UW-Superior Natural Sciences Department's News and Events

Professor presents Great Lakes pollution research at national conference

Mon, 15 Apr 2013 15:07:30 +0000

Grant to help UW-Superior graduate more minority students in science

Mon, 22 Oct 2012 18:57:06 +0000

A newly received grant will help the University of Wisconsin-Superior launch a program to prepare more minority students for careers in science.

The $15,121 grant from the Wisconsin Alliance for Minority Participation funds UW-Superior's new Advancing Minorities in Science Scholars Project or AMIS. Through the AMIS Project, UW-Superior and its partners will provide intensive assistance to minority students, particularly Native Americans, who are pursuing undergraduate degrees in the natural sciences.

"We're really excited about the AMIS Project because it will allow our students to have authentic research experiences with the natural science faculty," said Dr. Kristin Riker-Coleman.

The AMIS Project is a priority of UW-Superior Provost Faith Hensrud. The university's Department of Natural Sciences and Office of Multicultural Affairs will work closely to assist the students pursuing their degree in fields such as environmental science, biology, chemistry, physics, ecology and Earth sciences.

The AMIS Project will be open to all minority students, and is particularly aimed at Native American students. Students recruited for the program will include graduates of tribal colleges around the region.

"Native American students are our largest group of minority students. We are trying to create a connection with tribal colleges and we're using opportunities already before us to make this program a success," said Chip Beal, diversity coordinator at UW-Superior.

The AMIS Project will start with five students. It seeks to engage them by emphasizing undergraduate research and support them through a close working relationship between the students and the faculty scientists who have volunteered to serve as mentors.

Students chosen for the project will work in small groups to perform hand-on research with faculty scientists. They will have opportunities for field trips and career exploration that will broaden their understanding of how scientists work and introduce them to professional role models.

"The field trips we will be taking will introduce our students to everyday people who are scientists. We don't all wear lab coats for our daily work; many of us have families and interests outside of science. Yet we're interested in science and find great satisfaction in earning our living applying science," Riker-Coleman said.

Assisting with the project is the Lake Superior National Estuarine Research Reserve, directed by Dr. Ralph Garono, which is contributing $8,000 to assist two of the students. The Lake Superior NERR's participation will offer students the opportunity to learn while working to preserve critical wetlands.

The AMIS Project is an effort to encourage more minority students to enter the so-called STEM fields - science, technology, engineering and mathematics.

"The STEM fields traditionally have few students of color, not only at UW-Superior but at universities throughout the country," Beal said. "These steps to increase our number of STEM graduates of color shows our commitment to changing this situation at UW-Superior. This is a pilot program that gives our students and our university an opportunity to take progressive steps toward closing the gap."

UW-Superior officials are hopeful that the AMIS Project will lead to a larger program to graduate more students of color in the STEM fields.

"Everyone involved is committed to continuing this," Beal said. "Using this as a pilot program offers us opportunities to explore how to make it permanent."

Faculty and student researchers' biofuels article accepted for publication

Wed, 26 Sep 2012 18:46:15 +0000

A paper about bio-fuel research written by UW-Superior faculty and students has been accepted for publication by a top academic journal.

The paper, titled "Sulfonic acid functionalized mesoporous SBA-15 catalyst for biodiesel production," has been accepted by Applied Catalysis B: Environmental, a leading peer-reviewed journal on catalysis.

The paper is a result of an ongoing research effort at UW-Superior to identify plants from northern Wisconsin and Minnesota that are capable of producing biodiesel fuel with good low-temperature properties.

Authors of the paper include Dr. Jim Lane and Dr. Michael Waxman, faculty members in UW-Superior's chemistry program, along with:

Michael Schultz, current undergraduate biology and chemistry major
Dan Culy, chemistry major, graduated in 2011
Allison Pullar, chemistry major, graduated in 2011
Donghua Zuo, a former research employee now working for DuPont

The biofuel research project at UW-Superior is aimed at developing manufacturing technologies that can produce biofuel from domestic resources. Scientists from a private sector company and UW-Superior's Department of Natural Sciences and the Lake Superior Research Institute are analyzing plants from northern Wisconsin and northern Minnesota to determine whether the properties that enable plants to survive the region's winter temperatures make them suitable for creating bio-fuels that perform well at low temperatures.

