all intern projects are dependent upon available …...all intern projects are dependent upon...

All intern projects are dependent upon available funding.

* PLEASE NOTE: All students are responsible for their own transportation to/ from their internship site on a daily basis. Not all projects are located in areas with reliable public transportation (e.g. on college campuses). Only students who can confirm at the application time that they will have a vehicle available to bring to their internship location can be matched with projects requiring personal vehicle for project-related travel. We only offer one project per student. If you are offered an internship project requiring a personal vehicle and are later unable to bring one, we cannot offer you a different project. Therefore, please answer accurately the question regarding your availability to bring a vehicle to the internship.

Advisor Project Summaries 2019

1) Nutrient removal rates of varying stream channel substrates contaminated with heavy metals

in the Viburnum Trend.

Hosting Organization: School of Natural Resources, University of Missouri, Columbia, Missouri Project Location: Columbia, MO Project involves the following:

fieldwork in various weather conditions (hot, buggy, etc.)

extended periods of lab work

extended periods sitting for computer work

Desired Skills:

Basic knowledge of aquatic ecology and chemistry

Project Description: Headwaters can be thought of as the kidneys of a watershed as they are the primary filtering

mechanisms that aid in preventing downstream watershed concerns and ecosystem collapse

associated with elevated nutrient transport such as eutrophication, decreases in stream

dissolved oxygen, fish kills and issues with public drinking water supplies.

This project will look at heavy metal contaminated streams within the New Lead Belt, known as

the Viburnum Trend in southeast, Missouri. This project intends to understand nutrient uptake

rates of nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) by local algal and microbial communities and associated

metabolic rates of these contaminated streams. Substrates ranging from bedrock, cobble to fine

silts and sands have been shown to influence nutrient uptake rates. Complimenting a larger

graduate project is a summer mesocosm study that will look at N and P uptake rates on a variety

of stream substrates. The idea is to see how efficient are these heavy metal contaminated

headwater tributaries of the Meramec and Black Rivers in retaining N and P and preventing

downstream transport. This project will build on efforts to understand downstream transport of

nutrients in the headwaters of watersheds.

Some of the student's duties and responsibilities will be:

The student will be responsible for setting up streamside mesocosms with varying types of

substrate found throughout the stream reach to determine if this influences N and P uptake

rates. The student will take water samples from each mesocosm and analyze the water samples

back in the MU Limnology Laboratory for total dissolved nitrogen (TDN) and soluble reactive

phosphorus (SRP). The laboratory work will require the student to prepare the water samples by

first filtering the water and pipetting the appropriate amount into corresponding test tubes. The

student will follow the protocol (i.e. Kjeldahl Method and Colorimetric Asorbic Acid method) for

preparing the TDN and SRP test tubes, respectively, prior to determining the concentrations of

the nutrients using the spectrofluorometer. Please note that the student does not need to have

previous experience in performing basic field or laboratory water quality analysis, all training will

be provided as needed. The student will be responsible for entering the nutrient concentration

data into the MU Limnology laboratory’s master database as well as in a separate file

corresponding specifically to their project. The student will then be required to analyze the data

to determine if varying channel substrates in heavy contaminated streams influence nitrogen

uptake rates.

2) Examining the Process of Citizen Science from a Human Perspective

Hosting Organization: National Great Rivers Research and Education Project Location: East Alton, IL Project involves the following:



conducting surveys or interviews with the public or special interest groups

Desired Skills:

Prior GIS experience strongly preferred. Project Description: Citizen science is a rapidly developing field and many questions remain about the process of

recruiting and maintaining participation in these programs, as well as providing positive

volunteer experiences. This project will use the wealth of information on citizen science

participants that has been gathered by the long-running Illinois RiverWatch Network, which has

garnered participation from volunteers all over the state of Illinois for over two decades. This

project will allow the intern to develop skills in GIS analysis, and learn about how to access and

take advantage of publically available information like census data. The intern will also get the

opportunity to develop and conduct a survey to gain further insight about citizen science

volunteers and their motivations. The project will be interdisciplinary in nature offering the

chance to think about citizen science from a sociological perspective and the chance to develop

skills in spatial and statistical analysis. The intern will also have the opportunity to meet citizen

science volunteers in person and accompany them on a stream monitoring excursion.


Take direction from advisors and take an active collaborative role in the research

Must work independently with self-motivation

Take personal responsibility for all intern submission deadlines (poster, abstract, etc)

Must responsibly use laptop with ArcGIS software

Maintain a standard of quality with the potential goal of peer-reviewed publication in mind

3) Investigating the relationship between suspended sediment concentrations and acoustic

Doppler backscatter in the Mississippi River Hosting Organization: National Great Rivers Research and Education Project Location: East Alton, IL Project involves the following:


physically strenuous activities (carrying heavy gear, operating machinery, etc.)



Desired Skills:

The selected student should have college level math and science experience; and

Comfort in learning and using software packages.

