March 22, 2022

By Emilie Snell-Rood, Professor in the University of Minnesota Department of Ecology, Evolution and Behavior, and Co-Lead of the MSP LTER Urban Contaminants Team

At the sacred site of Wakáŋ Tipi in St. Paul, MSP LTER researchers are partnering with the Lower Phalen Creek Project (now Wakáŋ Tipi Awaŋyaŋkapi) to study how urban contaminants like lead and arsenic move through soil, plants, and water. What began as a map of childhood lead levels has grown into a collaborative effort blending science with community and Indigenous knowledge—working toward restoration that heals both land and people.

October 22, 2022

By Emily Dzieweczynski, Communications Associate at the Bell Museum

This summer, middle school teacher Lauren Reuss traded her classroom for the field, shadowing MSP LTER researchers to develop hands-on urban ecology lessons for students across the Twin Cities. Inspired by squirrel behavior research, she's designing a series of lessons focused on squirrel behavior and adaptation to the urban environment. Read this piece from the Bell Museum's Emily Dzieweczynski to discover how this Bell Museum collaboration is helping kids see science in the world right outside their door.

December 15, 2025

By Leta Landucci, PhD Student in the University of Minnesota Department of Ecology, Evolution and Behavior, and the MSP LTER Urban Contaminants Team

PhD student Leta Landucci shares how community members and researchers came together at St. Paul's Jameson-Front Lot, a former Superfund site, to test biochar plaster as a tool for weed suppression and soil restoration, with the goal of establishing a new pollinator garden. This project can serve as a model for reciprocal, community-engaged ecological research in the Twin Cities.

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.

March 27, 2025

By Lindsey Kemmerling, Postdoctoral Researcher with the University of Minnesota Department of Ecology, Evolution and Behavior, and the MSP LTER Urban Contaminants Team

Postdoctoral Researcher Lindsey Kemmerling reflets on MSP LTER's partnership with Urban Roots, a nonprofit organization on the East Side of St. Paul focused on urban farming, conservation, and youth education. In 2022, Lindsey launched Science Deep Dive—a youth internship program that pairs MSP LTER researchers with Urban Roots youth interns, introducing them to hands-on research experiences that “dive deep” into the ecology of the Twin Cities and helping them identify pathways to pursue careers in science.

December 21, 2023

By Charlotte Devitz, PhD Student in the University of Minnesota Department of Ecology, Evolution and Behavior, and the MSP LTER Urban Contaminants Team

There is a wealth of existing solutions that have improved the ability of disabled individuals to work and participate in outdoor recreation for decades; so why is accessibility in field research lagging so far behind? PhD student Charlotte Devitz reflects on the barriers scientists with disabilities face in outdoor research and discusses how she launched an Equipment Repositories for Accessibility at the University of Minnesota—a shared pool of adaptive mobility devices. Her goal: make field work more accessible, one piece of equipment at a time.