Partner Spotlight

July 25, 2026

A conversation with former MSP LTER artists-in-residence Jessie Merriam, now the MSP LTER Community-Engaged Research Coordinator, and Kimberly Boustead, local artist in the Twin Cities

The MSP LTER's Community Engagement Assessment team studies how inclusive research shapes both scientists and the communities where they do their work. From 2023 to 2025, artists-in-residence Kim Boustead and Jessie Merriam helped bring that work to life, fostering reciprocal relationships between researchers and the Twin Cities community through art and facilitated conversations. In this interview, Kim and Jessie reflect on their work with the MSP LTER over the past two years, the pitfalls and triumphs of community-engaged research, and look to what’s ahead.

December 14, 2025

An interview with Michelle L. Johnson, spatial ecologist at the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation, by Natalia C. Piland, Postdoctoral Fellow at the Center for Environment, Community & Equity at American University

For the Fall 2025 "Partner Spotlight" feature, MSP LTER partner Dr. Natalia C. Piland interviewed spatial ecologist Dr. Michelle L. Johnson about the STEW-MAP (Stewardship Mapping and Assessment) Project. Born from the simple question Who takes care of this place, STEW-MAP tracks stewardship groups and their social relationships to reveal their impact on local environments. This conversation offers insights into the ins and outs of interdisciplinary community-engaged research, from the local to the global.

March 25, 2025

By Adora Thao, who served as a youth Intern and crew member at Urban Roots in 2024

For the first-ever "Partner Spotlight" feature, the MSP LTER invited Adora Thao to share her experience working at Urban Roots as a youth intern and crew member, and reflect on her partnership with the MSP LTER’s Science Deep Dive internship program. Since 2022, the MSP LTER Urban Contaminants Team has collaborated with Urban Roots to test its sites for contaminants such as heavy metals and microplastics—and explore potential remediation strategies.