Project Description: Suspended sediments can impede numerous physical and biological aspects of water quality in

freshwater systems. Understanding how sediments are transported and deposited in large rivers

is of critical importance to characterizing the overall condition of these systems and their

drainage basins. The goal of this project is to advance our knowledge and capability to use down-

looking acoustic Doppler backscatter data to characterize suspended sediment loads, and to

integrate this data with measurements of nutrient concentrations to facilitate the continuous

monitoring efforts in rivers and streams. Furthermore, due to the ability of clays to adsorb

nutrients through various mechanisms, we plan to examine how different sediment types

influence the backscatter signal. Initial tests will be conducted in the NGRREC mesocosms which

use natural Mississippi River water that we will supplement with various concentrations and

types of sediments. The next stage of this work will be to take acoustic Doppler measurements in

the Mississippi River while simultaneously collecting grab samples. The student selected for this

project will work with an interdisciplinary team of scientists from NGRREC and Saint Louis

University to collect and analyze water samples for sediment and nutrient analyses. This boat-

mounted mobile technology has future implications for being used at other locations in the

Mississippi River basin where NGRREC and others have established continuous monitoring

stations.

Some of the student's duties and responsibilities will be: The student will have responsibilities divided between field, laboratory, and computer work.

Field work will include driving facility trucks, extended periods of time sampling outside

(occasionally on boats), carrying heavy equipment and samples, and keeping detailed field notes.

The student may be expected to conduct field work in extreme heat and in rainy conditions.

While working in the lab, the student will have the responsibilities of washing filters, making

reagents for nutrient analysis, making digestion solutions, filtering samples immediately upon

returning from the field, maintaining a clean and safe lab space, and acid washing glassware. The

student will be trained on the use of the SmartChem Discrete Analyzer and will analyze water

samples under supervision. Computational work will include becoming familiar with software for

the ADCP, statistical analyses using R and excel, and being responsible for maintaining a

consistent, organized record of all findings that can be used by advisors in the future.

4) Insect surveys of grassland communities at the Riverlands Migratory Bird Sanctuary Hosting Organization: United States Army Corps of Engineers Project Location: West Alton, MO Project involves the following:




using a personal laptop for project related work

Desired Skills:

Entomology and botany background would be beneficial, but not necessary.

A strong willingness to learn is essential.

Project Description: This project involves insect and vegetation surveys of different grassland and wetland

communities at the Riverlands Migratory Bird Sanctuary (RMBS), West Alton, MO. The RMBS is a

2000 acre grassland located near the confluence of the Mississippi and Missouri Rivers. Several

unique grassland communities occur here, with distribution strongly tied to slight differences in

elevation and hydrology. The intern will be responsible for conducting the survey of insects

utilizing several sampling protocols (i.e. pitfall traps, sweep nets, aerial nets, sticky traps, and pan

traps). The main objective of the project is to describe and document the insect communities

inhabiting the different grasslands at the RMBS. Vegetative surveys will also be conducted

following established USACE protocol and will involve the use of transects and to document

species composition and frequency of occurrence. Grassland communities that will be examined

include sand, wet and tallgrass prairies and perennial wetlands. The intern will gain experience

in sampling insect communities, identifying insect species, identifying grassland plant species,

data management, data analysis, and report production.

Some of the student's duties and responsibilities will be: Student will be responsible for conducting daily insect and grassland surveys following

established protocols. Knowledge of plant and insect identification is a plus, but not a necessity.

A strong desire to learn is essential. Intern will need to be able to work in various weather

conditions encountered in the Mid-West, including heat, humidity, rain, etc...

5) The effects of temperature on the schooling behavior of Asian Carp Hosting Organization: National Great Rivers Research and Education Center Project Location: East Alton, IL Project involves the following:




Desired Skills:

Requires good quantitative (math) skills and be computer savvy (both dealing with

hardware, and also coding)

preferably worked with fish in experiments

preferably a student looking to continue with grad school, so they will be excited to publish the results

Project Description:

Researchers and naturalists alike have long been fascinated by the coordinated movements of

fish schools, bird flocks, insect swarms, ungulate herds and other animal groups that contain

large numbers of individuals that move in a highly coordinated fashion. Global warming is

arguably the most important environmental driver of ecosystems globally, and so it surprising

that no studies apparently exist that explore how changes to environmental temperature affect

collective behavior. Since most species incorporate collective behavior into some stage of their

life, including many river species of importance to humans (e.g., fish, bison, water fowl),

obtaining a better understanding how warming will affect the collective behavior of animals

should have basic and applied benefits to society.

Using state-of-the-art experimental methods, the intern will help fill this knowledge gap by

conducting laboratory experiments to measure how changes to water temperature affect the

schooling behavior of juvenile Asian carp, which are highly invasive in Midwest rivers and have

clear basic and applied links to society. The student will collect juvenile carp from sites near

NGRREC, and will use equipment in Dell’s lab to film and track the collective behavior of juvenile

carp in environmental chambers. The student will be based at NGRREC, with a two-week trip to

Berdahl’s lab at U Wash to analyze tracking results. The student will also visit Knouft’s lab at SLU

as required.


The student will have a wide range of duties and responsibilities that come with scientific work.

First, the student will be required to read many primary literature sources and learn to navigate

through appropriate search engines, i.e. Web of Science, Google Scholar, etc., to find that

literature. The student will need to be able to synthesize that literature and relate it to his/her

project. The student will have opportunities to work through the primary literature with the

advisor as well as participate in lab meetings where we will discuss specific papers. Second, the

student will be required to think critically, help with experimental design, analyzing results, and

drawing a conclusion based on those results. The student will be required to present the results

and conclusions in a scientific manner and will be involved (if interested) with writing a

manuscript post-internship. Third, the student will help collect larval Asian carp from field sites

and house them in the laboratory. This includes animal husbandry while the fish are in the

laboratory. Finally, the student will be required to use a sophisticated digital camera setup and

associated software to perform automated-image tracking.

