• To measure the economic benefits of tourism-based activities for the Grand Calumet River Waukegan Harbor Areas of Concern following cleanup and restoration.
• To identify socioeconomic benefits of community revitalization through increased jobs due to robust growth in the tourism sector.
• To test whether gentrification or preference-based sorting predominates restoration and remediation incentives in contrast to a more stable resident population.
• To engage in outreach with local stakeholders and communicate findings on economic benefits of environmental projects.

The objective of this research is to develop and implement a new modeling framework, integrating flooding intensity data of the Southern Lake Michigan transportation network with alternative fuel vehicle routing models, for the evacuation of vulnerable communities during hazardous flooding events in a changing climate. We propose a novel evacuation routes planning framework for multiple types of vehicle fuels that have dependencies on refueling and charging infrastructure (e.g., gasoline, battery electric, and fuel cell electric vehicles). The model determines the optimal evacuation routes for each alternative vehicle fuel type that minimizes the total travel and refueling time of travelers during simulated hazardous flooding events in the Southern Lake Michigan transportation network. The designed evacuation route resources will enable decision-makers to have access to data and tools so as to plan for a diverse set of travelers with alternative fuel vehicles to evacuate and adapt during these extreme flooding events, minimizing their degree of vulnerability and sustaining resilient communities.

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. 

This project proposes a computational framework to efficiently simulate the flood-infrastructure interaction mechanism, assess the impact and risk of flood on the infrastructure in the southern Lake Michigan region and provide recommendations on the selection of rational infrastructure types suitable for the flooding area. The goal of the proposed research is to mitigate potential losses, improve the current post disaster reconstruction strategy and therefore enhance the flood resilience of the infrastructure and coastal communities in the Great Lake region. Key outcomes include an extensive literature review on the flood hazard data and infrastructure damage data in the southern Lake Michigan region, and a computational framework that integrates the fluid-structure interaction model and flood risk assessment model.

This project proposes to collect samples from various parts of Lake Michigan as proof of concept for a new “Environment to Bioassay” approach being developed. Using this approach, we can accomplish many stages of the microbial drug discovery pipeline directly from single bacterial colonies in a semi-automated fashion, bringing a huge advantage in terms of scale and capacity to access diverse portions of Lake Michigan’s microbiome for rapid antibiotic discovery. Furthermore, understanding the bio-assets from Lake Michigan will be key in informing how to best sustainably manage a critical resource and preserve this area. I plan to integrate my research project with an educational outreach program in partnership with the James Jordan Boys and Girls Club of Chicago. 

Since the early 2000s, alewife populations have been on the decline and at an all-time low. This is a major concern to many recreational fishery specialists and salmonid managers. Although some species of salmonids are flexible in their diets, Coho and Chinook Salmon are not very flexible and rely heavily on alewife for the majority of their diet. In years prior, it was believed that the main basin of Lake Michigan was responsible for the majority of alewife recruitment. In recent years, evidence has begun to show that alewife may utilize other habitats like creek and river tributaries and drowned river mouth lakes (DRMLs). These environments may provide additional habitat with warmer temperatures, greater vegetation cover, and greater abundance in prey availability. The main objectives of the study include: 1) estimation of relative contribution of recruits from DRMLs, 2) comparison of growth and survival rates of larvae between the main basin and DRMLs, and 3) prey availability and diet analysis between the main basin of Lake Michigan and DRMLs. With the additional support requested with this proposal, an increased number of samples would be able to be processed with technician support. Additionally, genetic verification of larval alewife will be performed to ensure the larvae being analyzed are not the closely related species Gizzard Shad.