Welcome!

imagine a day without water – October 21, 2020! Check out the student blog page to watch videos on the importance of water in our lives.

In the Stream Ecosystem Ecology Lab at Drake University, we study the physical, chemical, and biological processes in freshwater ecosystems and the interactions between these ecosystems and their surrounding landscape.

2020. What a year. Members of the SEEL team have been fortunate to continue research despite the many challenges facing our communities – masked up while running samples in the laboratory. Or maintaining ample social distance in the field. In the summer, we continued our research on Fourmile and Walnut Creek and became quite adept at maneuvering the AquaBOT, our aquatic drone, through headwater streams in agricultural landscapes.

In addition, we added two new research projects to our list of work: a study of pathogen loads in the Raccoon River and it’s tributaries, funded by the Raccoon River Watershed Association and Iowa’s Women for Water, and a cross-cultural investigation on the social, ecological, and economic values of urban streams in Des Moines, IA, and Jakarta, Indonesia. Please visit the (soon-to-be updated) NEWS page of our website for the latest word on our activity in and around Iowa!

Dr. Peter Levi, the director of the lab, is an assistant professor in the Department of Environmental Science & Sustainability. If you have questions or comments, please contact Dr. Levi via email (peter.levi@drake.edu).

Our website highlights the students and topics we are investigating in our research, including recent news, a Student Blog, and a photo album. We encourage you to explore the various pages. If you are a current or prospective Drake student, we are always looking for students to join the lab. Let us know if you’re interested!