ST. PAUL and DULUTH, Minn. — Kelsey Prihoda, Great Lakes Transportation Extension Educator with Minnesota Sea Grant, has been selected for a 2026 Sustainability Inspiration Award from the University of Minnesota Duluth.
The Sustainability Inspiration Awards recognize students, staff, and faculty who have made meaningful contributions to building a more sustainable future through work such as sustainability education, climate action, community engagement, and environmental justice. Award recipients will be recognized at UMD’s annual Sustainability Symposium.
Prihoda was nominated by Joseph Lane, assistant professor in the UMD College of Arts, Humanities, and Social Sciences, for her leadership on a Minnesota Sea Grant community-engaged research effort focused on dredged material management in the Duluth-Superior harbor.
“I feel incredibly honored to receive this award,” said Prihoda. “It has been so rewarding conducting research with Dr. Joe Lane and the undergraduate students in ES 4010 this semester. I've learned so much from this experience, and to receive an award based on this work is just icing on the cake. I want to thank Dr. Lane for nominating me for this award, and I want to thank the students in the ES 4010 course for taking this research journey with us.”
The project, “Understanding Community Perceptions of Dredged Material Management in Western Lake Superior,” brought together maritime industry representatives, environmental program managers, local residents, and potential end users of dredged material to better understand perspectives on dredging and the beneficial use of sediment.
“Kelsey’s work has helped connect campus learning with real-world application,” said Lane. “Through her involvement in UMD’s Applied Sustainability Seminar course, she worked closely with students to explore both the technical and social dimensions of dredging. She emphasized ethical research practices, facilitation skills, and respectful engagement with stakeholders, helping students understand how sustainability decisions play out in complex, real-world settings.”
Prihoda is among a group of 2026 award recipients selected by the UMD Office of Sustainability. For more information about the Sustainability Inspiration Awards and this year’s recipients, visit the University of Minnesota Duluth Office of Sustainability.
Learn more about the research effort behind this award: Understanding Perspectives on Dredged Material Management.
Minnesota Sea Grant is a system program of the University of Minnesota and one of 34 federal-university Sea Grant partnerships across the country supported by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration in Great Lakes and coastal states that encourage the wise stewardship of our marine resources through research, outreach, communication, education and technology transfer.
CONTACTS:
Kelsey Prihoda, Great Lakes Transport Extension Educator, Minnesota Sea Grant, University of Minnesota and University of Minnesota Duluth, [email protected].
Joseph Lane, Assistant Professor, College of Arts, Humanities, and Social Sciences, University of Minnesota Duluth, [email protected].
Marie Thoms, Associate Director, Communications Director, Minnesota Sea Grant, University of Minnesota and University of Minnesota Duluth, [email protected].
Image credit: C. Dettmann/MNSG