Research on the project continues, with a team of faculty and students working over the past summer on developing new sources of biodiesel and advancing new microwave-assisted methods of processing them. Students involved in that team include Schultz as well as Racquel Kaizer, chemistrymajor from Monrovia, Liberia; Mitch Knase, chemistry major from Brookston, Minn.; and Adam Jersett, chemistry major from Superior.

Last year, Waxman and Lane and a different team of students had a paper about bio-fuel research accepted for publication by the Journal of the American Oil Chemists' Society.

Great Lakes sampling trip yields plastics from Lake Erie

Wed, 08 Aug 2012 17:53:42 +0000

Dr. Lorena Rios' trip across the Great Lakes to sample plastic pollution yielded little on some lakes but a worrisome amount on Lake Erie.

The assistant professor of chemistry at UW-Superior worked with two other scientists and a boatload of students on a three-week science cruise aboard the sailing vessel Niagara. The scientists were looking for tiny pieces of bottles, toys, fish nets and thousands of other miscellaneous types of plastic trash that have been washed into the lakes to be degraded by the sun and battered by the water into tiny fragments.

Rios said the trio found little plastic debris on lakes Superior and Huron. However, they came up with a troubling amount of small pieces on Lake Erie.

"We were surprised in a good way that we didn't find high concentrations of plastics," she said. "However, the size we found is easily ingested and has more surface area to absorb persistent organic pollutants."

Plastic pollution is a recently recognized problem in the world's oceans, where great circular currents called gyres collect vast amounts of plastic fragments. These fragments often are mistaken as food by marine life and birds, which eagerly gobble them down.

If fish eat plastic, the material is inert and causes few problems. However, plastic fragments readily absorb pollutants such as pesticides and PCBs. These so-called endocrine disrupters can accumulate in fish, harming them and accumulating in larger animals - including people - that eat the fish.

Rios plans to work with undergraduate students this fall to analyze the samples to determine their type and whether they contain pollutants. "My research now will see whether this plastic has persistent organic pollutants" that could get into fish, she said.

Rios hopes to join the Niagara next summer to sample the waters of lakes Michigan and Ontario to see what sort of plastic pollution may be found.

Dr. Peter Cook pursues research on a cheaper solar cell

Mon, 16 Jul 2012 19:08:17 +0000

The world could use a cheaper solar cell, and UW-Superior's Dr. Peter Cook is among the scientists trying to figure out a way to create one.

Cook, assistant professor of physics in the Department of Natural Sciences, recently received an Applied Research Grant Award from UW System to conduct solar cell research. He'll work with other University of Wisconsin System scientists to use using X-ray spectroscopy to study organic dyes that might be useful in creating a less expensive solar cell.

"I like the solar cell bent of this project," Cook said. "If you can make a cheap solar cell, everybody wins."

Solar cells use energy from sunlight to generate electricity. Most commercially manufactured solar cells are made of silicon.

Although silicon is abundant and cheap, it must be altered to a crystalline state to be used in a solar cell. The amount of energy used in that process significantly increases the cost of making the cells. That means a business or homeowner buying solar cells to generate electricity must use them for years before paying back the initial investment.

Today, many researchers are exploring ways to create an alternative solar cell. Among them is a type called a "dye-sensitized" solar cell, which uses inexpensive organic dyes instead of silicon to create electricity.

There's just one problem. Current dye-sensitized cells can last only a few hours, so they've never left the confines of research labs. Scientists are trying to find ways to lengthen the lives of these cells to make them commercially viable.

Over the next year, Cook will work with Dr. Franz Himpsel, a physicist at UW-Madison, and other scientists in an effort to find dyes that can be altered in a way to make them suitable for use in solar cells. One class of dyes, called porphyrins, are easy to produce and occur in nature in things like chlorophyll and hemoglobin.

"The idea is, 'Let's take a cue from nature,' " Cook said. "We don't know which dye to use. I've been looking for the last several years to see how we can change their electronic structure" to create a dye that works in solar cells.

