Toxic levels of ammonia were discharged into the Saline Branch stream on July 13, 2002. This spill subsequently caused a 16 kilometer fish kill in the Saline Branch, and further impacted 52 kilometers downstream in the Salt Fork of the Vermilion River, resulting in an estimated loss of over 115,000 fish. Construction of instream rock structures, bank stabilization, and vegetation enhancements were completed in 2020. Furfural was spilled into Kickapoo in 2001 causing the mortality of 200,000 fish and other species. Instream habitat restoration was completed in 2010. This project included the construction of two artificial riffles, pool scouring keys along the restored stream section to deepen pools within the channel, and bank stabilization measures using riprap and native grass planting to reduce sediment loads into the water. Fish and invertebrate communities have been annually sampled in Kickapoo since 2009, with the most recent sampling completed in the fall of 2022. This project aims to quantitively measure the success of the 2020 restoration projects in the Saline Branch by continuing fish and macroinvertebrate assessments, as well as conduct food web analysis using stable isotope measures within the Saline Branch and Kickapoo Creek to examine ecosystem level impacts. The goal of this research is to utilize the Saline Branch and Kickapoo Creek restorations as case studies for the effectiveness of instream and stream bank restorative construction. The objectives of this study are to (1) measure changes in biodiversity of the stream as a function of the physical restoration in the Saline Branch (2) analyze the food web interactions between the aquatic and terrestrial community as a proxy to stream health in restored and unrestored sections of the Saline Branch and Kickapoo Creek. 

• Quantify the economic benefits of contaminant clean-up for
  communities adjacent to Great Lakes Areas of Concern (AOC)
• Educate the public and elected officials about the economic benefits of clean-up

This project will evaluate the impacts of microplastics, in combination with a common environmental estrogen (17-alpha ethinyl estradiol) on critical early life stages of a model species, the fathead minnow (Pimephales promelas). Specifically, these data will seek to fill knowledge gaps in three areas; (i) the impacts of microplastics on fish at early life stages; (ii) the potential for transgenerational and multigenerational effects of exposure; and (iii) the effects of multiple environmental stressors on individuals. 

• Identify specific radicals and other reactive species that are photochemically generated in water bodies of the Calumet Watershed
• Quantify the rates of generation of such species
• Relate the rates of active species generation to the water composition
• Develop a general protocol for carrying out such studies
• Develop a predictive model for the observed phenomena
• Identify implications and impacts of the findings

My research plan has two main components: (1) Successfully 3D print a single flexible, oleophilic hair structure on a flat surface, using widely available and low-cost manufacturing methods to demonstrate capture performance. (2) Utilize the aforementioned design to scale-up and create a filter with multiple hairs to test printability and capture performance.

Microplastics are commonly found in water ways and are challenging to remove due to the wide range of particle size, shape, and chemical composition. A 2013 study reported that the surface of the Great Lakes accumulate an average of 43,000 microplastics particles per square kilometer and up to 466,000 microplastics per kilometer near major cities. A decade later, nearly 90% of samples taken from the surface of the Great Lakes exceeded safe levels for wildlife and people. This poses serious risk to public and environmental health since 21% of the world’s surface freshwater is contained in the Great Lakes (about 22.7 quadrillion liters). Nearly 40 million people depend on the Great Lakes for drinking water. However, because these particles are small and prevalent, often they make their way past water treatment facilities and contaminate drinking water. Current practices for particle removal include bubble, granular, and membrane filtration; however, these have various disadvantages like particle abundance and size dependency or requiring specific environmental conditions, of these the most common issues are clogging and limited-service life. Hence, the need for an environmentally friendly, low-cost, and scalable mechanism for microplastic capture is evident.

The objectives of this project are:

• To develop optimal in vitro methodology for Asian carp muscle hydrolysis using largemouth bass (LMB) endogenous digestive enzymes obtained from adult LMB.
• To evaluate the effect of Asian carp muscle protein hydrolysates obtained using methodology in Objective 1 as a first feed for larval LMB.