6) Assessing spatiotemporal dynamics in phosphorus bioavailability in the Lower Fox River, WI

Hosting Organization: University of Wisconsin - Oshkosh Project Location: Oshkosh, WI Project involves the following:




data analysis and data presentation (figures)

Desired Skills:

Student should be able to work independently and be able to accept responsibility.

Student should have an interest in water quality and prevention of harmful algal

blooms.

Any classes previously taken by the student in surface water quality and chemistry /

biology will be helpful.

Project Description: Excessive phosphorous (P) loading to Green Bay, WI causes eutrophication (excessive algal

growth) and subsequent harmful algal blooms (HAB’s). These blooms cause a degradation of

habitat and low dissolved oxygen. In the approved Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL) calculation

~ 65% of the phosphorous entering Green Bay is transported by the Fox River from Lake

Winnebago and needs to be reduced by 40% to meet objectives. However, reductions in P

loading to Lake Erie, for example, have not reduced harmful algal blooms. One of the likely

factors causing this non-response is that the fraction of bio-available P (bio-P) remains high

enough to stimulate HAB’s. Dynamics in bio-P are not known for the Lower Fox River and may

result in sub-optimal management prioritization and costly interventions that do not achieve set

targets.

It is in this context that we seek to determine the spatiotemporal dynamics in bio-P in relation to

total P (the TMDL metric) for the Lower Fox River. Dynamics in bio-P have not been described for

this system and need to answer (1) to what extent is the P loading from Lake Winnebago bio-

available (2) does the fraction of bio-P change temporally and (3) does the fraction of bio-P

change spatially along the 35 mile long transect (e.g. by biogeochemical processes). We

hypothesize that there will be a significant spatiotemporal signal in bio-P that needs to be

considered by those charged to bring the system into compliance.


The student selected for this project will have an opportunity to experience all aspects of the

scientific process. The student will collect, process, and analyze their own set of samples before

interpreting and reporting the results.

The student will have responsibilities associated with field and laboratory work. Field work will

include traveling to sampling locations, extended periods of time sampling, carrying heavy

equipment and samples, and keeping detailed field notes. The student will be expected to

(potentially) conduct field work in extreme heat and in rainy conditions. While working in the lab,

the student will filter samples immediately upon returning from the field, prepare and manage

algal experiments, follow standard operating procedures for nutrient analyses at the DNR

certified UW-Oshkosh ultra-low phosphorus lab, make reagents and digestion solutions,

maintain a clean and safe lab space, and acid wash glassware. The student will be trained on the

use of a high pressure filtering apparatus, spectrophotometer, and DCDA incubations. After

analysis, he or she will be responsible for maintaining a consistent and organized record of their

findings for data reporting. The student will also have the opportunity to collaborate with other

students in our lab and get exposure to various projects that are currently being executed by our

research group.

7) Genetic assessment of a restored alligator gar population in Missouri Hosting Organization: Missouri University of Science and Technology Project Location: Rolla, MO Project involves the following:




using a personal vehicle for field or project related travel

Desired Skills:

It would be best if student has completed a genetics course before engaging in this

internship experience. This will allow the student to gain the most benefit from the

experience.

Project Description: The Missouri Department of Conservation (MDC) has been engaged in an alligator gar

(Atractosteus spatula) reintroduction and monitoring program in southeastern Missouri since

2007. Recently, population monitoring efforts have identified unmarked alligator gar that are

thought to be new recruits resulting from natural reproduction in the reintroduced population. A

genetic assessment is necessary at this time to address several important conservation genetics

questions: 1) confirm the identity and origin of putative new recruit alligator gar by genetic

assessment of the introduced population as well as the hatchery source population; 2) assess

genetic diversity indices in the introduced population, the source hatchery population and

published work from other natural alligator gar populations; 3) provide an assessment of

whether hybridization has occurred between alligator gar and other gar species that could

compromise reintroduction goals.

The student intern who participates in this project will be working in a Missouri S&T genetics lab

to learn DNA genotyping, and basic population genetic data analysis techniques. The student will

also have the opportunity to visit field sites where reintroductions have occurred, and learn

more about the species introduction and monitoring efforts from the MDC field biologists who

are leading the effort.


The student will primarily be working in a molecular genetics lab. The student can expect to work

normal 8-5 hours, five days per week to accomplish project objectives. A little traveling and field

experience will allow the student to visit field sites where reintroductions are ongoing, and meet

field biologists. The student will have the opportunity to participate in other ongoing projects

with other students as time and conditions permit.

8) Assessment of the Reproductive Success of Asian Carps in Tributaries of the Illinois River Hosting Organization: Eastern Illinois University Project Location: Charleston, IL or Sullivan, IL Project involves the following:



Sampling from a boat (intern must be able to swim)

Desired Skills:

Previous experience working on a boat would be helpful, but not necessary.

