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WRS students receive awards

Dr. Holly Dolliver (Ph.D. 2007) received Honorable Mention for Universities Council on Water Resources Ph.D. Dissertation Award in Natural Science & Engineering

Allison Gamble has been awarded a Graduate School Dissertation Fellowship.

WRS student's M.S. thesis selected for University award

Adam Sealock's master's thesis titled "An investigation of disturbance, sampling methods, the river continuum concept, and hydroseres in Hardwood Creek a ditched stream in Minnesota, USA" has been selected for the University of Minnesota Distinguished Master's Thesis Award for 2007-08 and will represent the University of Minnesota at the Midwest Association of Graduate Schools' (MAGS) Distinguished Master's Thesis Award.

Swackhamer receives 2006 Harvey G. Rodgers Environmental Health Leadership Award

Deb Swackhamer has been selected as the 2006 winner of the Harvey G. Rodgers Environmental Health Leadership Award, given by the Minnesota Public Health Association (MPHA). This award honors “an individual who through years of dedication, distinguished service and technical contribution has promoted the public's health through preservation of the environment." She will receive the award at the MPHA's annual meeting on June 14, 2007.

Schoenfuss research appears in Newsweek

Heiko Schoenfuss' research on estrogenic compunds appeared in the June 4, 2007 edition of newsweek.
Click here for the full article
Click here to for more on the research

I on E featured on U of M Moment

Click here to listen to October 4th, 2006 edition of the daily radio feature for a discussion of the Institute on the Environment by Deb Swackhamer, the Interim Director.

WRC Co-director featured on KARE 11

Deb Swackhamer, the WRC's Co-Director was featured in a KARE 11 Extra segment which aired on August 13th, 2006 during the 10:00 p.m. news broadcast. She discussed phosphorous in Minnesota's lakes and rivers. Click here to learn more about the program.

WRS student's research on rain gardens appears in the Duluth News Tribune

Brooke Asleson's research on rain garden effectiveness appeared in the Duluth News Tribune. Click here to read the article.

Sea Grant Program Leaders' Outstanding Program Award Recipients

Barb Liukkonen (WRC and MN Sea Grant), Nick Zlonis (MN Sea Grant, and Eleanor Burkett (University of Minnesota Extension) were awarded the Sea Grant Program Leaders' Outstanding Program Award at Sea Grant's Great Lakes Network Conference in Alpena, MI. The award was for a project on preventing the spread of aquatic invasive species via water gardens. Wendy Strombeck (oneD.design), Mike Klepinger (MI Sea Grant), and Mandy Beall (WI DNR) were also part of the award-winning team. The project will represent the Great Lakes Region at the next Sea Grant Week event.

WRC staffer discusses septic system failure in the Minneapolis Star Tribune

WRC staffer Sara Christopherson discussed sewage treatment in rural Minnesota in the June 4, 2006 edition of the Minneapolis Star Tribune. The story focused on untreated sewage illegally entering Minnesota's water bodies because of failed septic systems. Sara is a member of the Onsite Sewage Treatment Program.

Policy and a Pint Event Features WRC

On April 20, Larry Baker (Water Resources Center) and Kristin Nelson (Forest Resources and Fisheries, Wildlife, and Conservation Biology) joined John Curry, Campaign Director for the Minnesota Campaign for Conservation, at the Varsity Theater in Minneapolis to discuss the future of the Minnesota environment. The event was sponsored by the Citizens League and Minnesota Public Radio, and was the latest installment of the Citizen League’s “Policy and a Pint” lecture series. DJ Steve Seel of 89.3 The Current moderated the discussion. 

Over 130 people attended the discussion and quaffed a pint of beer at the lecture, which focused on the choices we make—as individuals, collaboratives, and as a state—to control and enrich our environment. Baker and Nelson used members of the audience as guinea pigs to demonstrate how the decisions we make as individuals influence the amount of carbon that goes into and leaves our respective households. The pair also highlighted their ongoing research on how choices affect household pollutant fluxes. Other participants in this research include Paul Hartzheim (Water Resources Science), Sarah Hobbie (Ecology, Evolution, and Behavior), and Jennifer King (Soil, Water, and Climate; and Ecology, Evolution, and Behavior). 

