What’s the first thing you notice when you look into a stream? The light reflecting off the surface, the trees overhead. Maybe your own reflection? 

For Missouri State University biology professor and stream ecologist Dr. Deb Finn, it’s the bottom.

She studies freshwater streams to understand how ecosystems function and respond to change. Her work focuses on the organisms living in streambeds and what they reveal about water quality and biodiversity. 

Finn discusses two new research grants her lab recently received. One project, City of Springfield Urban Bioassessment II, is funded by the City of Springfield Stormwater Quality Division. The one-year study continues research Finn and her students began five years ago and tracks changes in local urban streams over time.   

The second grant is funded by the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission through the State Wildlife Grants. Titled “Distribution and Habitat Associations of the Arkansas Mudalia (Leptoxis arkansensis),” the project will last about 18 months and focuses on a rare freshwater snail species found in parts of the White River Basin. Because the Arkansas Mudalia lives only in clean, fast-moving water, its presence can indicate high-quality stream habitat. 

Together, these projects support student fieldwork while helping communities better understand local waterways. 

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