Project Description: Asian carps (bighead, black, grass and silver) were introduced into the Mississippi River

watershed through direct stockings (authorized and unauthorized) and unintentional escapes

from federal and state agency facilities and private aquaculture. Bighead and silver carp densities

in the Mississippi River and its tributaries are among the highest in the world. Great efforts are

being taken to prevent Asian carp from entering Lake Michigan because their establishment

would impact populations of ecologically and economically important fishes of the Great Lakes.

The primary purpose of this project is to monitor and evaluate the reproductive success of Asian

carp in tributaries of the Illinois River, which is the direct pathway of invasion into Lake Michigan.

While current monitoring focuses on sampling the main channel, it is not known to what extent

Asian carp are effectively reproducing in various sized tributaries. Our NGRREC intern will

participate in fieldwork to assess the relative density of eggs and larvae in these systems. This

project will provide insight into the environmental parameters and tributary size required for

Asian carp reproduction and recruitment. This information will allow managers to effectively

target areas to mitigate the spread of these invasive species. Additionally, this study contributes

to the Asian Carp Monitoring and Response Plan dedicated to prevent Asian carp from

establishing populations in the Chicago Area Waterway System and Lake Michigan.


The primary responsibilities of the intern will be assisting with fieldwork on tributaries of the

Illinois River (Sangamon, Mackinaw, and Spoon Rivers) that will include using light traps, drift

nets, and a larval push net from a boat. Previous experience working on a boat would be helpful,

but not necessary. They will learn proper field and laboratory techniques for collecting and

processing samples. The intern will be trained to identify larval fish species. The intern will be

responsible for organizing their data into database software. If they do not have experience with

it, the intern will be trained to use data analysis software (e.g., Excel, SigmaPlot) and learn

database manipulation. Opportunities will also exist to gain additional field and laboratory

experience assisting with other ongoing river surveys. The intern will be responsible (with

guidance from faculty advisors) for data analysis and will have the opportunity to assist in the

preparation of findings in an IDNR report and manuscript. The intern will be located at Eastern

Illinois University, Charleston, IL or the INHS Kaskaskia Biological Station, Sullivan, IL (housing

provided at the field station).

9) Who are the recreational anglers in northern Illinois and Indiana lakes and rivers?

Hosting Organization: University of Illinois Project Location: Urbana-Champaign, IL Project involves the following:



Desired Skills:

No requirements.

Project Description: Fisheries managers rely on human dimensions research to understand angler characteristics,

behavior, and expectations. Given that fishing regulations (e.g., catch limits) and avenues for

outreach (e.g., salmon fishing clubs) are often species-specific, information about how anglers

that target different species are using the fishery is useful for management agencies. To

generate this information, the proposed National Great Rivers Research and Education Center

(NGRREC) internship will provide a student with an opportunity to conduct an independent

project in which they will develop profiles of anglers targeting common sportfish species found

in the Great Lakes region and propose management strategies for engaging with each angler

type.

In addition to collecting and analyzing data from recreational anglers about their fishing

experiences, the student will engage with a broader program of research focused on the human

dimensions of recreational fisheries in the Great Lakes region. Contributing to the overall project

will provide the opportunity for the student to learn about multiple phases of the environmental

social science research process, including survey design, data collection, analysis of results, and

communication of findings to academic and applied audiences. Not only will the student advance

a crucial area of research, s/he will also inform management decisions that need to be tailored

to the needs of stakeholders in rivers and lakes around the Great Lakes region.

Some of the student's duties and responsibilities will be: The student intern will have several responsibilities throughout the duration of the program.

Specifically, these duties will include: 1) participate in regular discussions with the advisors and

collaborators regarding study design, theory, objectives, and methods; 2) conduct an on-site

survey to collect human dimensions data from recreational anglers in Indiana; 3) code and enter

the data collected; 4) synthesize results and communicate findings in a final paper, poster, and

oral presentation. Successful work with NGRREC student interns in past years (2015, 2016, and

2018) will guide the schedule of responsibilities and approach to engaging with and supporting

the student intern.

10) Can sediments in the Mississippi River mitigate the effects of agricultural pollutants loading into the Gulf of Mexico?

Hosting Organization: Saint Louis University Project Location: Saint Louis University, MO and occasional excursions to the Mississippi River in Alton and to the National Great Rivers Research and Education Center in East Alton, IL

Project involves the following:



extended periods of lab work, using a personal vehicle for field or project related

travel


Desired Skills:

The intern should ideally be majoring in environmental science or geology and have

background in basic chemistry.

A background in hydrology, soils, and/or environmental geochemistry is beneficial,

but not necessary as the student will receive on-site training.

Project Description: Excess inputs of normally limiting nutrients, like nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P), to aquatic

environments can trigger algal blooms, which can have severe health (production of toxins that

adversely affect humans) and ecological (ecosystem degradation like hypoxia in the Gulf of

Mexico) impacts. Successful management of blooms requires understanding river systems, which

conduit excess nutrients to oceans. Of particular interest is the Mississippi River, which features

high nutrient levels from agricultural fertilizer application in the basin that are delivered to the

Gulf of Mexico. Algal blooms in the Gulf of Mexico are predicted to increase in magnitude and

frequency, exacerbated by increasing pollution and climate change. This project will examine

patterns of nutrient storage in Mississippi River suspended and riverbed sediments. Sediments

likely play a key role in trapping and redistributing nutrients, ultimately affecting their entry into

the Gulf of Mexico. The student selected for this project will work with an interdisciplinary team

of scientists to collect suspended and riverbed sediments from the Mississippi River. The intern

will determine nutrient content for sediment porewater, on mineral surfaces, and in bulk

sediment. Sediment nutrient dynamics will be compared to water chemistry data collected by a

research team at the National Great Rivers Research and Education Center (NGRREC) to obtain a

holistic understanding of the impact of agriculture on river systems.

