Team Big River

Team Big River is headquartered at the University of Minnesota, Twin Cities (UMN-TC)’s Institute on the Environment, with research locations in the Polar Geospatial Center, Saint Anthony Falls Laboratory, and MSP LTER. This location provides vibrant computational research environments, laboratories, and experimental facilities to help researchers better understand Earth’s surface environments and advance our fundamental understanding in support of tribally-led natural resource management. UMN-TC also brings together a team that spans the full range of critical disciplines: engineering, Earth science, ecology, mathematics, physics, and social sciences.

Research projects supporting a greater understanding of the conditions for manoomin/psiη productivity have been collaboratively developed with Minnesota and Wisconsin Native tribes (including and extending beyond the Fond du Lac Band) and include social scientists, who connect the physical and human dynamics. These projects aim to produce management options for partner tribes and intertribal treaty organizations and federal and state agencies responsible for managing manoomin/psiη and other aquatic habitats. Additionally, there are opportunities to engage in sustainable land and water research with major centers, like St. Anthony Falls Laboratory, MSP LTER, Polar Geospatial Center, and the Institute on the Environment.

In addition, students will have a connection to the United States Geological Survey Midwest Climate Adaptation Science Center (CASC), whose REU program with College of Menominee Nation provides other opportunities for engagement with students based at UMN-TC or University of Minnesota, Duluth.