Active research opportunities

Microplastics in urban and agriculture streams

Student lead on microplastics study:
Alia Barcus
Junior majoring in Computer Science and Chemistry

This project began in the summer of 2024 and we are in the process of concluding data collection this summer (2025). 
The investigation of microplastics in aquatic ecosystems has been a surging area of research that has recently began expanding to include freshwater systems. We are interested to learn how microplastics are being incorporated and impacting the ecosystems before they migrate to larger tributaries and watersheds and eventually make their way to our oceans. We are investigating if and how microplastics are settling into the substrate of primarily urban streams that exhibit flashy hydrography compared to primarily agriculture streams, if and how much microplastics are present in the water column, if and how are microplastics are accumulating in the fishes of these streams that exhibit a variety of diet strategies, and what the relationships may be across these ecological levels. 

Students gain experience developing an independent research project, fisheries sampling methods, species identification, dissection and internal anatomy identification skills, basic laboratory skills, fish aging, and data analysis.

Students that have assisted on the microplastics project:
- Bri Reagan and Eulle Casaquite conceptualized the pilot of this project during their SRE
- Naoto Fukuoka assisted with sediment analysis of microplastics in the urban stream
- Angie Truelsen assisted with water analysis of microplastics in urban and agriculture streams

Biodiversity of urban watersheds

In collaboration with the Upper Mississippi Center and the City of Davenport, we have been collecting and establishing a biodiversity database of the aquatic fauna in the Duck Creek watershed of Davenport, IA. This project has expanded to include eDNA analysis to compare and contrast genetic results with standard field surveys. These data will be used to inform management and regulation decisions in our community watershed.

Students gain experience implementing traditional fisheries methods, such as seining and dip-netting, to capture organisms, develop identification skills, learn genetic methods and how to apply them to ecological questions, and learn how to document and organize data. 

*All handling of organisms are completed under approved permits*

Student Research to be published

Riparian zone structure and its impact on urban stream water quality

Student lead on riparian zone study:
Zack Horve
Graduated Spring 2024
​Currently pursuing a M.S. at Purdue University

Zack Horve at SFC (2023)

This project began the summer of 2023 and is currently in-prep for publication in the journal of Urban Ecosystems.

The objective of this study was to assess how riparian structure can influence urban watersheds. Zack used LiDAR data to characterize riparian structure and the multi-year water data acquired by the Upper Mississippi Center to assess the influence riparian structure may have across multiple tributaries in the Duck Creek watershed of Davenport, IA. 

Student research presentations

Alia Barcus and Naoto Fukuoka presented their preliminary findings on the microplastic study at the Southeastern Fishes Council conference in Little Rock, AR in November 2024 and at the Mississippi River Research Consortium conference in La Crosse, WI in April 2025.

Fynn Greene and Zack Horve completed independent research projects with the Upper Mississippi Center during Summer 2023. I was one of the mentors that summer and assisted students on how to develop an idea and implement a project. Fynn was interested in parasite composition and interaction in urban streams, and Zack was interested in riparian zone management and the influence of a riparian zone on urban streams. Their work were presented at the Southeastern Fisheries Council conference in Chattanooga, TN in November 2023.

Fynn Greene at SFC (2023)

Zack Horve at SFC (2023)