People

Current Lab Members

Dr. Bopi Biddanda

Principal Investigator/Professor

Anthony Weinke

Lab/Observatory Manager (2016-Present)

Graduate Student (2014-2016) Episodic Wind Events on Muskegon Lake and the Ecological Consequences of Hypoxia

Undergraduate Summer Intern (2011-2013)

Kaylynne Dennis

Graduate Student (2023-Current)

Muskegon Lake Metabolism

Conor Gabel

High School Summer Volunteer (2023)

Former Graduate Students

Nate Dugener

Graduate Student (2020-2023)

Muskegon Lake Hypoxia

Qianqian Liu

Postdoctoral Researcher (2016-Present) Modelling Muskegon Lake Hydrodynamics and Intrusion of Lake Michigan into Muskegon Lake

Jasmine Mancuso

Lab Technician (2020-Present)

Graduate Student (2018-2020)

Study of Eutrophication and Cyanobacterial Blooms in Muskegon Lake

Katie Knapp

Graduate Student (2016-Present)

Temporal and Spatial Variability of Carbon Metabolism in Muskegon Lake

Nicole Horne

Graduate Student Role of Biofilms in Biosand Water Filter Systems

Deb Dila

Graduate Student Carbon and Microbial Gradients in Watersheds

Dirk Koopmans

Postdoctoral Research Associate

Muskegon Lake Ecosystem Observatory

Michael Snider

Graduate Student (2011-2013) Cyanobacterial Mats of Lake Huron Sinkholes

Leon Gereaux

Graduate Student (2011-2013)

Angie Defore

Graduate Student

Garry Sanders

Graduate Student

Cindy June

Graduate Student

Former Interns/Technicians

Scott Kendall

Research Biologist/Muskegon Lake Observatory Manager

Kyle McKee

Summer Intern (2023)

Muskegon Lake Acidification and Deoxygenation

Ian Stone

Lab Technician (2021-Present)

Undergraduate Fellow (2020)

Undergraduate Intern (2019)

Seasonal changes in Muskegon Lake phytoplankton composition; Sinkhole biogeochemistry

Janelle Cook

Undergraduate Intern (2021)

AWRI Summer Intern

Studying sinkhole and Muskegon Lake biogeochemistry using sediment and mat cores

Riley Duff

Undergraduate Intern (2018)

NSF Sinkhole Project

Studying Cyanobacterial Motility in Sinkholes of Lake Huron

Kailey Keenan-Whitmore

Undergraduate Intern (2018)

Using Muskegon Lake Observatory Buoy Data and Incubations to Understand Microcystis cyanobacteria bloom dynamics

Rachel Ratliff

Undergraduate Intern (2017)

NSF Sinkhole Light Project

Cyanobacterial Mat Community Metabolism

Tom Claffey

Summer REU Student (2017)

Temperature's Potential Impacts on Stratification, Productivity, and Hypoxia in Muskegon Lake

Zakry O'Brien

Undergraduate Intern (2016-2017)

Investigating the Role of Thermal Structure in Muskegon Lake

Macy Doster

Undergraduate Intern (2015-2016)

Collin Saunders

Technician (2016)

Fallon Januska

Technician

Morgan Lindback

Undergraduate Summer Intern (2015/2016)

Saddie Vela

Undergraduate Summer Intern (2015)

Nick Weber

Undergraduate Summer Intern (2015)

Vingie Ng

Summer REU Student (2015)

Christopher Vandenberg

Undergraduate Student (2014)

Adam McMillan

Undergraduate Summer Intern (2013)

Ashley Meyer

Target Inquiry Teacher Intern (2013)

Elizabeth Sommers

Undergraduate Summer Intern (2012)

Tom Holcomb

Research Technician Buoy Observatory/IT Specialist (2011-2012)

Steve Long

Undergraduate Summer Intern (2011)

Stephen was a junior biomedical science major at Grand Valley State University. He is on the premedical track but is leaving the door open to other professions upon graduation. This summer is a great opportunity for him to spend time in the lab and get much needed research experience. Since he is a biomedical science major, he is learning a lot of new information about lake ecosystems and microbial ecology. Stephen will be working on the buoy project in Muskegon Lake and also doing some research on bio-sand filters. He hopes to spearhead a research project of his own this summer, although he is not sure yet what specifically to research.