AWRI receives $1.4 million in research grants

The Annis Water Resources Institute has received nearly $1.4 million in grant funding from the Environmental Protection Agency’s Great Lakes Restoration Initiative (GLRI).

AWRI is involved in four awards, three as lead investigators and one as a partner. Alan Steinman, director of AWRI, said: “Given how competitive the funding was for these grants, the success of the AWRI faculty is truly impressive. The outcomes from these projects help in the continued protection and restoration of the Great Lakes, as well as helping educate the public about critical problems facing the Great Lakes. Ultimately, our goal is to a make sure these findings translate into solutions.”

The projects include:

• $568,449 Observatory for ecosystem changes in Muskegon Lake (Bopi Biddanda, associate professor of environmental biology)

• $291,721 Coordinated lake-specific onboard education and outreach (Janet Vail, associate professor and research scientist)

• $247,212 Studies to support Ruddiman Creek implementation-ready (Alan Steinman, director of the Annis Water Resources Institute)

• $232,910 Implementing Great Lakes coastal wetland monitoring (Carl Ruetz, associate professor of environmental biology; Alan Steinman, director of AWRI)

For more information, contact Alan Steinman at (616) 331-3749.