Category: Research Profile

With a grant from the Freshwater Collaborative of Wisconsin, three undergraduates worked on the “The Crop Per Drop in Sandy Soils Project,” a collaborative partnership between UW-Stout faculty and Chippewa Valley Bean. Faculty and students at UW-Stout are developing mathematical models to help Chippewa Valley Bean and its growers increase their crop yield and decrease their water usage. Read more at Predicting the Life Story of a Kidney Bean.

Here’s what they had to say about their experience.

Anna Hansen, applied mathematics and computer science sophomore from Eau Claire
Audrey Williams, applied mathematics and computer science sophomore from Necedah
Noah Royce, applied mathematics and applied physics senior from Antigo

Why did you participate in this project?

Hansen: I chose to participate in this research project because I wanted to explore different ways that I can use math and computer science skills to solve real-world problems.

Williams: I was looking for a summer internship and got an email that Dr. Wojciechowski and Dr. Skorczewski were looking for students to help them research kidney beans! I thought the opportunity seemed interesting and like something I had never done before.

Royce: At first, I was hesitant as I knew basically nothing about agriculture and plants, but I decided that I want to challenge myself by applying my mathematical skills to a topic I wasn’t comfortable with.

What was your role in the project?

Williams: Anna and I assisted Dr. Wojciechowski and Dr. Skorczewski in creating a differential equations-based mathematical model to predict how much water it takes to grow a 100 pounds of kidney beans.

Royce: I added functionality to the model, used computational methods to find parameter values, and I analyzed the model itself to see if it behaved the way we expected it to.

What skills did you learn? 

Hansen: From this experience, I learned how to take multiple approaches to a problem as well as how to solve problems as they arise.

Williams: I gained experience in coding in Python, how to efficiently read research papers to understand concepts that are new to me, how to use math to solve real world problems and how to present results to people with less of a math background than me.

Royce: I learned a lot of “hard” math skills, including how to use Python to search for parameters based on given data, and I have new tools for analyzing particularly tough equations. As far as “soft” math skills, I was given a ton of feedback on how to coherently write about mathematics and how to write a compelling abstract. I also got to see firsthand how much collaboration takes place in a research project, which was incredibly exciting and a lot of fun. The most important thing I learned, though, was no matter how good of a mathematician you are, sometimes your ideas just don’t work, and you need to reorient and find a new direction. It’s hard at first, but it gets easier when you realize that’s still progress.

What was your favorite part about conducting this research?

Hansen: My favorite part of this research project was when we presented to Chippewa Valley Bean at the end of the summer as well as at the community forum [at the Raw Deal].

Williams: My favorite part of conducting this research was learning that math research is not just sitting at a table doing math every day. Some days we were out in a kidney bean field talking to farmers with decades of experience farming kidney beans. Other days we were at a farming equipment conference called Farm Tech Days in Marshfield, Wisconsin. If we didn’t have experience in a specific area, we would go to professors in other departments at Stout. It really surprised me how much interdisciplinary work was involved!

How will this experience help you attain your career goals?

Hansen: I am not sure what type of job I want to have after graduation. However, working with two experienced mathematicians all summer helped me develop a sense of what types of jobs I would be able to get after graduation, or what opportunities grad school has to offer.

Williams: I hope to go into data analytics after graduation. This experience has helped me by teaching me how to push through the difficulties of learning new skills. Even if I don’t end up using the specific tools we used this summer, I have a newfound confidence in my ability to broaden my skills!

Royce: I hope to get my PhD in applied mathematics. My passions are research and teaching, so the most obvious career would be a professor. This project made me a far better researcher and a better communicator in mathematics, so this is a fantastic first step toward my goals.

For aspiring environmental engineer Anna Qualls gaining hands-on lab and field experience is an important part of her career path. A summer internship last year was exactly the jumpstart she was looking for.

She conducted stream monitoring, fish surveying and wild rice monitoring; went on field trips to the Farmory and Cat Island; and participated in multiple community events — and she did it all before her senior year of high school.

