past STUDENT-LED RESEARCH
Each year, the Montana Water Center awards Montana graduate students with financial support through an annual Water Resource Fellowship Program. To learn more about the past Montana Water Center Fellows, please read about their work below.
2022 STUDENT FELLOWS
kylie bodle: Aerobic Granular Sludge: a Novel Approach to Pharmaceutical Removal from Wastewater
Pharmaceutical compounds are increasingly detected in environmental matrices around the globe. The presence of these compounds can be traced, in large part, to their release from wastewater treatment plants and septic systems. Both systems are not designed to treat non-biodegradable compounds such as pharmaceuticals—therefore, after human excretion, pharmaceuticals travel to treatment facilities, undergo minimal removal, and eventually are released to the environment. Aerobic granular sludge (AGS) is an emerging biotechnology that may be capable of removing pharmaceuticals while simultaneously treating wastewater. AGS consists of diverse communities of wastewater-treating bacteria aggregated into dense, spherical biofilms several millimeters in diameter. This research is investigating the extent to which AGS can perform conventional wastewater treatment while removing pharmaceuticals commonly found across the Montana landscape. The effects of select pharmaceuticals on bacterial communities and extracellular polymeric substances within AGS are also assessed, as this information is critical for both understanding and improving this promising biotechnology.
Kylie Bodle is a PhD student at Montana State University studying environmental engineering. She is interested in the many ways that biofilms can be used to treat emerging contaminants and protect water sources.
Juan Andres changoluisa: Chemical and Biological Impacts of Increased Treated Mining Discharge on a Restored Ecosystem
In October 2019, as part of the Superfund restoration process, treated water from the Berkeley Pit began to be discharged into the Upper Clark Fork River and Silver Bow and Blacktail creeks. Releasing treated water into a restored ecosystem creates a unique experimental environment. An increased conductivity, caused by the addition of treated water with more calcium and sulfate, may change the chemical speciation in the stream, which affects the bioavailability of key nutrients. This research will employ a new modeling interface called the WORM Portal, created by the Group Exploring Organic Processes in Geochemistry (GEOPIG), to understand the changes taking place. Speciation will be calculated for four time points, before and after the discharge began (October 31, 2019), at four locations on the Upper Clark Fork (UCF), Silver Bow, and Blacktail Creeks. Results will show the chemical species present on the stream and how these have changed since the discharge began in 2019.
Juan Changoluisa is an MSc. Student in the Geochemistry at Montana Technological University. His current research interests lie in water quality, contamination and treatment. He is also fascinated by new remote sensing and satellite techniques to obtain water chemistry data from areas of difficult access.
Zack deluca: Hydrogeomorphic response to flooding in northern Yellowstone National Park
In a warming climate, severe floods may become more frequent, heightening the importance of understanding the subsequent geomorphic response of fluvial systems. The most common metrics for investigating geomorphic change as a result of flooding often neglect the duration of a flood event and simply use the peak-flow magnitude. I am applying cumulative flood impulse, a metric that incorporates channel bed-material caliber and the period that discharge exceeds the channel bed-surface incipient-motion threshold, to study the hydrogeomorphic response of the June 2022 flooding on the Gardner River and Soda Butte Creek in northern Yellowstone National Park. This research is accomplished through field surveys, repeat lidar analysis, and hydraulic modeling.
Zack DeLuca is an MS candidate at the University of Montana studying fluvial geomorphology in the Geosciences department under the guidance of Dr. Andrew Wilcox. He is interested in riverscape evolution and our interactions with those changes to the landscape.
Nate Heili: aquatic insect emergence in Irrigation ditches
This project investigates irrigation ditches as novel agricultural streams that promote ecological connections across aquatic-terrestrial boundaries through aquatic insect emergence. Most rivers in the state of Montana have been modified to store and deliver water resources for agricultural production. These modifications have necessitated vast networks of diversion infrastructure (i.e., irrigation ditches and canals) that transfer water from natural rivers to individual farms, altering hydrologic patterns at large spatial scales. The potential for canal networks to artificially influence floodplain habitat, biodiversity, and ecosystem services is not well known. Our research focuses on spatial and temporal patterns of aquatic insect emergence in three major canals in the lower Gallatin River watershed. We will produce emergence production scenarios using predictive models and vary our estimates based on changing water regimes and loss of diversion infrastructure from urban development.
