Protect and preserve: Irish iSURE students conduct research on St. Joseph River
This summer, Notre Dame International welcomed nearly 50 students from around the world to campus for the International Summer Undergraduate Research Experience (iSURE) program. The program provides opportunities for international undergraduate and master’s students to participate in cutting-edge research on campus.
Leo Carroll and Aaron McNiffe are the first Irish participants in the iSURE program. The climate and environmental sustainability majors from Dublin City University (DCU) are examining the nearby St. Joseph River and the policies that keep it safe.
Near the end of the 2021/2022 academic year, DCU professors Dr. Darren Clarke and Dr. Susan Hegarty proposed a new project for two students to study water quality abroad.
The hands-on experience immediately intrigued Carroll.
“I was really inspired to go out there to do something really in the field, something that was very tangible, where I could gather the results and see how that would affect policy,” he said.
As for McNiffe, he looks at his degree through a global lens. After returning to school with experience in the sales, marketing and customer service industries, he sees the importance of acquiring new contacts. He hopes to make connections in the U.S. that could lead to career opportunities after he graduates.
“At the end of the day, it’s an international degree that we’re doing,” he said. “Climate change is going to affect everybody across the globe. The more networks and contacts I can pick up in my studies - that’s the best way to build.”
The research
Their program consists of working with an interdisciplinary team, which includes colleagues spanning from economists to engineers to environmental experts. They regularly meet with their team members to discuss their research and make sure that they share a common vision for their project.
“We can discuss what’s important in each of our sectors and come together with combined research to hopefully make things a bit better for the St. Joseph River and the local community,” McNiffe said.
Their work intertwines with Notre Dame’s Environmental Change Initiative, which dedicates more than 60 faculty across disciplines to focus on issues such as climate change, agriculture, and hydrology.
A unique challenge of their project includes uncovering differences in landscapes and policies between DCU and Notre Dame.
A stark change from metropolitan Dublin, South Bend’s smaller, more agricultural landscape allows Carroll and McNiffe to experience a hands-on approach to policy making.
Another difference for the two students includes managing different state policies - since the St. Joseph River runs through both Indiana and Michigan, each state treats the river differently. When crafting policy ideas, they must consider how each state governs its wetlands and river water usage.
Their project is ambitious for an eight week session - eight weeks in which they not only act as full time researchers but also adjust to a new culture and environment.
Carroll has spent his free time exploring the sprawling Notre Dame campus, checking out the facilities, making new friends, and taking a trip to Chicago with the other iSURE program students.
“There are a lot of opportunities to get to know people. It’s very nice,” he said.
The U.S. is not unfamiliar to McNiffe, who has visited several times. However, one of his major adjustments includes living back in a dorm after being away from school for several years.
Even though it spans the campus, McNiffe doesn’t mind the beautiful walk from his room in O’Neill Family Hall to Flanner Hall for his research.
The community
When it comes to their overall goals for the project, the idea of community connects and inspires both Carroll and McNiffe to deeply engage in their research.
“I did not think a river could be so important to a community and surrounding areas,” McNiffe said.
The river affects agriculture, energy and water quality for entire cities and surrounding areas.
The history
It also plays a huge part in South Bend’s history.
“Supporting the original steel mills in Indiana, baking, making the foundation for a lot of the native tribes here…” Carroll listed. “All of the industry set up along the channel really did make and build a lot of these towns, but we’re trying to undo a lot of the damage that was done by that.”
Going forward, the two students hope that their research will lead to policy that protects and preserves this vital aspect of the community.
“It’s not just in regards to improving water quality. It’s also increasing the fish populations, improving biodiversity values, creating something for the community that they can actually get involved in and want to protect,” McNiffe said.
Carroll echoes this mission.
“We’re kind of trying to revert it back to the way it was,” he said. “Where it’s the civilization and river working in unison, rather than us just taking and taking from the river itself,” Carroll said.
Learn more about global engagement programs at Notre Dame.
Originally published by at gep.nd.edu on August 01, 2022.