Qualls, who will graduate from De Pere High School this spring, was the first high school intern to participate in UW-Green-Bay’s Freshwater Summer Scholars Internship Program, which is supported by the Freshwater Collaborative of Wisconsin. The program will expand to six interns this summer.

“I wanted to gain research experience before going to college and I wanted more exposure in the environmental field,” she says. “My favorite part was the stream monitoring and water chemistry because I loved going to the streams to perform physical tests, and I also loved performing water chemistry in the lab.”

The internship program provides high schoolers with opportunities to explore water science and participate in UW-Green Bay research projects. Students are mentored by a faculty or staff member, a graduate student or a qualified undergraduate under the supervision of a faculty/staff member. Current projects include water-quality monitoring in regional streams, laboratory analysis of surface water quality, stream restoration projects, and wetland restoration projects.

In addition to gaining field and laboratory skills, Qualls assisted UW-Green Bay professionals at two Phrag Fests and a Sunset on the Farm event. She also was the student speaker at the Lower Fox River Watershed Monitoring Program Annual Symposium in March, where she encouraged high school students in attendance to consider applying for this summer’s internship program.

“I had an amazing summer. It made me appreciate the environment even more, and it solidified my desire to go into environmental engineering,” says Qualls, who plans to enroll at UW-Madison. “I hope my work as an environmental engineer is for the benefit of the environment and helping to implement sustainable solutions to environmental issues.”

 

2023 Internship Program Details:

Applications are due by May 1, 2023. The Hiring Committee will review applications and contact selected students by May 8, 2023.

UW-Green Bay will hire six Freshwater Scholars for summer 2023. Students currently enrolled in high school, including seniors who are graduating in Spring 2023, are eligible.

Interns will receive a stipend of $1,500 to participate in 120 hours of active research over the course of the program. Specific projects and activities will be determined by the mentorship team and may take place on any of the four UW-Green Bay campuses. Transportation from campuses to research sites will be provided, but on-campus housing is not provided, and students will need to have or arrange their own transportation to campus. Campus parking pass will be provided.

Apply

Most people don’t know it, but Wisconsin is home to the largest processor and exporter of kidney beans in the world: Chippewa Valley Bean in Dunn County.

Kidney beans are a specialty crop, not yet farmed at the same scale as corn or soy but with the potential to help farmers expand their crop rotation and increase soil health. Chippewa Valley Bean has plans to expand or repurpose 30,000 acres of Wisconsin farmland for growing kidney beans. To do so, the company needs the technology to lower the risk for farmers, particularly in Wisconsin’s Central Sands Region where growing crops can be water-intensive and unpredictable.

Faculty and students at UW-Stout are using mathematics to help Chippewa Valley Bean and its growers reach their goal. Last summer, Professors Keith Wojciechowski and Tyler Skorczewski launched the Predicting Crop Per Drop in Sandy Soils project, with funding from the Freshwater Collaborative of Wisconsin.

Their goal is to develop mathematical models for growing kidney beans — like those that exist for large-scale crops — that will help farmers increase their crop yield and decrease their water usage.

Anna Hansen and Audrey Williams, both UW-Stout sophomores majoring in applied mathematics and computer science, were hired to work with the professors last summer. The students conducted a literature review, coded algorithms in Python, conducted a parameter study, and collected and analyzed data. During the process, they worked with a team of agronomists and growers using mathematics, statistics and computer science to optimize water-use efficiency for growing a crop.

“My favorite part of conducting this research was learning that math research is not just sitting at a table doing math every day,” Hansen says. “Some days we were out in a kidney bean field talking to farmers with decades of experience farming kidney beans. Other days we were at a farming equipment conference called Farm Tech Days in Marshfield, Wisconsin. If we didn’t have experience in a specific area, we would go to professors in other departments at Stout. It really surprised me how much interdisciplinary work was involved!”

Williams says her favorite part was presenting their research at the Chippewa Valley Bean ownership and agronomy meeting and at a poster session for community members held at the Raw Deal in Menomonie, Wisc.

