Scientific Research on the Wabash River

An Indiana State University student has recently made the Wabash River the center of her undergraduate research. Katelyn Rusiniak, a senior and lab assistant in the Earth and Environmental Systems Department at Indiana State, decided to focus her undergraduate research on pollution and water quality in the Wabash River.

Collecting Data

Working with a Ph.D. student, Katelyn has made numerous trips down the Wabash River collecting data. Stopping every five to 10 miles, the pair collects water, sediment, and floodplain samples. Along with these samples, they also search for places to collect “macros,” also known as macroinvertebrates, that help assess the biotic index of the water. They record the coordinates and location of each stop along with measurable data they obtain through the tools in their craft that include a pH, dissolved oxygen, and temperature meter. From this data and what they can observe once they bring the samples back to the lab, the Indiana State students can learn more about the organic pollution and water quality of the Wabash River.

Personal Experience and Perceptions

Although the research is for scholarly purposes, that has not stopped Rusiniak from gaining personal experiences and knowledge on the Wabash. Katelyn was accustomed to white water rafting in Montana, where her family is from. Still, upon arrival at Indiana State, Katelyn was informed that the Wabash River was not “one of those rivers.” As it certainly does not provide the rapids needed for white water rafting, the Wabash does offer plenty of activities to take part in. This is something that became quickly evident to Rusiniak while doing her research. With the time accumulated on the Wabash during her study, Rusiniak has become comfortable navigating the water and even being in the waters. 

Changing Perceptions

As her research is planned to finish by the spring of 2022, Rusiniak hopes to change the stigma associated with the Wabash River and Terre Haute. Although it may not be overly publicized, Katelyn pointed out the many things available not only on the river but in its accompanying parks that range from kayaking to simply “watching nature happen.” Katelyn pointed out that the primary issue is people not willing to look for these activities or go out to find them. Through her project, Rusiniak was able to experience these activities firsthand and hopes to lead others too.

How to Date a Mussel Shell

Just east of Indiana State University’s fountain in the College of Arts and Sciences building, professor of Geography and Geology Dr. Jim Speer can be found working at a microscope in his lab. He pushes the slides back and forth, adjusting the microscope's magnification to enhance his ability to see the cross-sections on a material epoxied to slides. What local creature is Dr. Speer investigating? They are mussel shells from the Wabash River! 

This deep dive into mussel shells were inspired by a talk given by County Commissioner Brendan Kearns. Dr. Speer was inspired by Commissioner Kearns’ observations of mussel shells in the Wabash River during his time with the Indiana Department of Natural Resources Healthy Rivers INitiative. Dr. Speer and Commissioner Kearns began their journey into mussel research side-by-side. Mussels are protected in Indiana and across the US. The public is prohibited from collecting living and dead mussel shells from the banks of the Wabash River. Therefore, Commissioner Kearns and Dr. Speer worked together to obtain a scientific collection permit to allow Dr. Speer and his students to collect, study, and handle dead mussel shells from the Wabash River. 

By exploring the world of ScleroChronology, Dr. Speer and his students are learning the age of these mussels not only from their visible rings along their backs but also through the magnification of cross-sections of these mussels under a microscope. Dr. Speer’s lab takes these cross-sections and mounts them on a glass slide. These cross-sections are then sanded down and polished so that light can be transmitted through those slides. From there, the scientists can see all the rings in the mussel shell. The scientists count the annual rings to figure out the age of the mussel. Dr. Speer explains, “We hope to be able to cross date these mussels. So we hope to be able to date one set of mussel shell rings against another mussel and do that for probably one hundred or two hundred from this collection that we have and from that build a long-term chronology.” 

The goal for these scientists is to map a continuous chronology of the life of these mussels. This information reveals their age and how old the mussels were when they died. Dr. Speer, alongside his students, hopes to drill into them and look at their chemistry as well. Dr. Speer explains that these mussels shells contain information about their own lives and the environment. “If we can look at before the Clean Water Act and after the Clean Water Act, we can see if that law had a change in the chemistry in the Wabash River.” ScleroChronology is an essential step in understanding the life of these mussels and the health of the Wabash River.