“He’s got the students plugged in, too.”
In the 1980s, Jeff Jeremiason was a big Metallica fan. Now he’s interested in a different kind of heavy metal. The Gustavus chemistry professor is a leading researcher on mercury and lead contamination in two northern Minnesota ecosystems: the Saint Louis River and its mouth on Lake Superior, and peat bogs in the Marcell Experimental Forest north of Grand Rapids.
“These are complex issues,” he says of the effect of heavy metals on our environment. “Levels of these metals may be affected by a variety of factors, including mining, the use of leaded gas until the 1970s, differences in ecosystems, and climate change.”
Jeremiason works with state and federal partners including the University of Minnesota, the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency (MPCA), and the U.S. Forest Service. And like most Gustavus professors, he involves students in his research—collecting water and core samples and, back in the lab, measuring mercury and lead levels in those samples.
“The students have to make a lot of interdisciplinary connections to understand the science,” explains Jeremiason. “This is not just lab chemistry or biology or hydrology, it’s about integrating all of the factors—environment, history, human impact, and scientific data—to develop an educated hypothesis.”
The work Jeremiason and his students do informs Minnesota state agencies on methylmercury levels in fish so they can develop advisories for consumers. In the Marcell Experimental Forest, results help researchers understand how heavy metals move through the peat and persist in the ecosystem. Says Jeremiason, “This collaborative and interdisciplinary work is key to understanding humans’ impact on the environment.”