The summer collaboration worked so well that the professors applied for an additional grant to hire an intern to expand upon the work. Noah Royce, a double major in applied mathematics and applied physics, says he was initially hesitant to work on the project because he knew nothing about plants or agriculture, but he wanted to challenge himself. In joining the team, he added functionality to the model and used computational methods to run various watering scenarios that will help identify how to better predict the best frequency and amount of water need to help ensure optimal kidney bean growth.

“We’re looking at the life story of a kidney bean, and farmers want that story to be as boring as possible!” Royce said in describing the project at Research in the Rotunda, which took place at the state capitol in February.

Not only did the Crop per Drop Project provide valuable training to students, but it has led to collaborations among faculty who normally wouldn’t work together. For example, two computer science faculty members built sensors and drones to collect data via Wi-Fi. Wojciechowski and Skorczewski also connected with UW-River Falls faculty to test growing kidney bean plants in their greenhouse. In addition, Wojciechowski says, he can now bring the project into his classroom as a case study to show students how they can apply mathematics to agriculture.

And the partnership with Chippewa Valley Bean is just getting started. Wojciechowski will work for the company while on sabbatical, using applied mathematics to determine where beans are most at risk during growing and processing, develop efficiencies in their processing plant, analyze irrigation practices, and develop a planning plan with field maps so the company can collect data during harvesting.

“Getting the Freshwater Collaborative funding helped us see how this collaboration could work. This project allowed us to start the relationship,” he says. “They liked it and they want to do more. It’s become more than a corporate partnership.”

He plans to bring more students into the research this summer. A group of growers with Chippewa Valley Bean are letting them install temperature and moisture sensors in their fields so the research team can collect real-world data over the next two years. That data will help fine-tune the models. The resulting precision agricultural tools will lower the economic risk for growers who want to expand into kidney bean crops.

Charles Wachsmuth, vice president at Chippewa Valley Bean, says not only will the research help their growers be more efficient, but it will help the company as a whole address sustainability, which is important to their customers.

“The Crop Per Drop Project research is a game changer for Chippewa Valley Bean,” he says. “The ability to share new water management practices with our growing partners has long-term implications as we begin to look at a future with restrictions on normally abundant resources. Not only is this important for our growers, but partnering with UW-Stout on a true sustainability project is important to our customers as well.”

Flowing through the city of River Falls, the Kinnickinnic River is a class I trout stream that also is home to two dams that have generated the city’s hydroelectric power for decades.

When the River Falls community decided to remove the dams and restore the riverway, the Kiap-TU-Wish chapter of Trout Unlimited and Inter-Fluve, a firm specializing in river restoration, developed an extensive 10-year monitoring plan for the project. The plan was 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.

“When the city council decided to remove the dams in 2018, the resolution stated there should be a monitoring plan and ongoing monitoring to determine effectiveness,” says Kent Johnson of Trout Unlimited. “Monitoring the removal of the first dam would inform removal of the second dam.”

Due to budget constraints, the plan initially relied upon volunteers to conduct the monitoring. That created potential challenges in terms of reliability, consistency of the data collected and the ability to provide long-term monitoring.

That’s when an ongoing research partnership with UW-River Falls faculty and staff came into play. Why not use the monitoring project to provide undergraduate students with hands-on training while also fulfilling a community need?

Jill Coleman Wasik, associate professor at UW-River Falls, and Heather Davis, lab manager, requested a grant from the Freshwater Collaborative of Wisconsin to create “The Dam Analysis and Monitoring (DAM) Crew,” a two-week student experience during which working professionals would train undergraduates in monitoring techniques.

“Trout Unlimited and the Kinni Corridor Collaborative wanted scientifically valid data. They couldn’t just rely on volunteers to come in any day and collect data,” Coleman Wasik says. “The funding from the Freshwater Collaborative came at a critical time for the monitoring plan and allowed our faculty and students to meet an identified need.”

Five UW-River Falls students and one from UW-Eau Claire were selected to work on the DAM Crew. Sean Morrison, a geomorphologist at Inter-Fluve and a graduate of UW-Eau Claire, trained them on several technical skills with a focus on data collection, which is an essential skill his company looks for when hiring. During the first week, the students often spent eight hours a day in waders, collecting samples.

