{"id":13506,"date":"2026-04-06T09:22:38","date_gmt":"2026-04-06T14:22:38","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.wisconsin.edu\/all-in-wisconsin\/?post_type=campus_story&p=13506"},"modified":"2026-04-06T09:22:38","modified_gmt":"2026-04-06T14:22:38","slug":"captivated-by-research-uwm-student-pursues-career-in-water-quality-and-safety","status":"publish","type":"campus_story","link":"https:\/\/www.wisconsin.edu\/all-in-wisconsin\/story\/captivated-by-research-uwm-student-pursues-career-in-water-quality-and-safety\/","title":{"rendered":"Captivated by research, UWM student pursues career in water quality and safety"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
\"Photo:<\/a>
Jena Choi, a freshwater sciences major, works alongside faculty mentor Laodong Guo to analyze the chemical properties of wastewater that collects in oil fields. (UWM Photo\/Andy Manis)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

When Jena Choi moved from Los Angeles to Whitefish Bay in middle school, she swapped ocean beaches for freshwater ecosystems. Lake Michigan and the area\u2019s abundant rivers fostered a love of kayaking and deepened her appreciation for aquatic systems.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But it wasn\u2019t until she enrolled in UW-Milwaukee\u2019s School of Freshwater Sciences<\/a> that Choi realized the possibilities of lifelong work in water. At UWM, she has already made meaningful contributions to lab work, snagging multiple awards for her research analyzing water dynamics and quality.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThere\u2019s a whole career for science communication, outreach and helping people find resources,\u201d Choi said. \u201cI see myself teaching communities about water quality and water safety.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Analyzing water dynamics<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Choi\u2019s contributions began even before her first freshman class at UWM, thanks to the university\u2019s summer research program for incoming students<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In that program, Choi worked alongside UWM assistant professor and hydrologist Charles Paradis, who charged her with investigating how uranium behaves in soil during a flood.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

That work could lead to new ways to clean and protect groundwater in polluted areas. Paradis applies similar research to understand the impacts of road salt on the natural environment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For Choi, the unique experience revealed how scientific inquiry unfolds in real-time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt really taught me what research looks like,\u201d she said. \u201cEverybody doesn\u2019t know exactly what will happen and it\u2019s up to us as a team to figure it out. And even with no experience coming in, I made a contribution to it.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\nhttps:\/\/youtube.com\/watch?v=uP3DqssMuLo%3Fsi%3DrnEm4x0qBr8Sn0Sr\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Other professors and faculty have helped diversify her experience and success.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A freshwater science class with Laodong Guo immersed Choi in lab work, where she analyzed the chemical properties of wastewater that collects in oil fields during the extraction processes. As part of that work, she ran water samples through a spectrometer and learned how to use programming software to carry out the tests.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The aim of that research, in part, was to determine whether contaminated water in oil fields can be reclaimed for other uses, such as recycling produced water or recovering important metals.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Earning accolades<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Choi\u2019s cross-disciplinary studies have already earned attention from researchers in the field through presentations at the UWM Research Symposium<\/a> and the National Conference of Undergraduate Research.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In 2023, she received a UWM Outstanding Performance in Introductory Chemistry Award. More recently, she entered the accelerated master\u2019s program<\/a> for high-achieving students in School of Freshwater Sciences. This means she can begin her graduate degree while finishing final requirements for her bachelor\u2019s degree.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In 2025, Choi received an Outstanding Presentation award at the UWM Research Symposium for a research project supported by Gina Seegers Szablewski, a senior teaching faculty member in UWM\u2019s geosciences department.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

That work involved redesigning established geological diagrams in textbooks to be more visually appealing and engaging. And it helped Choi envision potential real-world work she\u2019d like to do in the Milwaukee community.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Teaching the value of water<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Choi imagines taking a multidisciplinary approach to her career, including collecting water samples, analyzing them (thanks to her chemistry minor) and teaching the public about water quality, health and safety. For example, she wants to make report cards that inform people when and where water is safe to swim in or consume.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Milwaukee Riverkeeper is one area nonprofit already doing this type of work; the organization has inspired Choi to volunteer in water cleanup events.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Her evolving expertise as a freshwater sciences student will allow her to dive even deeper into this passion. \u201cI just want to teach people why water is valuable.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n\n\n\n

Written by Tree Meinch<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Link to original story: https:\/\/uwm.edu\/news\/captivated-by-research-uwm-student-pursues-career-in-water-quality-and-safety\/<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

When Jena Choi moved from Los Angeles to Whitefish Bay in middle school, she swapped ocean beaches for freshwater ecosystems. Lake Michigan and the area\u2019s abundant rivers fostered a love of kayaking and deepened her appreciation for aquatic systems. But it wasn\u2019t until she enrolled in UW-Milwaukee\u2019s School of Freshwater Sciences that Choi realized the possibilities of […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":15,"featured_media":13508,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","institution":[107],"story_category":[146],"class_list":["post-13506","campus_story","type-campus_story","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","institution-uw-milwaukee","story_category-research-innovation"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.wisconsin.edu\/all-in-wisconsin\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/campus_story\/13506","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.wisconsin.edu\/all-in-wisconsin\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/campus_story"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.wisconsin.edu\/all-in-wisconsin\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/campus_story"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.wisconsin.edu\/all-in-wisconsin\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/15"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.wisconsin.edu\/all-in-wisconsin\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=13506"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.wisconsin.edu\/all-in-wisconsin\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/13508"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.wisconsin.edu\/all-in-wisconsin\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=13506"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"institution","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.wisconsin.edu\/all-in-wisconsin\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/institution?post=13506"},{"taxonomy":"story_category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.wisconsin.edu\/all-in-wisconsin\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/story_category?post=13506"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}