The Freshwater Research Institute (FRI) is a collaboration of scientists, educators, conservationists and restoration practitioners within the Susquehanna community who are dedicated to understanding and improving the ecological health of Pennsylvania’s waters.
The FRI’s mission is to provide a student-centered experience that prepares undergraduates to achieve their personal career goals in research, conservation and restoration, and educate future leaders in the field of freshwater studies.
Gain a unique research experience through experimental laboratory systems, field sites and external partnerships.
Engage with state agencies and non-profits through meaningful collaboration and scientific support.
Build a career path by applying the fundamental skills gained in the classroom to your undergraduate research in the aquatic sciences.
Grow and develop the knowledge to become a critical thinker, conscientious environmental steward and well-rounded professional.
Lead and publish research in restoration, ecology or freshwater science with faculty and staff scientists.
“The next generation of scientists need hands-on learning opportunities like those I enjoy today at Susquehanna. ” – Danielle Tryon ’24
The Freshwater Research Institute provides opportunities for students to engage in cutting-edge research and field experience on freshwater ecosystems with faculty mentors.
Learn more about Danielle’s experience as a stream team summer intern and coordinator of the Environmental Education and Outreach Program.
The Freshwater Research Institute is walking distance from the Susquehanna River — the Chesapeake Bay’s largest tributary and the longest river on the east coast within in the U.S. We are also just a short drive to streams, reservoirs, creeks, wetlands and restoration sites.
The Freshwater Research Institute is located on the 87-acre field station, known as the Center for Environmental Education and Research. The CEER is also home to our beehives, campus garden, solar array, ecology research plots, walking trails and riparian buffer restoration site.
Stream Ecology Institute for High School Students
At this weeklong summer institute, high school students will explore how a fish, an insect, algae and even an old tire, influence each other and are affected by one another in a continuum — from small streams to large rivers. You’ll engage in learning experiences about the environment and long-term ecological studies, as well as explore career possibilities in science and ecology.
If you are a landowner in Clinton, Centre or Lancaster counties, this mapping tool can give you information about restoration opportunities on your land.
Susquehanna partners with the Chesapeake Conservancy on precision conservation, an approach to restoration on agricultural land that uses high-resolution, geospatial analysis to target and implement on-the-ground agricultural and conservation tactics.
Our 14-acre, 12,000 panel solar array provides 30% of the university’s electricity and when installed in 2018, was the largest university-sponsored solar array in Pennsylvania. Over 30 sheep from Owens Farm in Sunbury serve as our lawn mowers around the solar panels.
Climbing Temperatures Adversely Impact Brook Trout
Recent research from Susquehanna University’s Freshwater Research Institute finds that water temperatures affect certain behaviors in a cold-water predator, especially when in the presence of one that prefers warmer waters.
Native Plants Aid Campus Wetland Restoration
Students and faculty, along with members of the Chesapeake Conservancy and Chesapeake Conservation Corps, gathered to restore a wetland meadow to improve water management and increase biodiversity on campus.
FRI Collaborations Lead to Internships for Students
Leveraging the relationships of Susquehanna’s Freshwater Research Institute and its collaborators, students majoring in the natural sciences have been placed in summer internships up and down the Susquehanna River.
Matthew Wilson, director of Freshwater Research Institute & CEER field station
570-372-4722
wilsonmatt@susqu.edu
