Student Research 2 2023
Undergraduate Mikayla Ballard Studies Invasive Crayfish in Chicago’s Waterways
Mikayla studies aquatic invertebrates in Dr. Reuben Keller's lab at Loyola's School of Environmental Sustainability.
Story by Alex Quebbeman
Mikayla Ballard, a junior majoring in environmental science and biology, has been interested in aquatic ecology research since high school. She knew she wanted to pursue environmental science at Loyola. In her sophomore year, Mikayla applied for Cura Scholars, a program that expands access to research and academia for people from racial and ethnic groups traditionally underrepresented in higher education. She connected with mentor Dr. Reuben Keller, with whom she had already taken an environmental statistics course. Mikayla joined his lab, which focuses on aquatic invertebrate species research, and she has been studying Chicagoland waterways ever since.
Her current project focuses on the North Shore Channel, an artificial canal built to move sewage south down the Chicago Sanitary and Ship Canal. This channel connects the Chicago River to Lake Michigan in Evanston, IL. Because it is a common discharge point for sewage and wastewater, it has had long-term pollution problems. Invasive species also create challenges in the waterway. In particular, invasive crayfish compete with other native organisms for resources.
For her research, Mikayla is investigating whether these crayfish are inhabiting the sewage outfall areas in the channel and if they are introducing any contaminants into the native ecosystem. “Some of the invasive crayfish in the channel come from warmer water and are adaptable to many kinds of environments, so they are more likely to inhabit the warmer wastewater at the sewage outfall points,” Mikayla said. “This means they could be assimilating harmful bacteria into the ecosystem.”
Her fieldwork involves boating down the channel with fellow labmates collecting invasive crayfish. “I take a sample of what is on the crayfish’s exoskeleton with a sterile swab, which I use later to grow on an agar plate to see what bacteria was on the crayfish,” Mikayla explained. “So far, I’ve just been looking at the plates to see what bacteria are growing, how many colonies form, and what color they are.”
She is focused on data collection and getting a feel for her new project. In the future, she will analyze and compare the samples to native crayfish populations and other native organisms in that channel. “By the end of this, I hope to have a sense of what bacteria are primarily present on invasive crayfish in the North Shore Channel. My project will give way to more research about what the bacteria in Chicago’s sewage is doing to other organisms,” Mikayla said.
Mikayla’s research helps identify the potential spread of bacteria and other contaminants in Chicago’s water bodies and the possible harm that could result for other organisms, including humans. Her research is important on a personal note, too.
“I think minorities participating in research is an incredibly undervalued resource and aspect of academia. So being a black woman from the South Side of Chicago, surrounded by places that have little to no accessibility to science, it’s important for me to be on this journey of being involved in academia and research,” she said.
Mikayla’s favorite part of the work is being in the field with her labmates. “It’s a real bonding opportunity to meet with my team and venture out to the river to collect samples. It’s also a nice break from the everyday motions of sitting in an office space.”
Story by Alex Quebbeman
Mikayla Ballard, a junior majoring in environmental science and biology, has been interested in aquatic ecology research since high school. She knew she wanted to pursue environmental science at Loyola. In her sophomore year, Mikayla applied for Cura Scholars, a program that expands access to research and academia for people from racial and ethnic groups traditionally underrepresented in higher education. She connected with mentor Dr. Reuben Keller, with whom she had already taken an environmental statistics course. Mikayla joined his lab, which focuses on aquatic invertebrate species research, and she has been studying Chicagoland waterways ever since.
Her current project focuses on the North Shore Channel, an artificial canal built to move sewage south down the Chicago Sanitary and Ship Canal. This channel connects the Chicago River to Lake Michigan in Evanston, IL. Because it is a common discharge point for sewage and wastewater, it has had long-term pollution problems. Invasive species also create challenges in the waterway. In particular, invasive crayfish compete with other native organisms for resources.
For her research, Mikayla is investigating whether these crayfish are inhabiting the sewage outfall areas in the channel and if they are introducing any contaminants into the native ecosystem. “Some of the invasive crayfish in the channel come from warmer water and are adaptable to many kinds of environments, so they are more likely to inhabit the warmer wastewater at the sewage outfall points,” Mikayla said. “This means they could be assimilating harmful bacteria into the ecosystem.”
Her fieldwork involves boating down the channel with fellow labmates collecting invasive crayfish. “I take a sample of what is on the crayfish’s exoskeleton with a sterile swab, which I use later to grow on an agar plate to see what bacteria was on the crayfish,” Mikayla explained. “So far, I’ve just been looking at the plates to see what bacteria are growing, how many colonies form, and what color they are.”
She is focused on data collection and getting a feel for her new project. In the future, she will analyze and compare the samples to native crayfish populations and other native organisms in that channel. “By the end of this, I hope to have a sense of what bacteria are primarily present on invasive crayfish in the North Shore Channel. My project will give way to more research about what the bacteria in Chicago’s sewage is doing to other organisms,” Mikayla said.
Mikayla’s research helps identify the potential spread of bacteria and other contaminants in Chicago’s water bodies and the possible harm that could result for other organisms, including humans. Her research is important on a personal note, too.
“I think minorities participating in research is an incredibly undervalued resource and aspect of academia. So being a black woman from the South Side of Chicago, surrounded by places that have little to no accessibility to science, it’s important for me to be on this journey of being involved in academia and research,” she said.
Mikayla’s favorite part of the work is being in the field with her labmates. “It’s a real bonding opportunity to meet with my team and venture out to the river to collect samples. It’s also a nice break from the everyday motions of sitting in an office space.”