Trout Unlimited has been monitoring the impacts of the city’s dams and storm water discharges since 1992, so Johnson shared historical data and demonstrated Trout Unlimited’s macroinvertebrate monitoring as well as a phone app (WiseH2O) the organization uses for water quality and temperature monitoring.

The students weren’t told the dams would be removed. Instead, Davis led them through a process of inquiry during which they were given basic information, made observations at the sites and analyzed data they collected. Students looked at water-quality parameters, temperature and stream ecology as well as legal and economic aspects of the project. They then presented their conclusions and recommendations to stakeholders.

“The students concluded the dams should be removed,” Davis says. “They talked about strategies for dealing with the dams after they’re drained and ways to make a community space that’s healthy for the river and the community.”

Those involved agree the DAM Crew project strengthened connections between UW-River Falls and the community. The university was able to exemplify the Wisconsin Idea by actively participating in a community project, and community partners had the opportunity to work with future water professionals. Students received hands-on training and networking opportunities — and saw how their research could solve real problems.

“It’s easy to do the science but not know if it matters,” says Zach Blackert, an environmental geography major who will graduate from UW-Eau Claire in May. “I got to really see how important the science is to the entire city and the entire watershed. And I feel a lot more prepared to enter the workforce.”

As part of the grant, Jordyn Curtis and Mckenna Kellogg were hired as interns to continue data collection during the spring semester. They also will be able to conduct research into soil cores, sedimentation and vegetative cover, which will further inform the river restoration and lay the groundwork for future student research.

“I’m very appreciative they gave us the opportunity to continue the study from the summer,” Kellogg says. “They trust us with this independent research and believe in us to be able to create a framework for future interns.”

Curtis adds: “We’re pioneers. It will be good for future students, and I think it’s good it’s here at UW-River Falls.”

The goal is for the DAM Crew to conduct river monitoring each summer and provide ongoing data and recommendations to the community partners.

“It’s very rare that we’re able to do anything beyond photo monitoring. Monitoring is always one of the first things to get cut from the budget,” Morrison says. “The Freshwater Collaborative funding did a great job of helping to train the next generation of water resource professionals, and it provided us with a dataset that will provide really unique insights.”

Phosphorus plays a critical role in the productivity of the farming industry, but over-reliance on this fertilizing nutrient has alarming consequences, such as toxic algal blooms and dead zones caused by phosphorus pollution in our waterways.

In February, the Freshwater Collaborative of Wisconsin supported two events to engage partners in discussions around phosphorus and to help set a phosphorus research and policy agenda for the next decade.

On Feb. 7, 2023, the UW-Milwaukee Center for Water Policy, with support from the Freshwater Collaborative, the Palmer Foundation and the UW System Water Policy Network, co-hosted a statewide conference on Wisconsin’s phosphorus standards. The conference brought together more than 200 academic researchers, agricultural/conservation professionals/agencies, farmers/producers, policymakers and the public to discuss this important issue in our state.

Katy Schultz, a dairy farmer and President of the Professional Dairy Producers of Wisconsin (PDPW), served as a moderator for one of the conference panels. She spoke about the promising opportunity for cross-sector collaboration and solution building.

“It cannot be ‘us versus them.’ We need the dairy farmers coming together with the crop farmers with the researchers with the policymakers,” she said. “We need to figure out how to create a solution that works for everyone, because if it doesn’t work for everyone, we all lose together.”

Chris Murphy, who served as a conservation specialist with the Rock County Land Conservation Department, was one panelist who provided a case study example of a local phosphorus management program. He said he believes that Wisconsin’s market-like, voluntary compliance options, Water Quality Trading and Adaptive Management, are huge solutions to the phosphorus pollution issue.

“These programs are not only doable, but are the best tools that I’ve had to work with in my 25 plus years,” he said.

