{"id":12603,"date":"2025-07-15T09:09:21","date_gmt":"2025-07-15T14:09:21","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.wisconsin.edu\/all-in-wisconsin-new\/?post_type=campus_story&p=12603"},"modified":"2025-07-15T09:09:21","modified_gmt":"2025-07-15T14:09:21","slug":"next-gen-freshwater-scientists-experience-unique-summer-field-study","status":"publish","type":"campus_story","link":"https:\/\/www.wisconsin.edu\/all-in-wisconsin\/story\/next-gen-freshwater-scientists-experience-unique-summer-field-study\/","title":{"rendered":"Next-gen freshwater scientists experience unique summer field study"},"content":{"rendered":"
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When Blugold senior Samara Gries learned of a summer opportunity to earn credit taking a three-week, grant-funded, multicampus field study course in hydrology through the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire, it seemed too good to pass up.<\/p>\n

\u201cI wasn\u2019t sure what to expect, to be honest,\u201d says Gries, a hydrogeology major with a minor in chemistry.<\/p>\n

\u201cBut the program has been fantastic. Learning new skills with students from other schools and other majors, from faculty with such a variety of backgrounds, is something that can never be replicated in regular coursework.\u201d<\/p>\n

Gries\u2019 reaction at the end of the session is exactly what the course creator and funding agency had in mind.<\/p>\n

Innovative state initiative sponsors unique opportunities at UW-Eau Claire<\/h3>\n

For the fifth summer since it was formed in 2019, the\u00a0Freshwater Collaborative of Wisconsin<\/a>\u00a0has sponsored field study opportunities that include summer sessions at UW-Eau Claire.<\/p>\n

The FCW is a statewide initiative that aims to harness the power of the 13 public state universities, along with partners from government, industry and local communities, to make Wisconsin a leader in water sciences and to educate young people about the state\u2019s waterways and potential careers involving freshwater science.<\/p>\n

Dr. Sarah Vitale, associate professor of geology and environmental science, is the principal investigator and collaborator on FCW grant-supported research and training opportunities hosted by UW-Eau Claire.<\/p>\n

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Over the last several weeks, Vitale and colleagues from UW-River Falls and UW-Stout offered a three-week field study course in hydrology, the study of water, its movement and interactions with the environment. Students from a variety of majors spent five days on each of the three campuses, learning skills and techniques from faculty across disciplines and subspecialties of freshwater science.<\/p>\n

Building technology skills in water study<\/h3>\n

For their first full day on the UW-Eau Claire campus, students in the hydrogeology course spent a full day learning about geographic information systems and remote sensing technologies. These are two geographic toolkits also used in the investigation of freshwater systems.<\/p>\n

The GIS day was taught by Dr. Zach Hilgendorf, assistant professor of geography and anthropology.<\/p>\n

\u201cStudents examined historic aerial imagery and learned to interpret it to answer scientific questions, like how rivers have migrated over time, how reservoirs have grown or shrunk, and how we can calculate sediment erosion and deposition through time,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n

Hilgendorf says that FCW courses like Vitale\u2019s hydrology field study are pivotal opportunities for students.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe Freshwater Collaborative course is a truly formative experience, exposing students to an array of expertise,\u201d he says. \u201cFrom learning techniques in the investigations of wells to water quality monitoring, wetland delineation and historic aerial image interpretation, students gain new skills and learn to investigate the world of freshwater science through a multitude of lenses.\u201d<\/p>\n

Students cross campuses and majors to learn together<\/h3>\n

While the focus of instruction varied on each of the three campuses, the third week at UW-Eau Claire turned student focus to an independent research project of their choosing.<\/p>\n

\u201cAs long as they were able to clearly state their research question and conduct the data collection and analysis on campus using technology and instruments available, they were open to choose any topic that interested them,\u201d Vitale says.<\/p>\n

For Gries, the science building construction site posed a question she was interested in answering.<\/p>\n

\u201cI chose to investigate the impact of the construction on the water quality in Little Niagara Creek,\u201d says Gries, a native of Grafton.<\/p>\n

The method Gries chose to employ was to collect water and soil samples upstream from the site, directly at the site and then downstream near the river.<\/p>\n

\u201cOur sample collection day was heavy rain, so it seemed that if the construction was negatively affecting the health of the creek, that evidence would be especially clear with the runoff on a rainy day,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n

In addition to the challenge of doing solo study, Gries says that she enjoyed the chance to use techniques and instruments she had not used previously, such as:<\/p>\n