Tag: undergraduate research

Summer Research Project Helps Homeowners Access Drinking Water Information

Posted on by Heidi Jeter

Claire Schoenemann, a 2025 graduate of UW-Eau Claire, says knowing how to communicate scientific research to the broader community helped her land a job as an environmental scientist with Foth Infrastructure & Environment in De Pere, Wisc.

Schoenemann was one of 10 undergraduates who participated in the Freshwater Science Summer Research Experience for Undergraduates (REU), funded by a grant from the Freshwater Collaborative in 2022. The REU introduced students to societal challenges in freshwater and career opportunities in freshwater science that will tackle those issues.

“Working at the intersection of public relations and the science behind groundwater quality was an amazing experience and really allowed me to see how important scientific communication is,” she says.

Identifying Drinking Water Resources

She and Rachel Klinker, a 2024 graduate, conducted an audit of online public information about the quality of drinking water. Neither student had a background in drinking water quality — and that was the point.

UW-Eau Claire faculty Sarah Vitale, a groundwater expert who focuses on water quality, and Mary Worley, a communications expert specializing in crisis communication, wanted to identify how easy it was for the average homeowner to find relevant information.

“The students’ searches did not direct them to the sources that house what I consider to be vital information,” Vitale says. “People have no clue where to look, what to look for, or even that they’re supposed to be looking.”

To address this knowledge gap, the students pitched an idea to the county’s groundwater advisory committee that would help advertise the importance of water quality testing in private wells and direct people to testing resources.

Creating Useful Tools for Homeowners

They produced an ad for a recycler mailing that goes to every home in Eau Claire County and a magnet to hand out at community events. The goal was to create simple yet informative materials that would give homeowners quick references.

The poster Schoenemann and Klinker presented included the designs for the annual mailer and magnet.

Schoenemann says working with the groundwater advisory committee gave her confidence in public speaking about her research. It kickstarted her interest in hydrogeology and the intersection of water resources, geoscience, and scientific communication. And it led to additional hydrogeology research with Vitale and Eau Claire County to detect PFAS in well water. (Freshwater Collaborative provided student salary support to complement funding from Eau Claire County.) All while providing the community with important resources.

“The science is one thing, but without properly communicating about water quality, resources, and solutions for the public, there is a huge gap in moving things forward,” Schoenemann says. ““I could go on about the skills I gained from this project forever, but I think most importantly it opened my eyes to the kind of work I knew I wanted to be involved in.”

Written by Heidi Jeter, Freshwater Collaborative.

Student Touts Benefits of Joining Summer DAM Crew; Apply by May 20

Posted on by Heidi Jeter

Robert Boss, a Conservation major at UW-River Falls with an emphasis on restoration management, knows firsthand the opportunities that participating on the DAM Crew opens to students.

The two-week summer DAM Crew offers undergraduates the unique experience of learning from river restoration professionals while monitoring the impacts of dam removal on the Kinnickinnic River. The annual data is provided to the City of River Falls and the Kinni Corridor Collaborative, a nonprofit that is leading fundraising efforts for the dam removal and river restoration work.

As a non-traditional student, Boss knew the benefits of gaining practical hands-on experience as a student. He describes working on the 2024 DAM Crew as a crash course in geomorphology and data collection and analysis. In addition to learning technical skills, he says working with traditional-aged students was a great experience, and he appreciates that the data benefits the River Falls community.

Boss and his team were trained by a former geomorphologist from Inter-Fluve who co-authored the city’s 10-year dam removal monitoring plan. He feels the professional mentoring will give him an advantage as he applies for summer internships and jobs after graduation in 2026.

Robert Boss is confident his experience has prepared him for a career in aquatic restoration.

“Having the DAM Crew on my resume and having already done data collection shows the hiring manager that they won’t have to be as intensive in training me,” Boss says. “They can rely on me to know my stuff.”

He’s already landed a fall internship with the Kinnickinnic River Land Trust, another project partner. Boss also presented his DAM Crew research at the 2025 Wisconsin Lakes and Rivers conference. It was his first time presenting data-driven research in a professional setting, and he appreciated getting feedback from other water professionals.

“All the skills I learned will directly translate to a career in aquatic restoration,” he says. “I would definitely recommend this to any student who’s interested. Go join the DAM Crew because it’s well worth it.”

UW-River Falls faculty are currently recruiting 12 undergraduates from any campus for its 2025 DAM Crew, which will take place July 28 to Aug. 8. Applications are due May 20. Details here.

Written by Heidi Jeter, Freshwater Collaborative.

Freshwater Field Course with Professionals Prepares Students for Workforce

Posted on by Heidi Jeter

When faculty at UW-Milwaukee’s School of Freshwater Sciences sought to redesign one of their core courses, a top goal was getting input and participation from industry and governmental partners. They wanted to ensure their freshwater field course would prepare students for the workforce.

