WaTER Lab Graduate Students
Mitch Ihlang, WRS M.S. Student
Research Interests: I have a bachelor's degree in Environmental Science from the University of Minnesota Duluth. My current research examines groundwater recharge through the use of isotopes and numerical modeling. I'm also interested in watershed management and water quality as a whole.
Hobbies: Hanging out with friends and being outside as much as possible!
Hometown: Chanhassen, MN
Hannah Behar, WRS M.S. Student
Research Interests: I have a bachelor’s degree in Environmental Earth Science from Washington University in St. Louis. I am interested in water resources and environmental restoration work. I am currently researching the impacts of beaver dam removal on stream hydraulic characteristics and fish populations.
Hobbies: hiking, soccer, roller derby
Hometown: Needham, MA
Shelby Hammerschmidt, WRS M.S. Student
Research Interests: I have a bachelor’s degree in Environmental Science from the University of Minnesota in Duluth. My research interests include ecohydrology, watershed science, and water quality. I am currently researching water use by the understory in a coast redwood forest after logging disturbance. I also use stable water isotopes to investigate the water source of vegetation.
Hobbies: Hiking with my dog, cooking, yoga, painting
Hometown: Sleepy Eye, MN
Emma Burgeson, WRS M.S. Student
Research Interests: I received my Bacherlor's of Science in Environmental Science from Western Washington University in 2014. Currently, I am pursuing a master's degree in Water Resources Science with a focus on watershed hydrology. My project is looking at the effects of beaver dam removal in the Knife River watershed.
Hobbies: Outside of school, I love canoeing, rock climbing, knitting, and eating any sort of chocolate.
Hometown: St. Paul, MN
Julia Petresen, Geological Sciences M.S. Student
Research Interests: I received my BS in Hydrology from UW-Stevens Point. Since graduating in 2017, I’ve worked for the U.S. Forest Service in several locations including the Caspar Creek Experimental Watersheds in northern CA. During my time there, I became interested in the plant-soil-water interactions following forest disturbance. I am especially interested in studying fog as a hydrologic input and its influence on soil moisture.
Hobbies: Exploring new places via hiking, biking, swimming or eating
Hometown: Wheaton, IL
Research Interests: I received my BS in Hydrology from UW-Stevens Point. Since graduating in 2017, I’ve worked for the U.S. Forest Service in several locations including the Caspar Creek Experimental Watersheds in northern CA. During my time there, I became interested in the plant-soil-water interactions following forest disturbance. I am especially interested in studying fog as a hydrologic input and its influence on soil moisture.
Hobbies: Exploring new places via hiking, biking, swimming or eating
Hometown: Wheaton, IL
Erin Bergen, IBS M.S. Student
Research Interests: I received two degrees from Northland College in Ashland, WI: a Bachelor's of Geology and a Bachelor's of Natural Resources with an Ecological Restoration emphasis. My research project will work at the intersection of plant physiology and watershed hydrology; I will be testing the water usage traits of locally- and southerly-adapted oak trees and examining their effects on the watersheds they grow within. By and large, I love multidisciplinary approaches to ecological questions.
Hobbies: Reading, writing, arts-and-crafts-ing, playing with animals, drawing, exercising, and being outside!
Hometown: McFarland, WI
Research Interests: I received two degrees from Northland College in Ashland, WI: a Bachelor's of Geology and a Bachelor's of Natural Resources with an Ecological Restoration emphasis. My research project will work at the intersection of plant physiology and watershed hydrology; I will be testing the water usage traits of locally- and southerly-adapted oak trees and examining their effects on the watersheds they grow within. By and large, I love multidisciplinary approaches to ecological questions.
Hobbies: Reading, writing, arts-and-crafts-ing, playing with animals, drawing, exercising, and being outside!
Hometown: McFarland, WI
Undergraduate Students
Micaela Buda, Environmental Science B.S. Student
Research Interests: I'm a third-year student working toward a BS in Environmental Science at the University of Minnesota Duluth. I'm currently working on an undergraduate research opportunity that investigates Lake Superior's impact on the isotopic fingerprint of the
snow to gain a better understanding of the watershed as a whole.
Hobbies: Teaching outdoor education, cooking, backpacking, talking
Hometown: Rochester, MN
Lab Technician
Peter Bouchard, Environmental Sciences/Biology BS
Research Interests: I'm broadly interested in studying surface hydrology. The common theme of my research has been using electronic sensors to study the movement and storage of water. Past projects include the study of tree level transpiration, and snowpack processes. Current projects include using open source dataloggers to monitor soil moisture and stream depth.
Hometown: Plymouth, MN
Check out some of Peter's research here!
Lab Alumni
Kinzey Stoll, 2019, Water Resources Science MS
Alex Peichel, 2019, Environmental Science & Biology BS
Lucas Fossum, 2018, Environmental Science BS
Alex Peichel, 2019, Environmental Science & Biology BS
Lucas Fossum, 2018, Environmental Science BS