Some of the student's duties and responsibilities will be: The student will be principally responsible for collecting and processing samples, analyzing

results, and interpreting data for suspended and riverbed sediments from the Mississippi River at

Alton, Illinois. Field work will include preparing equipment prior to field excursions, sampling

from a boat for extended periods of time, carrying and operating heavy field equipment,

collecting field samples, and maintaining a field notebook. Field work will be conducted under

various conditions (hot, rainy, buggy, etc.). Lab work will include processing field sediment

samples for porewater chemistry, mineral surface chemistry, and bulk elemental composition.

The student will be trained in proper lab techniques including proper personal protective gear,

making reagents, following standard operating procedures for sediment analyses, acid washing

labware, preparing digests and extracts for analyses on a DA and ICP-OES, and preparing bulk

sediment samples for analysis using a pXRF spectrometer. The student will also report his/her

findings to his/her peers during poster and oral presentations at the conclusion of the project.

11) Factors Influencing Environmental DNA (eDNA) Detection in a Flowing System Hosting Organization: Illinois Natural History Survey Project Location: Urbana, IL Project involves the following:


Desired Skills:

No skills are necessary, but experience with DNA extraction and qPCR is preferred.

Project Description:

Accurate distribution data is vital to wildlife management; however, these data are time-

consuming and expensive to gather using traditional sampling methods. An emerging technique

for wildlife detection is environmental DNA (eDNA)sampling. Organisms are constantly shedding

DNA into the environment via defecation, shedding of skin and mucus, spawning, etc. and eDNA

uses molecular techniques to detect this DNA in environmental samples. Aquatic systems are

ideal for this methodology since DNA will suspend in water and can be transported downstream,

allowing for detection at multiple scales, from site- to watershed-level. Using eDNA in

conjunction with traditional sampling techniques has broad applicability for ecological

monitoring.

The processes influencing both the presence of eDNA at a site and our ability to detect it are not

well-understood. Studies have approached these topics, however they have relied on natural

systems or artificial laboratory exercises. The flowing mesocosms at National Great Rivers

Research and Education Center provide a unique opportunity to explore the ecology of eDNA in

flowing systems. Using Alligator Snapping Turtles as a study organism, we will explore the effects

of flow, UV-exposure, and biomass on eDNA presence and prevalence. This work will fill gaps in

the understanding of the dynamics of eDNA in aquatic systems


No specific prior experience is required, however some familiarity with general laboratory work

and pipette technique is preferred. The project consists of two distinct portions. During sample

collection the student’s duties will include sample collection, organization and handling of

samples, and potentially some animal handling. During the laboratory portion the student’s

duties will include DNA extraction, preparation of samples for qPCR, and data entry. After data

collection, the intern will conduct data analysis with guidance from the project advisors.

12) Waterbird Nesting Ecology Following Hydrological Manipulation of a Historic Illinois River

Floodplain

Hosting Organization: Illinois Natural History Survey – Forbes Biological Station Project Location: Havana, IL Project involves the following:



Desired Skills:

Experience with GIS is preferred, but not necessary. Training will be provided in all

aspects of the research.

Project Description: The INHS Forbes Biological Station (FBS) will provide opportunity for an intern to evaluate

waterbird nesting ecology in a restored floodplain following reconnection to the Illinois River.

The Nature Conservancy’s (TNC) Emiquon Preserve is the most substantial floodplain restoration

in the region, but succession has reduced quality breeding waterbird habitat. Five years of pre-

drawdown data indicate Emiquon supports >400 waterbird nests annually, including species of

conservation concern such as least bittern. However, an estimated 100 waterbirds nested there

in 2018 due to unsuitable vegetative structure and wetland dynamics. To reset wetland

dynamics, TNC dewatered 2,200 ac in 2018 initiating a dry marsh stage and promoted the re-

growth of persistent emergent vegetation, a preferred nesting substrate for waterbirds. An

intern will conduct waterbird nest surveys documenting changes in nest density and survival in

response to drawdown. The intern will search for waterbird nests in uplands (ducks), emergent

vegetation (rails), and floating aquatic vegetation (grebes). The intern will learn GIS (ArcMap),

research planning/design, survival analysis, GPS navigation, and boating/all-terrain vehicle skills.

The student will conduct nest searches, mark nests, record habitat characteristics, and monitor

nests weekly until hatching. The intern will be encouraged to share in publication of data,

including acting as an author on popular/research articles.