New York Times best-selling author Dan Egan presented the keynote address in conversation with Center for Water Policy Director Melissa Scanlan about his book, The Devil’s Element: Phosphorus and a World Out of Balance. Egan discussed the “phosphorus paradox,” that describes the dual nature of phosphorus as a scarce resource necessary for growing food but also a nutrient used in excess that pollutes our surface waters.

“This is not some abstract environmental issue,” he said. “It’s coming down to preserving ourselves.” And yet, his takeaway message was “don’t despair.” According to Egan, the first step in solving the phosphorus paradox is raising public awareness, which is the step he is taking with his newest book.

Access the Conference Session Recordings

In a continuing effort to help raise public awareness, on Feb. 28, 2023, Anya Janssen, water policy specialist at the Center for Water Policy and Sea Grant University of Wisconsin water science-policy fellow, presented key takeaways from the statewide conference during the online Great Lakes Freshwater Symposium: The Impact of Phosphorus Rules on Local Water.

More than 125 water researchers and students from Canadian and American universities, government agencies, nonprofits and concerned citizens registered for the symposium. Symposium attendees had the opportunity to participate in meaningful small group discussions around crafting a research and policy agenda for managing phosphorus in the next decade. This event was sponsored by the Freshwater Collaborative of Wisconsin and the Great Lakes Higher Education Consortium, which is powered by the Council of the Great Lakes Region.

Watch the Symposium presentation

 

 

Sara Pabich, a May 2022 UW-Madison graduate, spent summer 2022 interning with UW Oshkosh’s community embedded lab in Door County. She and six other students, from UW-Eau Claire, UW-Stout, UW-Oshkosh and Michigan Tech, were based in Baileys Harbor and worked on Wisconsin’s Beach Monitoring Program, monitoring the beaches for E. coli, a bacterium that indicates the presence of pathogens that can cause illness.

She also worked on the Marine Debris Mitigation Project, which involved using a boat and drones to collect trash from Sturgeon Bay and along the Fox River. The Door County Pulse featured Pabich in an article about the project. Read it at https://doorcountypulse.com/boat-helps-clear-the-waters-of-the-great-lakes/

Here’s what they had to say about their internship experiences.

Why did you want to work in Door County?

Pabich: As a local, I love the summers in Door County. I enjoy swimming along Lake Michigan, hiking, attending Northern Sky theater performances, and eating ice cream/custard throughout the county. Even in college, I would return to this beautiful place as often as possible.

What projects did you work on?

Pabich: The critical task of this internship was taking water samples at all the local beaches to ensure it is safe to swim. Therefore, I had several different beach routes. Additionally, this year UW-Oshkosh got a marine debris sea boat, which traveled to Manitowoc, Kewanee, Algoma, Green Bay and Sturgeon Bay Canal. My co-worker Nicole and I ran the Sturgeon Bay Canal route. Since this was the first year, our team explored different areas along the paths to see where marine debris could be collected.

I also did extensive water quality testing around Pilot Island. Unfortunately, birds have destroyed most of the vegetation on the island, and locals from Washington Island want to understand how the birds could also affect the water quality around the island. I helped take and analyze 42 samples around the island to understand the birds’ impact better.

What skills did you gain?

Pabich: I learned more about the process behind the scenes for the beach sampling. Often individuals ask me what the water quality is like, while I am taking a sample, without knowing that the analysis part happens at the lab. At the lab, we did a lot of measuring, used pipettors, kept detailed records of sampling, and did general quality control measures like ensuring our refrigerators and incubators were within the correct temperature ranges.

Regarding tactical skills, I got my boater’s safety license last spring and learned more boating skills. While backing up the trailer to launch the boat still proves to be a bit of a challenge, I have enjoyed being out on the water and learning more about the navigational markers.

Additionally, I think we learned about trial and error through this project. When we started this project, we did not know what general upkeep the new boat would require and where we could expect to find marine debris. For example, I remember one of our gas tanks running out while cruising along the shoreline, so we had to learn how to switch gas tanks on the water. Overall, this experience helped us build better problem solving skills.

What was your favorite part of this research experience?