This summer, Cook and his collaborators will spend three weeks at the Synchrotron Radiation Center in Stoughton, Wis., using X-ray spectroscopy on various dyes. In simple terms, the X-rays will hit the dyes and electrons will pop off the dye atoms. Once the scientists have collected their data, they will analyze which of the altered dyes might show promise for use in solar cells.

The project is a good fit for Cook, who earned his doctorate degree in X-ray spectroscopy at UW-Madison. He also likes the idea of working on a project that has such a huge potential upside.

"I feel like Wisconsin could gain from an inexpensive solar cell," he said. "Wisconsin is energy poor. We have wind and that's it. Even though we're a northern state, we get a fair amount of sunlight.

Dr. Lorena Rios to examine plastic pollution in the Great Lakes

Tue, 10 Jul 2012 15:20:34 +0000

Dr. Lorena Rios will spend much of July crossing the Great Lakes in search of a new type of pollution - plastic.

The assistant professor of chemistry at UW-Superior will sample three of the Great Lakes to determine whether they contain the same types of tiny plastic fragments that plague the world's oceans. She doesn't know whether she will find a lot or a little, but she's eager to understand how this recently discovered source of pollutants might be affecting the world's largest reservoir of fresh water.

Rios will embark on the tall ship Niagara's summer science cruise from July 12 to July 31. She and two other scientists -- working independently but sharing resources -- will use a trawl net to sample lake waters as the Niagara navigates lakes Michigan, Huron and Erie.

The scientists are looking for tiny pieces of bottles, toys, fish nets and thousands of other miscellaneous types of plastic trash that have been washed into the lakes to be degraded by the sun and battered by the water into tiny fragments.

"We have this problem in the oceans," Rios said. "This will be our first time looking for it in fresh water."

"Everything floating in the water is food for animals," Rios said. "These fragments can be eaten by fish and the pollutants will accumulate in the fish."

After the three scientists collect their samples, Rios will bring her share of samples back to UW-Superior to be classified by type and color. She plans to work with undergraduate students next fall in analyzing the samples to determine their type and whether they contain pollutants.

Rios is no stranger to the study of plastic pollution. Before joining the UW-Superior she worked on researching plastic pollution in the Pacific Ocean.

Journals publish water research articles by Dr. William Bajjali

Fri, 08 Jun 2012 19:52:22 +0000

Dr. William Bajjali, professor of hydrogeology in UW-Superior's Department of Natural Sciences, has had two articles published in peer-reviewed journals.

The first, "Water Quality Assessment of Newton Creek and Its Effect on Hog Island Inlet of Lake Superior," appears in the Journal of Water Quality, Exposure and Health.

The article is based on five years of weekly sampling of water quality by Bajjali's students, who used the project as undergraduate research and real world project applications as service learning with the Douglas County Land and Water Conservation Department.

The second article, "Spatial variability of environmental isotope and chemical content of precipitation in Jordan and evidence of slight change in climate," is published by the Journal of Applied Water Science.

For the second article, Bajjali collected data in Jordan by using the environmental isotope and chemical analysis from 11 rainfall stations to prove that there is a slight change in climate in that region.

Regent's campus visit includes LSRI labs

Tue, 13 Dec 2011 15:39:41 +0000

University of Wisconsin System Regent Mark Tyler spent part of Tuesday, Dec. 13, learning more about the work of the Lake Superior Research Institute during his tour of the UW-Superior campus.

Tyler, from Woodville, Wis., visited campus to familiarize himself with UW-Superior. He spent about an hour meeting with LSRI Director Mary Balcer to learn about the wide range of environmental research and education its scientists perform around the Great Lakes. He also toured several LSRI labs in Barstow Hall and the ballast water treatment test facility on the city's waterfront.

Professors featured in research newsletter

Thu, 03 Nov 2011 16:18:39 +0000

Dr. Jim Lane and Dr. Michael Waxman of the chemistry program are featured in the Fall 2011 edition of the WiSys Technology Foundation newsletter.

Open the pdf and scroll to page 6.