Experimentation and Analysis in Freshwater Sciences 513, a field course for undergraduate and graduate students, reflects the importance of multidisciplinary highly applicable research. Freshwater Collaborative of Wisconsin funding supported course enhancements, which include hands-on training with water professionals.

“The strongest part of the redesigned course is that it focuses on a pipeline to jobs,” says Sandra McLellan, a UWM professor who worked on the course update. “Students are not only learning field and lab methods, but they are participating in real-world applications of those techniques with practitioners.”

Partners from US Geological Society (USGS), the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources, Stantec and Watertech of America advised on the new curriculum and are co-teaching field work. For example, in fall 2024, USGS collaborators taught students how to take water samples and took students into nearby streams to capture invertebrates for biological indices and to use electrofishing to examine fish diversity.

Throughout the course, students learn a variety of water quality analysis techniques, microbiology techniques, fish sampling and analysis, water and bacterial sampling, and biotic indices. They also gain the skills to conduct and analyze experiments. More students in majors outside of freshwater sciences are taking the course to better understand the basics of monitoring and analyzing water quality.

Students also gain unique insight into how university researchers form long-term partnerships with government agencies and private sector companies to tackle water-related issues.

“This is a field class, but there are ample opportunities for students to have conversations about what a job is like or how joint research projects work,” McLellan says.

For those who want to work in water-related careers, the networking opportunities provide a leg up in the job market. Not only do they have practical skills after taking the course, but they also have a professional network and knowledge of the kinds of jobs that are available.

Engaging with students also benefits employers. Hayley Olds, a graduate of the School of Freshwater Sciences master’s program and a hydrologist with the USGS, was involved in one of the classes. She taught students biological sampling methods and how to calculate metrics that can determine stream health.

“The USGS connects with future scientists through university courses like Freshwater Sciences 513, where we showcase our diverse research initiatives,” Olds says. “These interactions help spread awareness about the wide range of scientific work conducted at USGS, inspiring the next generation of researchers.”

Experimentation and Analysis in Freshwater Sciences 513 is offered every fall. Prerequisites are junior standing with BIO SCI 152 and CHEM 104 or equivalents, or graduate student standing. The next offering will take place Thursdays, 9:30 a.m.-12:10 p.m. beginning Sept. 2, 2025. UWM students register through PAWS. Non-UWM students can enroll as a special student/guest student. Email Mal Kaul, head of Academic Services for School of Freshwater Sciences, for details.

Written by Heidi Jeter, Freshwater Collaborative.

Freshwater@UW Scholar: Eva Riveros

Posted on by Heidi Jeter

Eva Riveros from Fordham University was excited to embark on environmental research through the Freshwater@UW Summer Research Opportunities Program. She’s learning a new skillset with research into pesticide leaching and how water moves through soil.

Funding for this program is provided by the Freshwater Collaborative of Wisconsin, Wisconsin Sea Grant, the UW Water Resources Institute and Water@UW-Madison.

UW-Green Bay Students Contribute to Lake Sturgeon Conservation Research

Posted on by Heidi Jeter

Lake sturgeon first evolved around 200 million years ago, around the same time as the dinosaurs. This unique fish species once numbered more than two million. Fish biologists estimate about 3,000 adult fish exist in the Great Lakes proper today.

Wisconsin is an international leader in lake sturgeon conservation. The state’s efforts target sustaining populations that use four major tributaries of Green Bay for reproduction: the Fox, Oconto, Peshtigo and Menominee Rivers. The Freshwater Collaborative is funding undergraduate research at UW-Green Bay that centers on lake sturgeon reproduction, survival during early life stages and behavior.

“Because of the evolutionary history of lake sturgeon, and their cultural significance in the region, no one really wants to see the species at risk of extinction,” says Patrick Forsythe, an associate professor of biology at UW-Green Bay. He has studied lake sturgeon for about 20 years.

Lake sturgeon spawn in rivers, and their larvae need a long stretch of river to provide protective habitat for growth before they move into the bay and then Lake Michigan, where predators abound. The Menominee and Park Mill Dams, located about a mile upstream from Green Bay, restrict reproduction for lake sturgeon living in the bay.

Enter the Menomonee River Fish Passage Project, which allows adult lake sturgeon to access important spawning habitats upstream from the dams. Sturgeon swim into an “elevator” inside the Menominee Dam. They are then moved by truck upstream of the Park Mill Dam to reproduce further up the Menominee River. The adults and juveniles then journey back through several bypass routes in the dams and into the bay.

Using genetic techniques to determine parentage of recently produced larvae emerging from habitat downstream from the Grand Rapids Dam, Forsythe and his team have determined that nearly 90 percent of the fish passed upstream of the two lower dams —and those impeding access to historic spawning sites — reproduce successfully. That’s good news for conservation efforts, but it’s only on part of the equation.