Nate Heili is a MSc student in the Department of Ecology at Montana State University, advised by Dr. Wyatt Cross. His research focuses on ecosystem ecology, aquatic insect emergence, and agroecosystems. His current work bridges the gap between nonprofits, agricultural producers, and academics working in the lower Gallatin River watershed.
caitlin mayernik: Riparian corridors control stream concentrations of excess nitrate delivered from non-irrigated cultivated soils in semiarid climates
Nitrate loading to terrestrial and aquatic systems in response to increasing demands on food production threatens human health and ecosystem integrity. Relative to land cover area, riparian ecosystems are disproportionately important to inorganic nitrogen export from watersheds, yet we have limited understanding of the fundamental processes influencing biogeochemical pathways in these systems. This research investigates how water movement through riparian corridors drives nitrate transport and transformation in semi-arid agricultural landscapes. The research is motivated by the overarching question: How does the distribution of water supply to upland and riparian soils interact with soils and land management practices to drive nitrate fate and transport across a dryland agricultural landscape? Solute concentrations and isotopic compositions are used as tools to investigate hydrologic transport and biogeochemical transformation of nitrate and sulfate within and across riparian ecosystems. Riparian corridors vary in their extent of subsurface connection to terrace groundwater inflows and stream waters, the depth of riparian soils to riparian aquifer, and vegetation management. These characteristics influence biogeochemical processing and are evident in the spatial and temporal variation in solute concentrations observed within and across our study site. This research explores differences in solute concentrations as a function of variation in these character traits to infer the heterogeneous riparian processing pathways that mitigate consequences for downstream water quality.
After her undergraduate work in environmental sciences at Virginia Tech, Caitlin moved to western Montana where she worked for a conservation organization in the Blackfoot River watershed. During that time, Caitlin expanded her knowledge and experience in natural resource work involving a range of stakeholders. She recognized a need for advanced research in soil science and water quality to improve crop and rangeland production while conserving ecological and economic integrity and sustaining rural communities. Caitlin’s interest in such interdisciplinary work led her to the research of Dr. Stephanie Ewing and the NSF EPSCoR funded project in the Judith River Watershed. This research sits at the nexus of soil science, groundwater hydrology, applied science, and social impacts – a center around which she plans to continue to build her career. In her free time, Caitlin enjoys adventuring with her husband and dogs, building meaningful relationships, gardening, cooking, and spending time at home in Montana’s Swan River Valley.
mohammad mozaffari: Cold Climate Nitrification in Treatment Wetlands
The nitrification process is generally considered the most temperature-sensitive process among the biological processes in wastewater treatment. To better understand constructed wetlands’ performance in treating ammonia at different wastewater dosages under freezing temperatures, our group is analyzing 24 experimental vertical wetland pilots in a freezer under temperatures (0.5, 1, 2, 5, 10, and 20 ‘C) planted with two different kinds of wetland plants (Carex utriculata and Phragmites australis) and also two different soils, including fine-grained gravel and washed concrete microchip. Our main aim is to pin down reaction rate constants under cold temperatures and also find values of the temperature correction factors (θ) from the data sets under different influent wastewater dosages. We are also going to model the vertical wetland systems regarding their performances in treating ammonia through nitrification reaction. To better define more accurate hydraulic retention times of the influent dosages, we will set up tracer test experiments and then use the final tracer test results to figure out the number of tanks in series, which needs for modeling the wetland systems by using gamma function distribution.
Mohammad is a Ph.D. student in Civil Engineering major. The gist of his research and study is Natural Wastewater Treatment systems (Constructed Wetlands). In Iran, he researched a Novel Aerated Constructed Wetland, which was called Racetrack Wetland. Now, he is working on a fascinating project about nitrogen removal from urban sewage by constructed wetlands in cold climates. Hanging out with his friends is his main hobby.
Brett oliver: Coupling Numerical Hydrologic Models with Geodetic Inversions to Illuminate the Role of Fractured Bedrock in Storing and Releasing Water in Mountainous Watersheds
This research develops a novel method to estimate the role of bedrock diffusivity in the terrestrial water budget of three HUC-8 mountainous watersheds. Seasonal changes in terrestrial water storage cause deformation to the Earth’s crust that is within the observational capacity of GNSS instruments. Therefore, this method couples finite difference groundwater simulations with geodetic forward models of crustal displacement to investigate the ability of geodetic deformation to constrain subsurface hydrologic properties. It uses MODFLOW-2005 to simulate groundwater storage and flow and LoadDef to forward model crustal displacement caused by the change in terrestrial water storage calculated by each groundwater simulation. It also performs theoretical sensitivity analyses by simulating changes in deformation as a result of different subsurface properties for a single, synthetic seasonal recharge function. Initial results indicate that the timing and magnitude of vertical crustal displacement are affected by the bulk bedrock hydraulic diffusivity. Varying values of hydraulic conductivity and hydraulic storativity create unique signatures in crustal displacement. This method could improve the bulk parameterization of bedrock within mountainous regions with adequate GNSS network density. This modeling framework offers a new tool to parameterize the subsurface at the watershed scale for numerical groundwater simulations using geodetic observations, which is challenging in mountainous watersheds where extremely limited groundwater data is available.