Pabich: One of my favorite parts of this research experience was getting the chance to connect with different individuals throughout the county. I was interviewed by the Washington Island Observer and the Door County Pulse, which gave me the chance to interact with reporters. Additionally, through water quality testing on Washington Island and Pilot Island, I got to meet and know some locals on the island.

What career do you hope to go into after graduation? How will the skills you learned in this project help you attain your career goal?

Pabich: Overall, the projects I have worked on highlight the importance of the interaction between human health and the surrounding environment. For example, elevated levels of bacteria in the environment may mean closing a beach to avoid human health impacts. On the other hand, working on the marine debris sea boat, I have seen how humans can negatively impact the environment. My tactical skills and ability to see and learn how different systems interact will help me succeed in my graduate school program. [Pabich began graduate school at UW-Madison for Public Affairs and Public Health in fall 2022.]

Dane Friis is an undergraduate from Verona, Wis., who is majoring in Land Use Management and Planning at UW-Stevens Point. When he graduates in spring 2023, Friis hopes to go into GIS analysis or work for a land trust.

In September 2022, he was one of 21 students who participated in a pilot regional field trip, “Exploring the Ag-Water Nexus in Wisconsin.” The three-day field experience provided students with an overview of how water and agriculture intersect in different regions of the state.

Here’s what Friis said about his experience.

Why did you choose to participate in this field trip course?

I chose to take part in this field trip as land use planning is very connected to groundwater quality/quality and soil conservation. I also chose to participate because agriculture is very connected to land use planning.

Was there anything that surprised you or was particularly interesting?

It was interesting to hear about different types of crops and how the farmers dealt with issues the crops may have while growing. I was surprised to see that a lot of the management practices that are preached (conservation easements, CRPs, etc.) were not as widely implemented as I personally would have like to have seen. The cattle rancher in southwest Wisconsin, on the other hand, had a textbook conservation easement along the stream banks of his ranch. He took great pride in conserving natural resources on his farm and how well his management practices are at conserving stream banks on the ranch. He was also very proud of the native brook trout habitat he has on his ranch.

What were the benefits to seeing various regions of Wisconsin? 

It was advantageous to see multiple parts of Wisconsin because of how diverse the state’s landscape is. Seeing the different soil and water issues across the state gave me and other future natural resource managers a better feel for how certain issues carry over and differ from region to region.

Were there benefits to meeting and interacting with faculty and students from other UW schools?

I believe that there was a benefit to attending the trip with students from other UW schools. Every school offers something different, in terms of natural resources. It was particularly interesting talking to agronomy majors from UW-Platteville. Their insight was interesting as it helps me understand what farmers need to grow viable crops while implementing management practices.

How will taking this course help you attain your career goals?

The information I learned will help me understand how to effectively manage a sustainable farm. The social aspect of sustainability covered during the trip especially will help me in the future.

 

The “Exploring the Ag-Water Nexus in Wisconsin” field experience was developed by the Wisconsin Agriculture-Water Nexus Network, using funding from the Freshwater Collaborative of Wisconsin. The pilot was offered through UW-Green Bay, UW-Madison, UW-Platteville and UW-Stevens Point. Faculty are now developing multiple one-credit hybrid courses that each focus on a different area of the state, which will be offered in spring 2023 at UW-Green Bay, UW-Madison, UW-Platteville, UW-River Falls, UW-Stevens Point, UW-Stout. View course descriptions.

Read more about the Wisconsin Agriculture-Water Nexus Network

 

Minnesota native Madeline Marchiafava graduated from UW-Eau Claire in December 2022 with a dual major in geology and an emphasis in water chemistry and biology.

Through the Freshwater Collaborative of Wisconsin, she had the opportunity to complete an internship at the Environmental Research and Innovation Center (ERIC) at UW Oshkosh. From May to September 2022, 22 students from UW-Eau Claire, UW-Madison, UW-Milwaukee, UW Oshkosh, UW-Stevens Point, UW-Stout and UW-Whitewater worked in the ERIC and its community embedded labs, analyzing 2,200 water samples for business and community partners.

