 4, 2, 413–426, and presented at the America Water Resources Association virtual conference in 2024.

Mitigating PFAS Contamination of Groundwater: Biochar Sequestration of PFAS in Biosolid Leachate at the Field Scale

Sewage sludge or biosolids generated in Wisconsin are largely applied to agricultural lands. Through this practice, biosolids may be the most diffuse source PFAS contamination of groundwater resources. This project aims to evaluate onsite the PFAS immobilization performance of activated biochar incorporated in soils receiving biosolids, and to develop methods for PFAS analysis of soil and groundwater leachate. Four undergraduate students involved in the project will contribute to experimental setup, soil and water sampling; laboratory and data analysis; and results publication. The project will provide students and faculty with research experience critical to the development of an emerging contaminant workforce.

Pilot Project: Development of an In Vivo Method to Assess the Innate Immune Response in Fathead minnow Larvae

Original Project Description: Two undergraduate students will work with faculty from UW-La Crosse and UW-Madison to develop a new bioassay to study the immune response of wild fish. As part of their training, they will job shadow at the Wisconsin State Lab of Hygiene to gain a deeper understanding of how bioassays are used in the field of environmental toxicology. They will meet with experts from the Wisconsin Department of Health to see how data from these bioassays can be used to inform water quality standards. Finally, they will network at science conferences to learn about job opportunities in the field of environmental toxicology.

Outcomes: Students and faculty developed an assay to examine the immunotoxicity of environmental contaminants and are using it in the lab. Their technical report, “Adaptation of the in vivo respiratory burst assay for fathead minnow larvae (Pimephales promelas),” has been submitted and accepted to the Journal of Immunological Methods. They are working on a second manuscript using these methods to test for immunotoxicity of two neonicotinoid pesticides in zebrafish and fathead minnow. Students also met with scientists at UW Madison Limnological center and Wisconsin State Lab of Hygiene to learn about career paths related to water and toxicology.

Findings from this grant were used to secure a $259,990 grant from WI Sea Grant/National Oceanic and Atmospheric Association.