Brett is originally from the Wet Mountains of southern Colorado. Despite their name, water supply in the Wet Mountains often doesn’t meet the demand of surrounding communities during the annual dry period. Summers under strict water rationing shaped Brett’s passion for water resources in the arid Mountain West, which he continues to pursue in his research at the University of Montana. Brett Oliver is an MS candidate at the University of Montana studying hydrogeology in the Geosciences Department under the guidance of Dr. Payton Gardner.
samantha poteet: Estimating the Value of Surface Water in Irrigated Agriculture
Changes in water availability are putting stress on agricultural production and population growth. Like with many unregulated common pool resources, water resources are at risk of becoming over exploited. Sustainable management of water resources is crucial for our society to ensure the water that is available is allocated in the most valuable ways. Understanding the value of surface water for irrigation is important for policy decisions as the American West continues to navigate water management. When taking into consideration the influence of development, population growth, and Monatana's reliance on surface water for irrigation, the need for reliable estimates of the value of water takes on outsize importance in Montana. Therefore, this research will estimate the value of surface water for irrigated agriculture in the American West. The value of water is used in analysis of water infrastructure projects, the allocation of water rights, and understanding the economic impacts of climate change.
Samantha is from Riverside, California and grew up in a community that campaigned for sustainable water use. She received her B.A. in Economics from the University of California, Davis. At Davis, Samantha was able to develop her research interest in water resource management in the American West. Currently, Samantha is a second year M.Sc. student in the Applied Economics program at Montana State University.
jonathan shikany: Characterizing the distribution and microbial profile of pathogenic free-living amoeba, including Naegleria fowleri, in Montana recreational waters
The expansion of pathogens due to changing environmental conditions represents a key challenge to public health management. Oftentimes, pathogenic amoebae thrive in warm waters, such that these organisms have been found in thermally impacted waters. With climate change occurring, the geographic range of these organisms will likely expand as a result of warmer climate and anthropogenic influences, including increased temperatures and decreased water in ponds, lakes and streams linked to drought and agricultural diversions. As a result, mapping the current range of these organisms, and identifying the biotic and abiotic factors linked to pathogen occurrence will provide the foundation for predicting higher risk locations that should be targeted for further sampling. Infection by the amoeba Naegleria fowleri can lead to the onset of the highly fatal primary amebic meningoencephalitis. Additional studies aimed at better understanding and characterizing the ecology of amoeba are also needed to further understand the mechanisms of establishment and survival, as well as the molecular pathways that underlie these responses. Our experimental studies will expand the knowledge of the microbial communities that harbor amoeba, including N. fowleri. Integrating data on geographic distribution with studies on the microbial community architecture and physiological responses can inform public health strategies to reduce the risk of infections in Yellowstone National Park (YNP) and surrounding states.
Jonathan is a PhD student in Chemical Engineering at Montana State University. He graduated from Montana State University in 2021 with a BS in Biological Engineering and Biochemistry. His graduate research investigates the public health challenges posed by thermotolerant amoeba and associated microbial communities.
Harris sloan: Quantifying Beaver Dispersal and Colonization in Western MT
The presence of beavers on a landscape has significant positive effects on aquatic biodiversity, nutrient retention, and flood attenuation. By reshaping river geomorphology and extending hydroperiods, beavers create wetland environments with increased habitat diversity and the capacity to sustain higher species richness — particularly for at-risk groups such as amphibians. Beaver presence is also relevant to water resource management due to the impacts of their dams on hydrology, water quality, and irrigation planning. The aim of this research is to quantify dispersal in western Montana beavers, and use that information to: (1) address gaps in our basic understanding of beaver ecology, (2) test for individual predictors of dispersal success, and (3) predict future colonization patterns.
Harris is a PhD student of Ecology & Evolution at the University of Montana. He is interested in conservation biology and statistical ecology, particularly in the context of movement decisions made by animals navigating complex landscapes. When not working on research, he can be found hiking, fishing, or composing music for films and television.
ada smith: Managing for Drought & Climate: Understanding Adaptive Decision-making Among Montana Ranchers
Climate change introduces new dynamics and uncertainties for ranchers in the American West. By mid-century, there is predicted to be an average increase in temperature, shifted timing of precipitation, and a declining snowpack that will put additional stress on water supply and rangeland health and productivity. In Montana, 40 million acres (of the State’s 94 million acres total) are pasture and rangelands, used predominately for livestock grazing. Thus, the ability for working ranchers to adapt in new ways is becoming increasingly important for the future of food production and the provisioning of ecosystem services (e.g. watershed resources, wildlife habitat, recreation, and tourism) in working rangeland systems. In my research, I examine the factors that influence Montana ranchers’ ability to adapt to drought and other climate events, using the concepts of adaptive capacity and adaptive decision-making to frame my work. My research is part of the Montana Drought & Climate project, a larger interdisciplinary research effort aimed at improving the utility of climate information resources and working with agricultural producers and MSU Extension to build capacity to manage climate change, with an emphasis on the changing availability of water.
Ada Smith is a PhD Candidate in W.A. Franke College of Forestry & Conservation at the University of Montana. As an environmental social scientist with a focus in rangeland food systems, Ada is interested in the role of ranching, or “working landscapes,” in building social and ecological resilience, particularly in light of drought and other climate-related events. Ada is passionate about community-centered research that builds collaborative partnerships between ranchers, rangeland managers, and scientists -- and contributes to policy and practice-oriented solutions on-the-ground.