Graduate Students

Using eDNA and microscopy in mesocosm studies to investigate efficacious detection and monitoring methods of aquatic invasive species establishment from ballast water

Studying how lower trophic groups interact in the winter microbial loop and how these interactions contribute to full-year energy flows

Watershed science and management

Dietary habits of an underperforming walleye population on a northern Minnesota reservoir.

Erosional processes of rivers on the north shore of Lake Superior

Tribally directed interdisciplinary project on Wild Rice/Manoomin/Psiη

Reactive transport modeling of nitrate

Examining the spread of didymo (considered an aquatic nuisance species) throughout the streams that feed into Lake Superior and how it affects the biological communities in affected streams

Examining predatory zooplankton densities along a depth gradient across a day/night and seasonal scale

Understanding how wetland fungalbiome influences nutrient cycling, especially as it relates to wild rice and the restoration of degraded or dominant species-shifted habitats.

Hydrology

Winter fisheries dynamics in inland Minnesota lakes

Using Geometric Morphometric Analysis to Differentiate Two Species of Sphaeriidae clams (Sphaerium simile and Sphaerium striatinum)

Utilizing fish sensory physiology to manage the spread of invasive species

Changes in fish community composition of Isle Royale's inland lakes

Geochemical cycling of sulfur in aquatic sediments and lake waters

Investigating invasive fish physiology, predator prey relationships, and possible management techniques

Observations of wind driven internal waves and turbulence in Lake Superior

Effects of alum treatments on native and invasive plant species via lake profiles and surveys in the Twin Cities Metro and portions of Wisconsin

Comparing zooplankton assemblages at Isle Royale National Park

Examining the intricacies of spring and winter hydrological effects in Minnesota headwaters and peatland landscapes

The interplay of watershed history and fluvial equilibrium through use of remote sensing/mapping, sediment budgets, and sediment provenance and tracing.

Examining the microbial and geochemical requirements of wild rice to aid in restoration.

Investigating the effects of environmental growing conditions on the nutrient content of wild rice seeds

Microbial manipulations of nitrogen in freshwaters to better understand how to manage for the negative impacts of excess nutrients in lakes.

Using stoichiometry and genomics to assess limiting factors for diverse Great Lakes algal blooms and their associated toxins

Groundwater modeling of the Pineland Sands aquifer region to better understand the impacts of intensive irrigation on nearby water bodies and wild rice populations.

Examining modern and paleo-phytoplankton in the Great Lakes

Using groundwater modeling tools to investigate both the impact of intensive agriculture in the Pineland Sands Aquifer region's water quality and quantity and the impacts of regional groundwater flow and active drainage network dynamics on baseflow recession, solute, and heat transport

Tracing how that PFAS moves through rivers, streams, and other hydrologic systems

The role of trace metal nutrient limitation on Harmful Algal Bloom (HAB) communities

Thinning trees in a coast redwood dominated forest affects forest hydrology and watersheds.

Temporal/seasonal changes to crustacean zooplankton species found in a ballast-rich port using contemporary and historical samples

Nutrient dynamics and community structure that prompt and support harmful algal blooms (HABs)

Working in collaboration with Mohamed VI Polytechnic University (UM6P, Morocco) on the use of integrated hydrological modeling for sustainable water resources management in arid coastal regions.

Impacts of lake associations on water quality 

Urban watershed management to improve and protect local water bodies

Inorganic carbon biogeochemistry in lakes and oceans, with a focus on observation of CO₂ flux and cycling

Investigating the sublethal impacts of deicing salts on fish behavior

Assess the soil response to rainfall under soil health and conventional management systems, estimate field working days and their economic impacts under soil health and conventional management systems, and explore the importance of field working days for farmer quality of life and stress levels.

Test whether using hydrological modeling can downscale the total water storage anomalies monitored by the Gravity Recovery Recovery and Climate Experiment (GRACE). Currently using machine learning algorithms to simulate the storage-discharge relation with Hydrological Simulation Program-Fortran (HSPF) 

Using a data-driven approach to networks and dynamics to suggest management strategies for controlling the spread of aquatic invasive species in the Upper Mississippi River Basin

Extraction and analysis of microplastic samples of multiple sizes from Lake Superior waters

Determine effects of lake character and seasonality on AIS detections probability using eDNA. Optimize field and lab methods for maximizing detection probability of multiple AIS.

Linkage between methanogenesis and the nitrogen cycle in Minnesota's freshwater wetland ecosystem

Bioaccumulation of Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) in Great Lakes sediment and benthic organisms

Study of organic contaminants in Lake Superior sediments.

Focusing on how aspects of place and identity influence cultural ecosystem services, or the intangible benefits of nature for individuals and communities

Detection and tracing of chronic wasting disease through hydrological transport vectors

Effects of landscape properties on the drought resilience of forested watersheds in northern California

Investigating how communities are heard and can organize to improve access to resources and achieve greater equity in the decision-making process