Charles Christen, a graduate student in the Aquatic Toxicology Laboratory was the runner-up for the "Best Poster Presentation" at the 2021 North American SETAC meeting in Portland, OR (Nov'21). Congratulations!

 Dr. Schoenfuss was once again included in the list of exceptional reviewers for Environmental Toxicology & Chemistry for 2020-2021: 

https://setac.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1002/etc.5244

In addition to serving as an assistant editor for ET&C, he is also an editor for the journal Water.

Heiko Schoenfuss was named one of fifteen Exceptional Reviewers by the journal Environmental Toxicology & Chemistry for the quality and quantity of his reviews in 2018. 

SETAC 2018 Sacramento

Utku Hasbay presenting at SETAC Sacramento

Another successful SETAC North America meeting wrapped up on Thursday, November 8, 2018.  On the last day of the meeting, Utku Hasbay presented a poster on his MS research to follow up on his talk two days prior. Satomi Kohno also presented on the last day of the meeting describing recent advancements in his trans-activation assay. All around a great meeting.

Sabbatical Activities

The Aquatic Toxicology Laboratory is hosting a second sabbatical faculty in a year.  After the outstanding visit by Dr. Dan Lundberg (Gallaudet University for the Deaf & Hearing Impaired, Washington, DC) in fall 2017, Dr. Tisha King-Heiden (University of Wisconsin, La Crosse) and her graduate student Logan Keding have been sharing laboratory space with us this summer.  Her research on the impacts of liver pathology on vitellogenin expression in fish matches well with our own investigations into the effects of contaminants of emerging concern, some of which may have hepatotoxic effects.

New Study on Stormwater Discharge

Urban stormwater drain into the Mississippi River

The Minnesota Environment and Natural Resources Trust Fund on the recommendation of the Legislative-Citizen Commission on Minnesota Resources is funding a new study at the SCSU Aquatic Toxicology Laboratory to assess the presence of Contaminants of Emerging Concern (CECs) in urban stormwater runoff.  In addition to measuring CECs, the study will evaluate potential remediation technology (iron-enhanced sand filtration) and examine the impact of urban stormwater runoff across species that frequently are found in the vicinity of stormwater ponds. The study represents a collaboration between Drs. Schoenfuss and Kohno at St. Cloud State University and Dr. Richard Kiesling at the US Geological Survey.

Aquatic Toxicology Laboratory in Ghana, West Africa

The National Science Foundation funded a recent trip by Dr. Heiko Schoenfuss and Dr. Paige Novak (University of Minnesota) to visit faculty at the University of Ghana in Accra.  The goal of the meetings were to establish collaboration and assess potential field sites on the Lower Volta River.

Seminar participants at the University of Ghana, Accra in December 2017

Aquatic Toxicology Laboratory Graduate Students Receive Multiple Awards

Graduate students in the SCSU Aquatic Toxicology Laboratory received multiple awards!

Megan Cox

Nicholas Cipoletti

Megan Cox received an Academic Excellence Award from CSWEA.

Nicholas Cipoletti was a finalist for the Fenske Memorial Award (Fish and Wildlife Society) and received the Jeff Black Award at the meeting of the Society of Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry.

Congratulations to both!

Lab Honors for Aquatic Tox Lab Graduate Students!
Lena Ivanova - Runner-up for "Best Poster Presentation", NA SETAC November 2015, Salt Lake City, UT
Lena Ivanova - "Best Oral Presentation", MW SETAC, March 2016, Madison, WI
Megan Cox - Animal Behavior Society Student Research Grant - Spring 2016
Congratulations !

Lab Honors !

Two honors were bestowed on the Aquatic Toxicology Laboratory this summer:

The Master's Thesis written by Daniel Rearick was awarded "Best Thesis" by St. Cloud State University.  In addition, Dr. Schoenfuss was named the first University Scholar in the Minnesota State College and University System.

EmCon 2014 Iowa City Iowa

The Aquatic Toxicology Laboratory was well presented at the 2014 Emerging Contaminants Meeting in Iowa City Iowa (August 2015).  Dr. Schoenfuss and three graduate students made the trip.  Presentations by Linnea Thomas, David Feifarek and Dr. Schoenfuss were well received as were four posters presented during the poster social.

(from left to right: Dr. Schoenfuss, David Feifarek, Linnea Thomas and Kyle Bird)

As an added bonus, we were able to invite Dr. Jianliang Zhao to come back with us to St. Cloud State University at the conclusion of the conference to visit the lab.

 (from left to right: Dr. Schoenfuss, Dr. Jianliang Zhao, Linnea Thomas, Cheetoh - the fathead minnow lab mascot and David Feifarek)

Road trip!!!

