CSE projects tackle lake health, wild rice restoration through sustainability grants

Research will advance science-based lake stewardship and support wild rice restoration through collaboration with Tribal communities

MINNEAPOLIS / ST. PAUL (06/05/2026) - The Institute on the Environment (IonE) is supporting 10 outcomes-driven projects across the University of Minnesota system through its $1.5 million Impact Goals grantmaking program. Among them are two College of Science and Engineering-led initiatives focused on addressing pressing environmental challenges in Minnesota, from protecting lake ecosystems impacted by recreational boating to supporting wild rice restoration on the Red Lake Reservation.

By bringing together expertise from academia, government, Tribal nations and community organizations, the projects aim to translate research into actionable solutions that strengthen environmental stewardship and community well-being.

“These projects are not just asking important questions, they’re also building the partnerships and relationships needed to turn ideas into lasting change for Minnesota communities,” said Melissa Kenney, IonE director of research and knowledge initiatives.

College of Science and Engineering-led Projects

Decision Support for Lake Sustainability: Safeguarding recreational boating and protecting Minnesota lakes through science-based guidance

Principal Investigator: Jeffrey Marr, Saint Anthony Falls Laboratory

Team

• Bridget Mendel, Saint Anthony Falls Laboratory
• Andy Riesgraf, Saint Anthony Falls Laboratory
• Jodi Benenson, College of Education and Human Development
• Ingrid Schneider, College of Food, Agricultural and Natural Resource Sciences
• Jake Walsh, College of Food, Agricultural and Natural Resource Sciences
• John Barten, Minnesota Clean Water Council
• Joe Shneider, Minnesota Coalition of Lake Associations
• Mark Strand, Merchant Marines; Sierra Club North Star Chapter

Minnesota’s 14,000+ lakes are central to recreation and community life, but their health is threatened by the contentious issue of wakesurfing boats and other recreational boating activities. Wakes from these large power boats disrupt other recreation and damage shorelines and lake bottoms, creating urgent pressure for lake associations and decision-makers to set effective policies. The team will work with lake associations and policymakers to understand why science-based boating recommendations are often difficult to implement and develop practical tools that may help increase the adoption of decisions that protect shorelines, lake bottoms and water quality.

Restoring Relationships with Manoomin: Water, science, and culturally grounded education on the Red Lake Nation Reservation

Principal Investigator: Crystal Ng, College of Science and Engineering, Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences

Co-Principal Investigators: 

• Elizabeth Sumida Huaman, College of Education and Human Development; College of Liberal Arts
• Joshua Jones, Red Lake Nation Department of Natural Resources

Team: Michelle Anderson, Red Lake Nation Department of Natural Resources

Manoomin — natural wild rice — has declined on the Red Lake Reservation, creating a critical need for Tribally-led stewardship that integrates Ojibwe knowledge with western science. Tribal partners and researchers will combine Ojibwe knowledge and scientific data collection to better understand with community members the environmental conditions needed for healthy manoomin growth while co-creating educational opportunities for Tribal students in the region pursuing environmental stewardship pathways.

Other projects that include CSE faculty:

AI’s Hidden Thirst: A predictive decision-support tool for data center water circularity and governance

Principal Investigator: Wenkai Guan, Division of Science and Mathematics, University of Minnesota Morris

Co-Principal Investigators:

• Yang (Katie) Zhao, College of Science and Engineering, Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering
• Cara M. Santelli, College of Science and Engineering, Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences
• Zhichao Cao, School of Computing and Augmented Intelligence, Arizona State University
• Tianlong Chen, Department of Computer Science, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
• Zishen Wan, School of Engineering and Applied Sciences, Harvard University

Team:

• Michelle Stockness, Freshwater Society
• Argie Manolis, Clifford J. Benson Center for Community Partnerships, University of Minnesota Morris

As generative AI expands, the demand for digital services is driving a rapid construction boom of hyperscale data centers. A hyperscale data center handling billions of daily requests can use one million to five million gallons of water daily, comparable to the total daily residential water consumption of a mid-sized city in Minnesota. This rapid expansion has created a data gap between data center developers and local municipalities.

The project extends a proof-of-concept from a previous graphic processing unit (GPU)-based AI model to a facility-level, community-driven predictive decision support dashboard. The goal is to empower regulators, communities and data center operators to collaboratively optimize water circularity and mitigate cumulative chemical and thermal pollution across Minnesota’s watersheds.

Read more about all of the projects on the Institute on the Environment’s website.