Some of the student's duties and responsibilities will be: The intern will conduct nest searches and habitat surveys in distinct wetland vegetation types

used by nesting waterbirds. Vegetation maps completed by FBS will be used as a sampling frame

and up to 15 points within each vegetation type will be generated in ArcMap weekly. Points will

be buffered (25 m) and systematically searched for waterbird nests. All nests located within

search areas and others located incidentally will be marked with a GPS waypoint and revisited

approximately weekly until terminated (i.e., hatched, destroyed, abandoned). The intern will

record vegetation characteristics, water depths and turbidity, and nest demographics (clutch

size, incubation stage). The intern will also collect water depth and turbidity, vegetation

characteristics, and other data at up to 10 random locations within each vegetation type for

comparison with nest site data. The intern will perform descriptive analysis to estimate nest

density, compare nest fate, and analyze daily survival rates for each vegetation type and species.

The intern will also have the opportunity to work with INHS staff (e.g., Chris Hine, Aaron Yetter,

Joe Lancaster) on concurrent projects at Emiquon or along the Illinois River to diversify their field

and research background and expose them to a wide variety of research techniques (e.g.,

estimate seed and tuber production for waterfowl; biomass, diversity, and extent of submersed

and emergent aquatic vegetation; invertebrate biomass and diversity; fish abundance and

relative occurrence; waterbird brood density). Projects will include both field and laboratory

work and expose the intern to a wide variety of research protocols, taxa of large rivers, scientific

methods (e.g., randomized sampling, systematic sampling, catch-per-unit effort, distance

analysis), field methods (e.g., core, sweep, box, and frame sampling; distance surveys; nest

identification and egg aging), laboratory methods (e.g., microscope techniques, sieving), and

equipment (e.g., trucks with trailers, boats, ATVs, GPS units, field PCs, spotting scopes, etc.).

Training in boating, trailering, GPS navigation, GIS ArcMap, and other techniques will be provided

to the student by FBS scientists.

13) Assessing constructed wetlands as wildlife habitat in central Illinois Hosting Organization: Bradley University Project Location: Peoria, IL Project involves the following:




Use of a personal vehicle or laptop may occur but will not be required

Desired Skills:

Previous experience with statistics or GIS would be helpful but not required.

Project Description: Constructed wetlands are a valuable tool to reduce nutrient loading into streams and rivers from

agriculture and may also provide habitat for wildlife. For this project, the intern will work to

assess amphibian and trematode parasite communities in constructed wetlands at an

agricultural research site and other wetlands in central Illinois. In a collaborative effort between

Bradley University and The Nature Conservancy, the project will include collection of data on

ecological communities via amphibian call surveys, dipnet surveys, microscopy and molecular

approaches (for trematode identification), and collection of data for water quality and other

ecosystem attributes (e.g., wetland size and land cover). Data on amphibians and trematode

communities will provide key insights into habitat quality, as both groups are useful indicator

taxa; trematode communities, for instance, provide useful information on habitat use by their

host species (e.g., snails, amphibians, and waterfowl). Results will also be useful to assess

potential drivers of amphibian and trematode community composition, including wetland size,

land cover, and water chemistry.


With guidance and supervision from the advisor, the intern will be trained in field survey

methods, amphibian and trematode identification, DNA extraction and PCR, dissection, data

analysis, and the written and oral presentation of science. With the advisor, the intern will

perform call surveys, collect samples of larval amphibians, snails, and water samples, and screen

snails for parasite infection. The intern will help perform DNA extractions and PCR for submission

for sequencing for parasite identification. The intern will learn methods for quantifying parasite

infection loads in larval amphibians via dissection under a microscope. The intern may also

contribute to laboratory experiments assessing impacts of parasites on amphibians. Training will

be provided for all necessary techniques. The intern should be willing to perform work in and

near ponds in waders (including at night for call surveys) and spend substantial amounts of time

in front of a microscope.

14) Aquatic Resource Inventory of Ted Shanks Conservation Area Wetlands Hosting Organization: Missouri Department of Conservation Project Location: Hannibal, MO Project involves the following:





May conduct some field work independently or while leading a work team.

Need to have valid driver's license.

Will be driving a pick-up.

Desired Skills:

Driver's license required.

Experience in boats with outboard motors, canoes, and kayaks would be useful.

GIS experience not necessary, but is a plus.

Intern need not be an expert at identifying fish or aquatic invertebrates, but should

have some experience at it so they know what features to look for.

Coursework or field experience identifying fish, freshwater mussels, crayfish, or

aquatic insects would be beneficial.

Project Description: The intern can choose between two aquatics-related wetland projects on Ted Shanks

Conservation Area, near Hannibal, in northeast Missouri. These two projects include sampling,

identifying, and preparing management objectives for the wetland’s 1) game and non-game

fisheries populations, or 2) aquatic invertebrates, including freshwater mussels, crayfish, and

aquatic insects. The fisheries project may include sampling by electrofishing, fyke nets, mini-fyke

nets, gillnets, trotlines, seines, and angling. The invertebrate project may include sampling by

seines, minnow traps, crayfish traps, wading, mussel braille, light traps, and other methods. The

intern will collect and summarize field data and use it to prepare draft management objectives

that will be used to lead future efforts on the conservation area.

Some of the student's duties and responsibilities will be: Intern will be sampling for either fish or a variety of aquatic invertebrate species using a wide

variety of sampling methods. Intern does not have to have prior experience with sampling

techniques. Access to sampling sites will be provided by boat, canoe, or kayak. Fish sampling

will be done as part of a team. Invertebrate sampling provides more opportunities for

independent work and working as part of a team. Fish or aquatic invertebrate (mussel, crayfish,

insect) ID experience would be very useful. Must know how to use a dichotomous key and have

a driver's license.

