The Robert B. Annis Water Resources Institute (AWRI) has been essential to helping graduate student Alan Mock ’19 prepare for his future.

“Without AWRI, I wouldn’t have benefited as much as I did from my graduate student experience,” said Alan. “The people, resources, and support here allow me and other students to carry out meaningful research.”

AWRI is dedicated to enhancing and preserving our Great Lakes, rivers, lakes, and wetlands through research, education, and outreach. It offers many exciting research and internship opportunities to undergraduate and graduate students at Grand Valley.

During his time at AWRI, Alan focused his research on methods to re-introduce Arctic grayling to Michigan’s lakes and rivers; a species of fish that was wiped out of Michigan in the early 1900s. To conduct his research, Alan was driving 700 miles per week to get to his field sites. He expressed how appreciative he was to have access to the resources he needed to work on his thesis.  

“AWRI is a very unique and special place to do research. It provides a lot of resources for graduate students,” he said. “In particular for me, it was very nice being able to use the motor fleet vehicle pool and the field sampling equipment to carry out the research project.”

Continuing education and conducting research is expensive. Thanks to Robert (Buzz) and Wendy Kersman, and other generous donors who support graduate research assistantships, graduate students like Alan are receiving the financial support they need to continue their education and conduct their thesis research.

“To the donors who support AWRI, thank you so much! Your support enhances the student research experience and makes AWRI a special place for us to study,” says Alan.

Now graduated, Alan is pursuing his doctorate degree where he is studying fish ecology in the Everglades. Alan’s experience at AWRI allowed him to gain the skills, knowledge, and tools he needs to continue his education and make a lasting impact in his future career.

“I want my Laker Effect to be making the world a better place by using research to understand and solve emerging environmental issues that have a lasting impact in our communities,” he said.