The MSU Water Alliance is helping faculty connect across disciplines, supporting student and young professional research, and turning scientific expertise into real-world solutions. Launched in 2023, the alliance brings together more than 230 scientists, specialists, educators, students and community partners to address issues such as water quality at our beaches, PFAS contamination, climate resilience, flooding, shoreline erosion, aging infrastructure, and water affordability with the goal of advancing water solutions that serve communities in Michigan and beyond.

Turning expertise into impact

In its second year, the Water Alliance has focused on building campus connections through interdisciplinary research and public engagement. Recent efforts include:

•       Hosting the 2025 Fate of the Earth: Our Waters Symposium, which convened MSU researchers, young professionals, community leaders, government agencies and global experts to discuss pressing water challenges and solutions.
•       Launching a flagship project to address plastic pollution in collaboration with Meijer; the Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes and Energy (also known as EGLE); Grand Valley State University; and local governments.
•       Supporting graduate students and postdocs through professional development, travel funding and a growing young professionals network, including the WaterCube NRT Annual Retreat and Symposium held March 19, 2025.
•       Building mutual and strategic partnerships with tribal nations, local governments, agencies including EGLE, the Michigan Department of Natural Resources, the U.S. Geological Survey, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, and the U.S. Department of Agriculture, while collaborating with MSU Extension and the Institute of Water Research to connect research with community needs.
•       Elevating the visibility of MSU water research through communications and outreach.

The alliance continues to foster collaboration, partnering with the World Bank and its senior economist, Claire Chase, to establish a seminar series and connecting with the MSU Broad College of Business to form a university-industry working group on water science, data and innovation.

Additionally, the alliance’s three interdisciplinary hubs, led by MSU faculty and community leaders, are advancing solutions at the intersection of science, policy and public need. The OneHealth hub is leading PFAS-related community engagement and conducting research on exposure to contaminant mixtures and broader issues of water security. The Food-Energy-Water, or FEW, hub is developing proposals on energy and water supply solutions for rural communities. And the Ecology hub is producing a manuscript that defines Michigan’s freshwater estuaries. Together, these hubs reflect the alliance’s commitment to partnership and impact-driven research.

Looking ahead

As the Water Alliance enters its third year, it remains committed to positioning MSU at the forefront of water scholarship and public engagement. On June 13, director Joan Rose, Homer Nowlin Chair in Water Research, will present an update to the MSU Board of Trustees on the alliance’s progress and future direction, including new research initiatives, expanded support for students and early-career researchers, and collaborations with state and federal agencies to inform evidence-based water policy.

Explore more stories from the MSU Water Alliance:

•       Who pays for water? MSU researchers examine Karachi’s water mafia, local experts reflect on Michigan’s water woes
•       Michigan’s young engineers are using LEGO robotics to combat sea lamprey
•       Delisa scholars making waves in water research
•       MSU researchers, community leaders address arsenic in rice and other issues of food safety

Listen to the June 13 MSU Board of Trustee meeting, available via livestream.