Here’s what Marchiafava said about her experience.

What projects did you work on and what skills did you gain from that work?

I wanted to work in the ERIC because I wanted to gain experience in a professional setting focused on the environment, and to broaden my knowledge in the water sciences.

Some projects I worked on while at the ERIC were a study on microcystin, analyzing water samples for arsenic using the GFAA [Graphite Furnace Atomic Absorption spectroscopy, which is a sensitive analytical method for measuring trace elements], and collecting gas readings of waste from clients who are interested in seeing how productive their samples are.

Were there benefits to working in a lab at a different university?

The benefits of working in a lab at a different university were seeing a different part of Wisconsin that I haven’t previously been to, and I met and worked with new people. Along with spending time on the boat collecting water samples and visiting lots of different water bodies in the area, my favorite part of this research experience was joining my coworkers’ volleyball league every Thursday night — I had a great time learning a new sport.

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

After graduation, I hope to be involved in field work or wildlife surveying with either the Wisconsin or Minnesota Department of Natural Resources or with the U.S. Geological Survey.

Micah Robinson is an undergraduate from Madison, Wis., who is majoring in Biological Systems Engineering, Natural Resources and Environmental Engineering track, at UW-Madison. When he graduates in spring 2023, Robinson hopes to work in the public sector as an environmental engineer.

In September 2022, he was one of 21 students who participated in a pilot regional field trip, “Exploring the Ag-Water Nexus in Wisconsin.” The three-day field experience provided students with an overview of how water and agriculture intersect in different regions of the state.

Here’s what Robinson said about his experience.

Why did you choose to participate in this field trip course?

I really enjoyed taking two of Dr. Anita Thompson’s classes (Small Watershed Engineering, Water Management Systems), and I was eager to supplement my theoretical/academic knowledge with real-world experiences. I also thought this trip would be a good opportunity to network and explore career opportunities.

What did you learn? Was there anything that surprised you or was particularly interesting?

I learned about how regional geologic features and agricultural practices create unique water quality issues across Wisconsin. One thing that surprised me was learning about Karst landscapes, which we saw near Green Bay. These landscapes can produce sinkholes and fissures that quickly drain surface water, potentially contaminating underground aquifers. I had no idea this was an issue in Wisconsin, and it was really interesting getting to see examples of Karst formations.

What were the benefits to seeing various regions of Wisconsin?

Wisconsin has very different water quality issues depending on the specific region. Getting to see various regions gave me a broader understanding of water quality issues in the state and better prepared me to solve unique water quality issues. 

Was there a benefit to meeting and interacting with faculty and students from other UW schools?

Yes, I really enjoyed meeting the faculty and students from other campuses. It was beneficial having a diverse group of people who each brought their own unique knowledge and experiences with them. I particularly enjoyed learning about the research that faculty at other campuses were working on. I probably would not have been exposed to their research if not for this trip.

What was your favorite part of the field trip?

My favorite part of the trip was visiting Cates Family Farm, where they had successfully completed a restoration of their trout stream. It was inspiring to see their dedication to sustainable food production and their passion for restoring their land.

How will taking this course help you attain your career goals?

Meeting all the faculty from various campuses, as well as the professionals who spoke at our stops, provided insight into potential careers. Learning about interesting research in the fields of water quality and sustainable agriculture sparked my interest in graduate school, which I am now considering as an option for next fall.

The “Exploring the Ag-Water Nexus in Wisconsin” field experience was developed by the Wisconsin Agriculture-Water Nexus Network, using funding from the Freshwater Collaborative of Wisconsin. The pilot was offered through UW-Green Bay, UW-Madison, UW-Platteville and UW-Stevens Point. Faculty are now developing multiple one-credit hybrid courses that each focus on a different area of the state, which will be offered in spring 2023 at UW-Green Bay, UW-Madison, UW-Platteville, UW-River Falls, UW-Stevens Point, UW-Stout. View course descriptions.

Read more about the Wisconsin Agriculture-Water Nexus Network