Leading journal to publish chemistry professors' work on bio-fuels

Wed, 19 Oct 2011 20:41:55 +0000

A paper about bio-fuel research written by University of Wisconsin-Superior chemistry professors Dr. Jim Lane and Dr. Michael Waxman has been accepted for publication in the Journal of the American Oil Chemists' Society.

The paper, titled "Synthesis and Characterization of New Biodiesels Derived From Oils of Plants Growing in Northern Wisconsin and Minnesota," will appear in the peer-reviewed journal, which is one of the most prestigious journals in the area of oil chemistry and biodiesel fuel.

The paper describes the first results of a three-year effort by Lane and Waxman to identify plants from northern Wisconsin and Minnesota that are capable of producing biodiesel fuel with good low-temperature properties. Some of the biodiesels the scientists produced do not freeze down to the temperatures of minus 40 degrees Fahrenheit and below.

In addition to Waxman and Lane, five undergraduate chemistry majors share credit as co-authors of the paper. They are:

Kurt Hukriede, who graduated in 2011;
Adam Jersett, currently enrolled;
Damodar Koirala, graduated in 2010, now attending graduate school at Purdue University;
Dan Levings, graduated in 2008 and attending graduate school at the University of Minnesota;
Aaron Stewart, graduated in 2010 and now attending graduate school at Oregon State University.

The bio-fuel research project at UW-Superior is aimed at developing manufacturing technologies that can produce bio-JP8 fuel from domestic resources. Scientists from a private sector company and UW-Superior's Department of Natural Sciences and the Lake Superior Research Institute are analyzing plants from northern Wisconsin and northern Minnesota to determine whether the properties that enable plants to survive the region's winter temperatures make them suitable for creating bio-fuels that perform well at low temperature.

Students gain science skills, help community on the shores of Lake Superior

Wed, 10 Aug 2011 16:00:10 +0000

See photos of Glenn and Dan at work on Wisconsin Point.

As light rain begins to fall, Glenn Belde and Dan Fraser step out of their car and begin pulling on rain jackets and fastening nylon gaiters around their legs. They'll need both during the next eight hours as they carefully pick their way through the dripping dune grass, shrubs and trees of Wisconsin Point at the edge of Superior.

Belde and Fraser, both biology majors at the University of Wisconsin-Superior, are conducting a survey of invasive plants on Wisconsin Point. They're gaining practical experience in science while accumulating information that city and state planners can use when they create a management plan for the 200-acre stretch of beach, dunes and forest that separates Superior Bay from Lake Superior.

"It's supposed to be 85 degrees and sunny this afternoon," Belde says hopefully as he gathers his equipment. A few minutes later the drizzle increases to a steady rain.

Finding the invaders

Both men keep working. At each designated survey spot, they randomly toss a hollow plastic square called a quadrate onto the ground and then carefully analyze the plants within the one-meter square. They identify, count and record all invasive plants - those species not native to the dry, sandy environment of a Lake Superior dune.

"We're learning taxonomy (scientific identification) skills, and being in the field is great experience," Belde says. "We're learning about invasive species, which is good because there is a lot of interest in invasives now."

"UW-Superior is a great school for doing this kind of research and for working closely with professors," he adds. "There are definitely opportunities available."

See how Fox 21 News reported the story

Research and community service

Belde, a senior from Monticello, Minn., and Fraser, a senior from Duluth, are working as "stewardship liaisons" under the guidance of Dr. Nick Danz, assistant professor of biology at UW-Superior, as part of the university's Academic Service-Learning program. Their work is funded through the Great Lakes Innovative Stewardship Through Education Network - or GLISTEN - a program funded by the Corporation for National and Community Service, which supports students in service-learning projects throughout the country.

The National Center for Science and Civic Engagement of the Harrisburg University of Science and Technology is sponsoring 10 GLISTEN projects around the Great Lakes. The Western Lake Superior GLISTEN project is led by the University of Minnesota Duluth Natural Resources Research Institute, and includes UW-Superior, Lake Superior College in Duluth, and Northland College in Ashland, Wis.

Academic and community environmental groups around the Great Lakes are receiving GLISTEN funds to train undergraduate students as stewardship liaisons, who will receive leadership, service-learning and community engagement training, as well as practical, on-the-job training from community organizations.

