ORAL PRESENTATION TITLE: Neutron activation of Tribal waters ABSTRACT: Neutron activation analysis (NAA) is a nuclear analytical technique capable of quantifying trace elemental concentrations in water at parts-per-billion levels without chemical digestion or matrix-dependent calibration. We will examine the application of NAA to surface water, groundwater, and wetland-connected samples collected in collaboration with multiple Tribal Nations in the Upper Midwest. Wetlands are emphasized as hydrologic and geochemical integrators that reflect both upstream land use and natural background processes, making them critical systems for evaluating cumulative water quality impacts. Elemental results reveal distinct chemical fingerprints associated with water source and landscape context. Municipal and treated waters exhibited expected levels of sodium, while wetland-adjacent and surface waters in northern Michigan showed elevated phosphorus, sodium, manganese, bromine, and gadolinium, indicating a combination of natural geochemical variation and anthropogenic influence. Comparisons between wetland-connected waters and municipal sources demonstrate how high-resolution elemental data can be used to distinguish background conditions from human-derived inputs and to support baseline wetland characterization. I will focus on how NAA data are interpreted and applied in partnership with Tribal governments, including use in long-term wetland monitoring, identification of emerging contaminants, and support for community-directed environmental health assessments. This work illustrates how nuclear analytical techniques can complement wetland science by providing defensible, high-sensitivity data for environmental monitoring and decision-making. BIO: Angela is Anishinaabe from Bay Mills in the UP of Michigan. She obtained her bachelor's degree in nuclear engineering from Kansas State University, master of legal studies degree in Indigenous People's Law from University of Oklahoma, and is working on a PhD in Medical Physics at University of Minnesota on a novel portable MRI system. She is also the Founder of Nibi-Clear, a water testing service that uses neutron activation analysis.