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River Studies Center

A page within River Studies Center

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THE RIVER STUDIES CENTER

Bordering the greatest river system in North America, the UWL River Studies Center prepares experts in freshwater science and river futures. The precious freshwater resources on the planet and the challenges surrounding them have created an intense need for careers in water. The River Studies Center brings together students and faculty from a variety of undergraduate and graduate programs to work on freshwater challenges in partnership with state and federal organizations.

300+ Peer-reviewed Publications since 1972
200+ Master's Theses since 1972
$8+ million in Research Funding since 2010

See our work in action..

We have dedicated a half-century to providing students with hands-on experiences studying the health of freshwater systems — rivers, lakes, streams, and more — many located just miles from UWL in the Upper Mississippi River valley. Our leadership, scholarship and outreach activities help sustain, restore and increase awareness of these valuable ecosystems.

What We Do

Culture, History & Society

Select projects

  • How literature (Fiction, poetry, and non-fiction nature writing) represents our relationship with the environment (Kelly Sultzbach)
  • Tracing Jacques Cousteau & the Calypso on the Mississippi (Penelope Hardy)
  • The Driftless River Initiative: preservation of and access to current and historical research related to the Upper Mississippi River and surrounding region (David Mindel)
  • Exploring the interconnected lives of people and nature along the Mississippi River: A multidisciplinary study (Jeannette Armstrong)
  • The use of soil mercury content as a tracer of historic fur trade activity (Kris Rolfhus)
  • Examining the social and cultural dynamics of Mississippi River communities through ethnographic research (Peter Marina)
  • Investigating how the Mississippi River influences community development, tourism, subcultures, and urban transformation (Peter Marina)
  • The environmental and social costs of industrial hog production (Adam Driscoll)
  • Digitizing historic plant collections (Adam Schneider)

Aquatic Ecology

Select Projects

  • Documenting plant diversity in the Mississippi River watershed (Adam Schneider)
  • Isolation and Characterization of Microbes from Myrick Marsh (Bonnie Jo Bratina)
  • Documenting the cryptic biodiversity of aquatic fungi in Pool 8 of the Upper Mississippi River (Arthur Grupe II)
  • Using stable isotopes to identify feeding relationships among aquatic organisms in backwater lakes of the Upper Mississippi River (Eric Strauss)
  • Spatial distribution of an invasive zooplankton species in the Upper Mississippi River Basin (Eric Strauss)
  • Aquatic invertebrate productivity and biodiversity in threatened river floodplain habitats (Ross Vander Vorste)
  • Viability of phytoplankton, zooplankton, and aquatic macroinvertebrates in dredged river sediments of the Upper Mississippi River (Ross Vander Vorste)

Invasive Species

Select Projects

  • Movement behaviors and congregations of bigheaded carp in the Lower Wisconsin River (David Schumann)
  • Longitudinal movements and management strategies of Grass Carp throughout the Upper Mississippi River (David Schumann)
  • Assessing behaviors of trout anglers related to aquatic invasive species in the upper Mississippi River basin (Adam Driscoll)
  • Effect of reed canarygrass control on floodplain forest restoration (Meredith Thomsen)
  • Impacts of invasive snails on the transmission of parasites to waterfowl on the Mississippi River (Greg Sandland)
  • Using math models to predict the establishment of invasive carp along the Mississippi River(Greg Sandland)
  • The sensitivity of non-target species to a toxicant for invasive sea lamprey (Kelly Gorres)
  • Understanding the correlation between environmental conditions and dispersal of zebra mussels in Pool #8 of the Mississippi River (Ross Vander Vorste)

Community Engagement & Education

Select Projects

  • Using underwater robots to connect youth with aquatic environments (Laurie Harmon)
  • The “My River Adventures” youth program, hosted by multi-cultural student services (Meredith Thomsen)
  • Hinukwas Tree Trail: Outreach to link indigenous knowledge with ecological awareness (Alysa Remsburg)
  • Matching UWL students with community mentors to address environmental projects (Alysa Remsburg)
  • The relative extraction of trace metals from the surfaces of local playground fill materials (Kris Rolfhus)
  • Global Lives, Local Waters: supporting education students in the development of lesson plans that connect communities with water conservation efforts (Jennifer Pierce)
  • Comparing local understandings and perception of health risks to PFAS water contamination in two small Wisconsin communities (Brian Pompeii)