Helping the Great Lakes

At UW-Superior, the GLISTEN funding is helping students develop skills in science and public service, specifically in a project aimed at Great Lakes stewardship.

"I want them to learn something about plant distribution and about the problem of invasive plants," Danz says. "I want them to learn how as scientists we can help Great Lakes stewardship and assist in management."

Gaining research experience

For Belde and Fraser, the GLISTEN grant provides an opportunity to gain experience in botany research and use it to fulfill their requirement for a senior year experience project and presentation. They also are giving back to the community by completing a survey that may benefit efforts to maintain and improve the valued lands of Wisconsin Point.

Belde and Fraser began their work last spring in the lab, where they created a computerized map and designated 450 points at which to sample plant life. The task required both students to use skills they acquired from their minor in geographic information systems, an advanced computer-based technology and methodology for collecting, managing, analyzing and modeling diverse types of data.

The pair began their field work in July. From the edge of the old city landfill to the Superior Entry ship canal, they use a Global Positioning System device to locate and survey each sample point.

Native plants could offer solution

"We're identifying native and invasive plants," Fraser says as he examines a survey point. "We're also noting which native plants grow well in certain areas." That information, he adds, could be helpful for future efforts to replace invasive plants with native species.

Belde and Fraser both are focusing their studies on plant sciences. They call on their botany skills to identify about 40 invasive species, including spotted knapweed, tansy, buckthorn and honeysuckle.

So far, they've observed that the "fore dune" -- the sandy mounds near the beach that are covered with loose grasses - are largely free of invasive species. But they are finding many invasive plants in "disturbed" areas where human activity has provided a foothold, such as along the road and next to parking areas.

Long days in the field

The students, who both work full time at other jobs, generally spend three eight-hour days a week on field work. Danz trained them and acts as their adviser, but Belde and Fraser plan and conduct their own work.

"Nick wants us to solve the problems," Fraser says.

After graduating, Belde and Fraser both hope to find jobs in some sort of "ecology-based work." For both, "This kind of on-the-job training is priceless," Fraser says.

City of Superior to receive data

When they've finished collecting data this fall, they will use their GIS skills to add the information to their computerized map so users can determine the types and numbers of plants found a each survey point. They plan to pass their survey along to city officials in hopes it can be used to improve Wisconsin Point in the future.

"We'll give them information on invasive species in the area," Belde says, "and after we know what's in the area, (information) on how to treat it."

Dr. Peter Cook to teach physics at UW-Superior

Mon, 08 Aug 2011 16:50:12 +0000

Dr. Peter Cook
Assistant Professor Physics

Education: Doctorate degree in Experimental Condensed Matter Physics in 2011 from University of Wisconsin-Madison.

Experience: Teaching and research

Interesting Fact: Expertise and skills include synchrotron-based spectroscopy and UHV chamber design and maintenance.

Q. What are you anticipating most about your job at UW-Superior?

A. "I'm looking forward to two things. 1) Working with students in the lab. 2) Strengthening the physics program here."

Q. What's your favorite topic to teach?

A. "Sound and light (both waves) are my favorite areas of physics. I'm especially interested in the physics behind music theory."

Q. What message do you have for your students?

A. "If you can't explain your physics to a barmaid it is probably not very good physics." -- Ernest Rutherford (the father of nuclear physics)

Student conducting research in Thailand

Fri, 10 Jun 2011 05:00:00 +0000

By Brittany Berrens
University Relations student writer

Amy Kemen, a University of Wisconsin-Superior student from Virginia, Minn., is taking her love of science halfway around the world this summer for a research opportunity at one of Thailand's top medical schools.

Kemen, who's majoring in biology and chemistry secondary education, will take part in the Microbiology in Thailand program. She will spend 10 weeks conducting research at Mahidol University in Bangkok. The trip offers her an opportunity to work on one of that university's many research projects in fields such as immunology and virology.

Kemen said the experience will enable her to explore career options by meeting other scientists and getting advice.

"Mostly building a network of potential grad schools and people all over the world so I know what people are working on and who to talk to," Kemen said. "I want to see if I'm research material."