With funding from the Freshwater Collaborative and supporting partners including the Fish and Wildlife Restoration Act and We Energies, Forsythe and students in his lab are looking at survival rates. Do juveniles in their first year of life survive the journey? If so, which routes do they take through the dams before entering the Bay of Green Bay?

Students are collecting larvae and raising them until they are large enough to surgically implant acoustic and PIT transmitters. The transmitters will track the fish as they move downstream. The collected data will inform whether river and dam management can improve survival rates of juveniles as they journey downstream. This knowledge could improve overall conservation efforts.

Forsythe says students are directly involved in every aspect of the project. This includes experimental design, setting up the tailer to collecting larvae, inserting transmitters, and caring for the fish before they are released and tracking can commence.

“This project gives students a lot of experiences,” he says. “My students are in a really good position to apply for graduate school or get their first job. I’m really proud of that.”

The students routinely participate in planning sessions with working professionals, giving them networking opportunities and insight into the complexities of large collaborative projects.

Partners include USGS, Wisconsin Cooperative Fishery Research Unit, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Wisconsin DNR, Michigan DNR, the cities of Menominee and Marinette, WE Energies and the Mitigation Enhancement Fund, Menominee Indian Tribe of Wisconsin, Michigan Hydropower Reform Coalition, River Alliance of Wisconsin, and Eagle Creek Renewable Energy (owner and operator of the Menominee and Park Mill Dams) and fish biologists from Carlton University in Canada.

Lauren Klawiter is an undergraduate working on the project. She gained so much experience last year that she snagged a summer internship with Colorado State University. She is working with the Environment for Management of Military Lands at Fort McCoy.

“I will be using my skills from last summer and adding additional skills, which I am extremely excited for,” she says. “I have really enjoyed my experiences with fish. I hope to obtain a position working at a fishery or potentially with the DNR.”

Klawiter shared her research at Research in the Rotunda in March 2024. She also presented it at the 154th National American Fisheries Society Conference, attended by more than 3,000 people. Graduate students Steve Hughes and Zach Nordstrom presented posters at the AFS conference as well.

In 2023, students helped collect and care for about 1,500 lake sturgeon. This summer, three new undergraduates and a graduate student joined the team to continue the research. The project is expected to wrap up at the end of 2025 when results will be submitted for publication.

Analyzing the Viability of Surface-Enhanced Raman Spectroscopy for the Accessible Detection of Toxic “Forever Chemicals” (PFAS) in Drinking Water

Posted on by Heidi Jeter

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.

Lake Sturgeon Larval Production in the Upper Menominee River

Posted on by Heidi Jeter

The 2024 Research in the Rotunda featured 16 Freshwater Collaborative-funded research projects. Students shared more about their experience.

Student: Lauren Klawiter 
University: UW-Green Bay
Major: Biology with an emphasis in Fisheries and Aquatic Ecology and minor in Environmental Sciences
Expected graduation date: May of 2025
Mentor: Patrick Forsythe

Lauren Klawiter with sturgeon

Summarize the research and your role.

The main goal of this research was to determine the larval production downstream from the Grand Rapids Dam, and to evaluate the timing of the drift as a function of river conditions. My role was to take part in collecting the sturgeon larvae and data collection. Once data was collected, I compared the data from 2020, 2021 and 2023 to see how they correlated. 

What skills did you learn? 

I have learned a wide variety of skills: how to collect the sturgeon larvae, how to feed them in the many different stages of life, and how to tag them. I also was able to expand my knowledge on fish hatcheries and all the skills that are needed to successfully take care of the fish.  

What has been your favorite part about this experience?

My favorite part of this entire research project was probably being able to collect the larvae. It was something I’ve never done before and being outside till almost 3 in the morning with my coworkers was something I’ll never forget. 

What are some of the opportunities you’ve had because of this research?

This research project has opened the door for me to several opportunities. I presented at the National American Fisheries Society (AFS) Conference. At the conference, I was also able to speak with multiple people and gain experience in presenting and making connections. Also, the skills I learned while on this project helped me gain a summer internship with Colorado State University, working with the Environment for Management of Military Lands at Fort McCoy. I will not only be using my skills from last summer but adding some additional skills which I am extremely excited for.

Students walking in stream

What kind of career do you hope to go into after graduation? 

I’m looking into a DNR biologist role as of now. I have really enjoyed my experiences with fish and hope to obtain a position working at a fishery or potentially with the DNR. I have always enjoyed being outside and I know my internships from last summer and this upcoming summer are setting me up nicely to help me reach my goals.

How will this experience help you attain your career goals?

My experience has helped make me a more confident person with my education and skills. I learned a variety of skills from electrofishing, tagging fish, water sampling and so much more, but I also learned to have confidence in myself.