15) Electrofishing Efficiency in Illinois' Watersheds Hosting Organization: University of Illinois-Illinois Natural History Survey

Project Location: Champaign, IL Project involves the following:




Desired Skills:

No previous experience or skills are necessary, as we can teach on the job. We would prefer that the student be able to swim for safety reasons

Project Description: Electrofishing is a fish sampling method that uses electric current to incapacitate fish for capture

and study. Alternating current (AC) and direct current (DC) both effectively stun fish. AC

electrofishing requires less costly equipment than DC, but is known to be more damaging to

fishes. DC electrofishing benefits from being easier to adjust for water chemistry and induces

galvanotaxis that causes fish to swim toward the electrical current. The majority of electrofishing

throughout the world is conducted using DC for its harm reduction and adjustability.

Illinois biologists commonly employ the AC seine to conduct fish surveys in the wadeable

tributaries of large rivers. The AC seine is extremely effective, as it is capable of creating an

electric field spanning the full width of a stream. However, Illinois’ use of AC electrofishing makes

it difficult to draw direct comparisons with the DC surveys more commonly used in other states

and countries. The goal of this project is to compare AC seine and DC tow-barge fish surveys. We

are interested in determining the differences in personnel costs, fish mortality, and fish capture

bias between the two gears. As our intern, you will aid in fish surveys using both gears within the

Mackinaw and Kaskaskia River basins. You will also have the opportunity to participate in

ongoing lab projects involving macroinvertebrates, boat electrofishing, fish aging, and stream

habitat.

Some of the student's duties and responsibilities will be: The student intern will primarily aid with field surveys. These surveys can be physically

demanding, as they require carrying heavy equipment (e.g., generators) across uneven terrain

and wading long distances while netting fishes. A background or general interest in freshwater

systems, particularly fish, and statistics is desirable. We generally seek someone who is

enthusiastic about the freshwater ecology.

16) Integrating the Missouri River into the Classroom Hosting Organization: Missouri River Relief Project Location: Columbia, MO Project involves the following:



using a personal laptop for project related work

Teaching Missouri River Curriculum in a variety of setting (i.e. summer school,

outdoors on a boat, and on hikes in the forest)

Desired Skills:

Ability to present to a diverse audience with poise and confidence.

Self-directed, with the ability to plan for lessons with minimal supervision.

The desire and skills necessary to be accountable for assigned tasks.

Excellent verbal and written communication skills.

Computer skills, including experience with PowerPoint, MS Word, and Excel.

Good sense of humor; ability to keep things in perspective.

Require flexible hours and will include working some weekend programs.

Require regional travel to and from education programs. All travel will be

completed using Missouri River Relief vehicles.

Project Description: Missouri River Relief is a non-profit dedicated to connecting people to the Missouri River from

Omaha, Nebraska to St. Louis, Missouri. We do this through three avenues: Missouri River clean-

ups, education programs, and outreach events. This position will work directly with the Missouri

River Education Programs, engaging the participant’s innate sense of wonder and natural

curiosity to explore the Missouri River through a place-based program that is interdisciplinary in

nature and experiential in character.

This position will seek to build participants’ knowledge and understanding of the Missouri River

through hands-on experiences that will deepen the participant’s connection and sense of

responsibility for its care and stewardship. This position will assist in the development and

implementation of a Missouri River Curriculum targeting schools and community organizations in

the watershed. The position will be responsible for working with the Education Director to

prepare up to five lesson plans and five information packets. Please refer to the following

website for examples https://www.riverrelief.org/education/resources/


Assist in the development, organization, implementation, and promotion of a Missouri River.

Curriculum that targeting schools and community organizations to increase participants’

knowledge and understanding of the Missouri River, purchase, organize and inventory materials

to maintain adequate curriculum supplies, collaborate with the education director to develop

and implement curriculum, assist with preparation and analysis of curriculum assessments and

evaluations, enhance curriculum via feedback from stakeholders, participates and partners, set

up clear lines of communication for working with partners and participants, collaborate on

curriculum promotion that includes news releases, fliers, websites and social media, other

education duties as assigned by the Education Director

17) Bayesian Belief Network Analysis of Distributed Riverine Water Masses for Water Quality

Assessment

Hosting Organization: Riverside Research Project Location: Beavercreek, OH Project involves the following:

Extended periods of sitting for computer work Desired Skills:

Calculus, Physics, Chemistry, and basic Statistics

Familiarity with Matlab or some other statistical analysis package.

Comfort rather proficiency in learning and using software packages since the Bayes

Server Graphical User interface will be used.

Project Description: Riverine pollutant dynamics is a complex systemic problem affecting the Mississippi River

watershed, which is comprised of many different interrelated dynamical components such as

agricultural and urban run-off, as well as a variety of point sources. Investigation of this complex

system is necessary not only for the knowledge-based understanding of the ecological and

hydrological structure of this coupled land-riverine system but also for formulating methods to

improve the environmental health of this system. Innovative methods to do this are the starting

point allowing for efficient and insightful decision making by environmental policy makers which

can impact human-riverine interactions over a variety of temporal and spatial scales. This project

will use the Great Lakes to Gulf data set, to analyze watershed dynamics. This data is comprised

of a variety of physical and bio-chemical variables (e.g. nitrate, phosphate, suspended sediments,

turbidity, etc.) emanating from monitoring stations throughout the Mississippi watershed. The

data allows for investigation into the statistical interrelationship between different water masses

to identify structural trends that may not be readily apparent at first glance. Research will center

on analysis using both classical frequentist methods of statistical analysis as well advanced

Bayesian methods.