An audio recording of the event is available on the Minnesota Public Radio Web site. Click here to access the page. The Citizens League was born in 1952, and seeks to identify, frame, and propose solutions to public policy problems. For more information on the Citizens League, visit their Web site at www.citizensleague.net/.

WRS Student Awarded an NSF Fellowship

Giana Glesey and Erica Schram, WRS MS students, were awarded GK-12 Fellowships from NSF. They were two of twelve fellows selected from the University of Minnesota. The fellowship begins in July 1, 2006 and runs through June 30, 2007. Giana is co-advised by Mark Edlund and Len Ferrington while Erica is advised by Jim Perry .

WRS Student Receives Graduate Student Paper Award

Jeffrey Werner received one of the 2006 Graduate Student Paper Awards from the Division of Environmental Chemistry of the American Chemical Society. Jeff's paper, titled "The environmental photochemical kinetics of tetracycline as a function of pH and water hardness"will be presented at the Environmental Chemistry Awards Symposium, 232nd National ACS Conference in San Francisco, CA, September 10-14, 2006. Bill Arnold and Kris McNeill are his advisors.

WRS Student Runner-Up for Best Student Platform Presentation at Conference

WRS student Summer Streets was runner-up for the best student platform presentation at the Meeting of the Midwest Chapter of the Society of Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry meeting. The meeting was held in St. Cloud, MN, March 21-22, 2006. Her paper titled " Bioaccumulation Factors of PBDE Congeners in Lake Michigan Fish" is co-authored by Scott Henderson, Amber Stoner, Matt Simcik and Deborah Swackhamer. Summer is advised by Deb Swackhamer.

Sigma Xi - UMN Chapter honors WRS Students

A number of WRS students participated in the first Sigma Xi Juried Research Poster Exhibit for Graduate Students at Coffman Memorial Union on March 27th. Four of the participants were honored at the Annual Banquet following the poster presentation event. Mark Green was co-recipient of First Place for excellence in communicating science and engineering research while Filiz Dadaser Celik and Ole Olmanson received Honorable Mentions. Filiz was also elected Associate Member. Michelle Marko received the Charles and Dorothy Andrew Bird Award for outstanding research in any field of pure or applied science and was promoted to Full Member.

WRS faculty research appears in TIME magazine

Professor Mike Sadowsky, WRS faculty from the Department of Soil, Water, and Climate, was highlighted in the TIME magazine (Vol. 167 No. 12) for his research on distinguishing human versus non-human sources of E. coli bacteria. Click here to read the full article.

WRC Director Highlighted in UMNnews

In the UMNnews article, Water Will Not Wait, Deborah Swackhamer, WRC co-director, and David Schindler, professor of ecology at the University of Alberta, describe the urgency of protecting the Great Lakes and other bodies of water that will fuel their Great Conversation on Tuesday, February 28, 2006.

WRC Director to appear on WCCO Radio

In conjunction with the Great Conversation, "Protecting Water Quality for Future Generations," to be held on Tuesday, February 28, Deborah Swackhamer, WRC co-director, will appear on The Don Shelby Show on WCCO radio at 3:45 p.m. Tuesday afternoon, February 28.

Congratulations to Barb Liukkonen!

The WRC's Barb Liukkonen received the 2005 Dean and Directors' Distinguished Extension Faculty Award, the highest honor available to Extension faculty. Annually, one Extension campus-based faculty member and one field-based Extension educator. Selections are made by a committee from nominations by Extension colleagues.

News Releases

Deb Swackhamer appeared in the January-February 2006 edition of the U of MN Alumni Association's "Minnesota Magazine" discussing her upcoming Great Conversation with David Schindler.