2014 will be a busy travel year for the lab.  Research projects in Hawaii, a new NSF grant examining the Chicago waterways, and US Fish & Wildlife Service funding for an examination of streams around the Great Lakes will keep us on the road for most of the spring.  A new covered trailer will provide additional flexibility for field work and transporting of samples from field sites to the lab.

Looking ahead in 2014

After a flurry of activities in fall 2013, the new year is starting off  .... with a flurry of activities.  Despite the sabbatical absence of Dr. Schoenfuss, the lab has been making steady progress on several ongoing and new initiatives and will present at three upcoming meetings:  (i) the MN Pollution Control Agency annual meeting in Bloomington, MN; (ii) the Midwest Chapter of the Society for Environmental Toxicology & Chemistry meeting in Chicago, IL;  (iii) the Emerging Contaminant meeting in Iowa City, IA.

Upcoming Presentations

Fall 2013 is heating up with multiple scheduled presentations.

Dr. Schoenfuss will present a seminar on Contaminants of Emerging Concern at The College of Wooster (Ohio) on September 26, 2013.  On October 16, 2013 he will speak at the North Central Cheese Association annual conference in Rochester, MN on the impact of dairy industry on aquatic environments.  Finally, the annual meeting of the Society for Environmental Toxicology & Chemistry from November 17 through 21, 2013 looms large with 8 presentations and three symposia associated with the Aquatic Toxicology Laboratory.  Stay posted for more presentation announcements.

Busy Summer 2013

The Aquatic Toxicology Laboratory was busy this summer with several field studies and the resultant flood of samples to be processed in the laboratories.  Here the group poses during one of the brief breaks form the laboratory work :-)

Presentations Spring/Summer 2012

The Aquatic Toxicology Laboratory at St. Cloud State University remains active with multiple scheduled presentations:

Dan Rearick presented the results of his predation trials at the Midwest meeting of the Society of Environmental Toxicology & Chemistry in Minneapolis (March 2012) and at the Minnesota Wastewater treatment Plant Operators meeting (March 2012). Kelsey Lesteberg discussed the timing of sexual differentiation in fathead minnows at the Midwest meeting of the Society of Environmental Toxicology & Chemistry in Minneapolis (March 2012). Dr. Schoenfuss will give a presentation summarizing research on endocrine active compounds at the MN Stormwater Steering Committee meeting in Minneapolis (April 2012) and on Earth Day at the Environmental Learning Center in Spicer, MN. Dan Rearick and Dr. Schoenfuss will attend the American Water Resources Association Meeting on Emerging Contaminants in June in Denver, CO to discuss their respective research projects. Kelsey Lesteberg will present a presentation at the American Fisheries Society Meeting in Minneapolis in August 2012 to review her study on muscle fiber type differentiation in Hawaiian climbing gobioid fishes. Stay tuned - more presentation announcements are sure to follow!

Another Hawaiian Field Season Completed

Dr. Schoenfuss once again visited field sites in Hawai'i during March 2012 to continue his long-term studies of Hawaiian stream ecology. With the help from collaborators from Clemson University, the University of Minnesota, and support from the Division of Aquatic Resources (Department of Land and Natural Resources, State of Hawai'i) another successful field season was completed.

This field season was used to answer questions regarding the physiology of fish muscle that allows for the climbing of tall waterfalls; the ability of prey from different Hawaiian islands to escape predators; and the anatomy of the jaw apparatus as it relates to feeding and climbing in Sicyopterus stimpsoni.

The Lab Presents

2012 is starting out with several gatherings and presentations:

- On January 6th the Aquatic Toxicology Laboratory hosted its annual retreat at Ney Nature Center with almost 30 students and faculty in attendance.

- On February 8, Dr. Schoenfuss spoke at the annual appreciation meeting of the HAwk Creek Watershed Association in Wilmar, MN.

- Dan Rearick and Kelsey Lesteberg will present at the annual meeting of the Midwest Chapter of the Society for Environmental Toxicology & Chemistry on March 21/22, 2012 in Minneapolis, MN.

- Dan Rearick will present on March 23, 2012 at the MPCA Wastewater Operators conference.

- As part of the Earth Day festivities on April 22, 212, Dr. Schoenfuss will give a presentation in Spicer, MN.

Collaborator's Meeting

Dr. Schoenfuss spent some quality time reviewing biological and analytical data in Sacramento, CA. The data will form the foundation of a manuscript describing the complexity of anthropogenically altered ecosystems and will propose approaches suited for these environments.

Chicago Research Trip

A group of 6 faculty and students from the St. Cloud State University Aquatic Toxicology Laboratory spent the week of March 9th in Chicago to conduct field work in collaboration with the Metropolitan Water Reclamation District of Greater Chicago. The trip was very successful and we return with many specimens for study in the coming months.