The Microbiology in Thailand program is offered through UW-Madison. Only five students are selected to participate each summer, with three spots reserved for UW-Madison students. Kemen and one other student were selected from a nationwide pool of applicants.

The program's selective nature makes the trip a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for Kemen.

"I know I have to do this because I'll never get the opportunity to do this again," she said. "Because of Thailand's location in the tropics, it's research I'd never have an opportunity to do here."

Dr. Ralph Seelke, chair of UW-Superior's Natural Sciences Department and professor of microbial genetics and cell biology, is Kemen's academic advisor. He said the Microbiology in Thailand program will prepare her well for graduate school.

"Certainly any time you can do graduate research with good faculty in a good place, it's always beneficial," Seelke said. "Then there's the added component of doing microbiology in a foreign country where some of the infectious diseases are a big issue. It's a combination of biology and global awareness."

Kemen has worked closely with Seelke throughout her college career. Along with being her advisor, he has worked with her on a research project on the evolutionary potential of E. coli bacteria.

"He's … a mentor in helping me decide which direction I want to go in after graduating," Kemen said. "His support in research has helped me be more confident in what I'm looking into."

Bangkok is home to more than 9 million people. Kemen is preparing for the trip by using Skype to connect with the other students in the program. She'll also be taking a Thai language course before departing Superior in May. Kemen said she's excited to be immersed in the Thai culture and to apply the knowledge she gains in microbiology to her future career.

"I love soil," Kemen said with a laugh. "My dream, my ultimate goal, is to save the soil and fix how people use it. That's the dream."

Rep. Sean Duffy tours research facilities

Mon, 06 Jun 2011 21:42:02 +0000

U.S. Rep. Sean Duffy visited UW-Superior to learn more about the university's research facilities and current projects.

U.S. Rep. Sean Duffy visited the University of Wisconsin-Superior on Monday, June 6, to learn more about the university's research institutes and several current research projects.

Rep. Duffy met with Interim Chancellor Julius Erlenbach for a briefing on the university's budget and other current issues. From there, the congressman and several staff members:

Met with Dr. Richard Stewart to discuss the Transportation and Logistics Management program and the Transportation and Logistics Research Center along with the Great Lakes Martitime Research Institute.
Watched a demonstration of work done on low-temperature biodiesel fuel by Dr. James Lane and Dr. Michael Waxman, both of the Department of Natural Sciences.
Inspected two buildings on Barkers Island that are being remodeled to serve as a visitors center for the Lake Superior National Estaurine Research Reserve.
Met with Dr. Mary Balcer and other researchers at the waterfront site used to test treatment systems for removing invasive species from the ballast water of ships using the Great Lakes.

Biofuels briefing with Senator Kohl

Fri, 06 May 2011 18:28:03 +0000

UW-Superior Biofuels Project

Featured at Briefing for Senator Herb Kohl

April 27, 2011

Senator Herb Kohl met last Wednesday with Dr. Jim Lane and Dr. Michael Waxman of the Natural Science Department, Kaelene Arvidson-Hicks, Research Administrator and Vice Chancellor Jan Hanson to discuss the UW-Superior Biofuels Project and a companion research and development program at UW-Stevens Point's Wisconsin Institute for Sustainable Technology. Senator Kohl affirmed his support for the industry-university collaboration and the opportunities it creates to apply new technologies to new products, new jobs and new economic growth for the region.

Dr. Lane, Dr. Waxman and their students have been conducting an analysis of northern Wisconsin and Minnesota plants to determine whether the properties the plants possess to survive the region's winter temperatures make them suitable for creating bio-fuels for cold climates. The focus of the research is new technology to convert plant oils to fuel using an economically viable process for production. This research was first funded in 2009 through the U.S. Department of Defense.

The success of both campuses is built upon close ties with industrial partner, American Science and Technology, which will take the technologies developed in the lab and transfer them to demonstration levels of production in Wausau.

The UW-Superior Biofuels Project is one of multiple endeavors at the UW-Superior campus that transforms science and research into technologically and economically feasible commercial opportunities and jobs.