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“A great deal of the important work that’s being done in the environmental field today involves teams of researchers from different perspectives, and it’s enormously helpful if they can understand and appreciate each others’ approaches.”
—Arne Kildegaard, professor of economics and management
The chance to do collaborative research with faculty is one of the distinguishing features of a Morris education. We offer many opportunities for students to conduct substantial paid research, mentored by Morris faculty.
Our local partners also offer student research opportunities. Among our many collaborators are the members of the Green Prairie Alliance, an innovative renewable energy research consortium that includes the nearby West Central Research and Outreach Center and the USDA North Central Soil Conservation Research Laboratory.
Some of our other collaborators include:
- U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
- The Center for Small Towns
- West Central Environmental Consultants
- The Prairie Wetlands Learning Center
- Southwest Minnesota Sustainable Development Partnership
- Clean Up the River Environment
- Minnesota Pollution Control Agency Green Corps
Here are a few recent examples of research collaborations by Morris environmental studies students:
- An assessment of environmental literacy among college students at Morris and the Twin Cities
- The accumulation of trace metals on algae
- Biomass gasification feedstocks
- Prairie management
- Economics of wind energy
- Survey of Morris residents’ attitudes toward recycling, renewable energy, local foods, and energy conservation
- Water budgets for ethanol production
- Wetlands delineation
- Campus energy audits
- Effects of climate change on tree growth
- Effects of crop residue removal on soil carbon
- Local economic benefits of small wind power generation
- Economic viability of retrofitting the Morris movie theater with renewable energy heat and electricity
After you and your faculty mentor have completed a research project, it is customary to present the findings. If the research is strong enough, it could one day be published in a professional journal. Morris also supports student travel to conferences to present research.