NRT Fellow Zachary Ahrenstorff Presents Algae Research at the 2026 North Dakota Geospatial Summit

October 30, 2026

Published in: Conference, North Dakota, NRT

North Dakota Geospatial Summit

This month, members from the Department of Geography & Geographic Information Science gathered in Bismarck, North Dakota, for the North Dakota 2026 Geospatial Summit. This annual event brings together GIS professionals, state leaders, and researchers across the state to share cutting-edge spatial technologies, real-world success stories and the latest tools.

Representing our National Science Foundation Research Traineeship (NSF-NRT) Program at this event was Zachary Ahrenstorff, a graduate student from the Department of Geography & Geographic Information Science, who presented his work on monitoring harmful algae blooms.

Improving Monitoring of Harmful Algae Blooms

Zachary’s presentation highlighted how machine learning techniques can address complex environmental challenges. By combining field water quality measurements with environmental variables, the research seeks to develop a more accurate and transferable framework for monitoring harmful algae blooms in inland lakes.

NRT Fellow Zachary Ahrenstorff presenting his research on improving satellite-based estimation of two key indicators of algal biomass blooms using machine learning.

NRT Fellow Zachary Ahrenstorff alongside his presentation slide acknowledging NSF-NRT support at the 2026 North Dakota Geospatial Summit in Bismarck, ND.

Departmental Support & NRT Impact

Zachary attended the summit alongside faculty and students from the department. Connecting academic research with real-world applications across government, industry, and regional communities is a core goal of the NRT program. Zachary’s presentation showcased how interdisciplinary research contributes to the broader field of GIS.