• Identify the main mechanisms affecting physical transport in the Illinois and Hudson Rivers
• Model the less well-understood mechanisms in detail 
• Construct a single model that combines the physical transport mechanisms with the biology and population dynamics
• Identify the processes controlling the transport and settlement patterns

• Establish methods for the culture of fish primordial germ cells (PGCs)

• Determine whether important Lake Michigan sport fish, such as yellow perch, bass, salmon, and walleye, utilize coastal wetland habitat during various  periods of their lives and to what degree they depend on food provided by coastal wetlands

• Investigate the reduction of 17β-estradiol (E2) and Estrone
  (E1) in treated wastewaters that were subjected to a tertiary treatment composed of a coupled wetland and ground water flow through system
• Quantify the presence of E2 and E1 in treated wastewater and along ground water pathways from a wetland
• Determine the potential reduction of E2 and transformation of E2 to E1 along the ground water pathways
• Expand upon the results by Peterson and Lanning (2009) showing the effectiveness of wetlands as a treatment for E2 removal
• Use the pilot data gathered to develop a more thorough assessment of the wastewater treatment process

In the proposed work, we will explore opportunities and tradeoffs associated with the use of green infrastructure for stormwater management. In particular, we seek to quantify the extent to which increased percolation of stormwater, driven by increased use of green infrastructure, may be increasing groundwater chloride (Cl-) concentrations in communities surrounding Southern Lake Michigan. 

Nitrogen contamination in groundwater of the Southern Lake Michigan region endangers both the potability of well water in the region and contributes a source of ‘legacy nitrogen’ to the surface waters of the southern Lake Michigan region. Using a data-driven approach leveraging machine learning and GIS, this graduate student scholars project will for the first time provide an estimate of how much nitrate is stored within the aquifers of the Upper Mississippi River Basin and Lake Michigan watersheds.