Environmental Justice

Select Projects

  • The rights of nature and its application to rivers (Kelly Sultzbach)
  • Exploring questions of river rights related to 19th and 21st century perspectives on water landscapes (Kelly Sultzbach)
  • Environmental justice in a conflict over an industrial hog farm in rural Wisconsin (Adam Driscoll)
  • Creating a searchable database of US lands that were transferred back to indigenous nations (Alysa Remsburg)

Geomorphology & Mapping

Select Projects

  • Effects of geology on fishes and habitat of Driftless Area streams (Jason Freund)
  • Mapping 30 years of sedimentation within the Lake Onalaska Dredge Cut (Colin Belby)
  • Geomorphic conditions and bank erosion rates on McGregor Island, Upper Mississippi River (Colin Belby)
  • Drone LiDAR mapping of 3D floodplain forest structure for habitat and restoration (Niti Mishra)
  • High-resolution wetland vegetation and invasive species mapping using UAS and GIS (Niti Mishra)
  • Coldwater stream and trout habitat mapping using terrain analysis and field data (Niti Mishra)

Water Quality & Toxicology

Select Projects

  • Impact of oil and surfactants on Myrick Marsh microbial communities (Bonnie Jo Bratina)
  • Spatial and temporal patterns of carbon, nitrogen, and phosphorus in the Upper Mississippi River and regional Driftless Area streams (Eric Strauss)
  • Microplastic abundance in the Upper Mississippi River and regional Driftless Area streams (Eric Strauss)
  • Mapping lead contamination in the wetland sediments of a former trap-shooting range (Colin Belby)
  • Understanding the risks, neurobehavioral, and immune system effects of PFAS on wild fish (Tisha King-Heiden)
  • Risks of neonicotinoid pesticides to fish (Tisha King-Heiden)
  • Effect of watershed land cover on the mercury concentrations in six Minnesota rivers (Kris Rolfhus)

Fisheries & Wildlife

Select Projects

  • Distribution and competition of native sculpin species in Driftless Area watersheds (Jason Freund)
  • Radio telemetry of brown trout in the Coon Creek watershed (Jason Freund)
  • Occurrence patterns of mottled and slimy sculpin throughout the Kickapoo River basin, Wisconsin (David Schumann)
  • Production of brown and brook trout in the Driftless Area of southwestern Wisconsin (David Schumann)
  • Evaluation of an underwater camera method to sample freshwater fish assemblages under the ice (David Schumann)
  • Escapement and movement behaviors of Muskellunge in a small, river-reservoir system (David Schumann)
  • Palatability of formulated diets for larval Lake Sturgeon production (David Schumann)
  • Lake Sturgeon propagation using alternative feeding regimes for contaminant and cost reduction (David Schumann)

Member Spotlight

Dr. Tisha King-Heiden

Specialty: Reproductive and Developmental Toxicology

PhD: UW-Milwaukee

Department: Biology

 

Learn more about Dr. Tisha King-Heiden

Featured Story

A lasting investment Rada Endowed Fellowships strengthen UWL’s River Studies Center, support faculty leadership

In the news

UWL Dean’s Distinguished Fellows working with Professor Niti Mishra have been using Google Earth Engine extensively this summer to process and analyze large drone and satellite datasets. Both DDF students were funded during summer 2026 through donor gifts: Finn Patenaude, right, from the Prairie Springs Endowment and Anna Neuenfeldt from Elmwood Foundation. Bringing Earth into focus Posted 7:33 a.m. Friday, Aug. 21, 2026 New computing power accelerates UWL environmental research Read more about Bringing Earth into focus UWL students in Professor Laurie Harmon’s Environmental Interpretation course collaborate with local wildlife experts to develop digital interpretive signs highlighting Hintgen Island’s environment, history and biodiversity. Lessons on the river Posted 1:07 p.m. Friday, April 24, 2026 Students, wildlife experts team up to create interpretative signs on Hintgen Island Read more about Lessons on the river UWL has joined the newly formed Corn Belt Ports Rural Logistics & Maritime Training & Education Consortium, leveraging its expertise in freshwater education to support the maritime workforce in the Midwest. Taking the helm in water education Posted 9 a.m. Friday, April 24, 2026 UWL joins new consortium supporting Midwest's water workforce Read more about Taking the helm in water education
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