One Piece of the Puzzle

The second week of our REU experience is already done, and it's exciting to see everyone's projects taking shape. In the past two weeks we have learned a lot about the watershed and the communities that thrive on it. After gaining this preliminary knowledge, we are ready to take on research projects that will hopefully give back to these communities. That said, the research we are working on will also be a process of learning and growing for us as we prepare for life after college and potentially graduate school.

The Science of Numbers

It is easy to get lost in the numbers that quantify the water bodies in the Red Cedar Watershed: the acreage of lakes, lengths of rivers, phosphorus concentrations, discharge volumes, percentage of land use, and so on and so forth. While the numbers may be overwhelming, each value is critical in understanding the watershed. Similarly, the natural environment is dependent on the interaction of various factors for its success. This summer, I want to bridge the numerical values of the Red Cedar Watershed with the qualitative aspects of a healthy ecosystem to attain phosphorus mitigation in the watershed.

Fuel Cells For the Future

My courses back at school consist basically of all qualitative and learning hard facts; sometimes a lot of math and sciences which I really enjoy.  But I haven’t been around many people would want to focus on social sciences.  Coming to the LAKES program I was surprised that out of the eight of us, two of us are engineer majors.  I guess I have been exposed to all engineers and health majors.  I personally have never taken a social science class.  So, coming here and seeing that the majority of us are into social science research is a new experience for me.  Most of the things they are researching go over my head, because I have just never thought of things like that.  I think it is pretty cool to see how all of these topics truly relate in the real world.  I came to the LAKES program wanting to explore more of the environmental engineering research side, but I wasn’t sure what exactly that meant.  

Putting a Price Tag on a Lake

It is already week 2, time does really fly when you’re having fun! I can’t help but repeat myself when I say I am learning a lot this summer. Zach taught me how to cast a fishing rod, I canoed on a river for the first time, and did you know that green stems grow from garlic bulbs? (They’re called scapes and make a great addition to pesto sauce).

Ecosystem Restoration

I have always been fascinated by the intricacies of nature.  The way that layers upon layers of life feed and complement each other, working in symphony at a mind boggling scale.  From the diversity of micro-organisms in the soil, to the towering sequoias, every layer of complexity overflows with life.  The apparent simplicity of nature has far more moving parts, inter-relationships and variables than any mathematical equation or engineered replica could ever account for.  This interconnectedness is what makes looking at the world from an ecosystem approach so exciting; there is so much to learn. 

The Green Mineral

For my summer research I will be directing my attention to a peculiar green mineral called Glauconite, which is iron-potassium rich and has been formed from chemically altered fecal pellets of aquatic creatures.

First Week Impressions

As a born and raised Chicagoan I come from a large, busy city; however, the small town setting is not foreign to me. This upcoming school year I will earn my bachelors degree at Beloit College in Beloit, Wisconsin. Like Beloit, stores and restaurants are within walking distance in Menomonie. It is wonderful to have access to so much fresh, local food and I have appreciated being greeted by passersby in town. One woman and her daughter let me cut in front of them at the Menomonie Food Market CO-OP since I had fewer items to buy. So sweet!  Already I have been impressed by the Tuesday night music and the Wednesday farmers market in Wilson Park. I look forward to exploring the beautiful bike routes and attending more fun community events this summer. The work that I will be doing in this LAKES REU program has me even more excited.

The work environment of this internship program is more interdisciplinary than I had been previously expecting, which is very exciting to me. I love to learn, so being able to learn about everyone's projects will be a great way to give me more insight on the actions we can take to restore Lake Menomin. I think it’s great that LAKES REU has brought in students with differing knowledge and work experience because of this. Also, I appreciate that the LAKES REU mentors and staff reflect the same excitement my co-interns and I have. I feel that this is a great group I will be working with this summer and I am honored to do environmental work with such knowledgeable and kind human beings.