Some of the student's duties and responsibilities will be: The student will be responsible interacting with advisors to learn the physical and mathematical

principles that will be applied to the data under study. The student will responsible for preparing

PowerPoint presentations and posters. Weekly meetings will be part of the students work

routine so that appropriate guidance can be given. A small field experiment with a hyperspectral

camera may be taken part as a way to demonstrate the impact of remote sensing on the

problem of watershed pollution dynamics.

18) Mapping the Social Values of Agro-ecosystem Services in the Kaskaskia Watershed Hosting Organization: University of Illinois Project Location: Urbana, IL Project involves the following:

extended periods sitting for computer work, conducting surveys or interviews with

the public or special interest groups

Desired Skills:

Minor experience with GIS (e.g., one semester class or comparable experience) Project Description: The proposed NGRREC internship will provide an opportunity for a student to contribute to a

human dimensions research project. The purpose of the project is to identify the spatial

distribution of social values that are assigned to socio-cultural (e.g., recreation) and ecological

(e.g., water quality) dimensions of agro-ecosystems in the Kaskaskia River Watershed, IL. This

project fits into a broader multiphasic project focused on how land uses of agricultural lands

enhance some ecosystem services s (e.g., crop production) while depressing others (e.g., soil

health). The student will become part of an interdisciplinary team of researchers in the van Riper

Lab at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. S/he will be engaged in multiple phases of

the research process, including data collection, data preparation, and preliminary data analysis.

Specifically, the intern will be responsible for answering the following research question: what

are the spatial relationships of assigned social values of agroecosystem services within the

Kaskaskia Watershed? The student will develop and analyze a dataset consisting of spatially-

explicit indicators of social values that are assigned to ecosystem services in the watershed.

Collectively, this study contributes to a broader project that will support land owner decisions to

utilize sustainable farming practices that cope with changes to agricultural environments and

build capacity of the local community in the Kaskaskia Watershed.

Some of the student's duties and responsibilities will be: The NGRREC student intern will have several responsibilities throughout the summer. His or her

specific duties will include: (i) discussing and engaging in conversation about the study design

and methods used to collect survey and observational data from stakeholders in the state of

Illinois; (ii) assisting with participatory mapping focus group data collection with the primary

advisor in the Kaskaskia River Watershed region; iii) coding and analyzing spatial data and

interview data collected from the focus groups; and (iv) synthesizing results to be reported at the

conclusion of the internship. The proposed study will be guided by a model that proved effective

for engaging with a NGRREC student intern in summer 2018.

19) Evaluation of denitrifying bioreactors and wetlands for reducing nitrogen inputs to rivers Hosting Organization: University of Illinois Project Location: Urbana-Champaign, IL Project involves the following:

fieldwork in various weather conditions (hot, buggy, etc.), extended periods of lab work

Desired Skills: No particular skills required

Project Description: Nitrogen is essential for crop production and is therefore applied intensively to corn fields in

Illinois. Some of the nitrogen applied is lost as nitrate through field tile drains and reaches rivers

and coastal systems downstream, leading to negative environmental impacts including loss of

biodiversity and eutrophication. Woodchip bioreactors and constructed wetlands can treat tile

drainage water by converting nitrate into dinitrogen through denitrification. Preventing nitrate

losses from agriculture improves water quality in receiving rivers. However, during

denitrification, some nitrate may not be fully reduced to dinitrogen and instead may leave the

system as nitrous oxide, a potent greenhouse gas. In the past, bioreactors and wetlands used to

treat agricultural tile drainage have often been investigated independently and the focus has

been solely on improving water quality. This study seeks to compare the overall ability of each

system to reduce nitrogen emissions, including to the hydrosphere and atmosphere. The intern

will measure nitrate and nitrous oxide at the inlet and outlet of a bioreactor and wetland. In

addition, the intern will measure potential denitrification and nitrous oxide production in the lab.

Evaluating and comparing the efficiency and potentials of these systems under similar field

conditions is important to improve agricultural nutrient management practices, to protect river

ecosystems, and to decrease emissions of greenhouse gases.

Some of the student’s duties and responsibilities will be:

Field and lab work, installation and removal of field equipment, preparing for field work

(collecting supplies, assembling sample vials, labeling, etc.), collecting samples at field sites,

measuring climate and soil parameters in the field, analyzing field samples, lab DEAs, processing

and analyzing data, bottle washing, general laboratory cleanup, general scientific, keeping clear

and detailed laboratory notebooks. Entering data into project database, meeting daily with

graduate student advisor and weekly with a faculty advisor, participating in research group

meetings, participating in field days and events for science outreach, preparing multiple drafts of

required summary, abstract, poster, and presentation. Incorporating feedback from graduate

student and faculty advisors into later drafts, meeting all NGRREC internship program

requirements.

all intern projects are dependent upon available …...all intern projects are dependent upon...

Documents