AWRI has hired a new Postdoctoral Research Associate, Dr. Dirk Koopmans, who joins the Biddanda lab to collaborate on the Muskegon Lake Observatory, an array of water quality sensors powered by a solar-panel-equipped buoy on Muskegon Lake. Dirk completed his Ph.D. at the University of Virginia in research on groundwater-surface water interactions and stream ecosystem metabolism. He then served as a researcher at the University of Wisconsin – Milwaukee, School of Freshwater Sciences where he studied oxygen depletion in bottom waters of Green Bay. He is now excited to have the opportunity to contribute to exploring similar phenomena on this side of Lake Michigan – in Muskegon Lake.

For the past five years, the Observatory has tracked the summer-time ups and downs in dissolved oxygen concentrations in Muskegon Lake. For much of the late summer and early fall bottom water oxygen concentrations have been low enough that fish need to move elsewhere to survive. Dirk will be working with his postdoctoral advisor, Bopi Biddanda, M.S. student Anthony Weinke, and other colleagues in AWRI to study the causes and consequences of this phenomenon. Findings so far suggest that episodic high wind events, which mix the lake, as well as occasional inflow of large volumes of cold, dense, oxygen-rich Lake Michigan water following coastal upwelling events, help restore healthy oxygen concentrations in Muskegon Lake. The inner workings of this estuary are dynamic and may serve as a model for similar coastal lake ecosystems around the Great Lakes.

AWRI was represented at the 9^th Biennial State of Lake Michigan/15^th annual Great Lakes Beach Association joint conference held at the Grand Traverse Resort in Acme, MI from October 28 – 30.  AWRI personnel in attendance were:  Bopi Biddanda, Delilah Clement, Ben Giffin, Tori Harris, Dave Kraff, Shirley McIntire, Charlyn Partridge, Brian Scull, Michele Smith, and Janet Vail.
 

Participation:
Ben Giffin, Tori Harris, Charlyn Partridge, and Brian Scull were members of the discussion panel on qPCR methods, held on October 28.
Janet Vail was part of the plenary session of the State of Lake Michigan Conference.  Janet was on the planning committee for the conference.  She attended the Lake Michigan Monitoring Coordination Council and helped to facilitate a meeting of the Lake Michigan stakeholders.
Shirley McIntire and Michele Smith hosted an AWRI display at the conference.

Bopi Biddanda shared information on available student fellowship opportunities through the Michigan Space Grants Consortium (MSGC) at the Fall Undergraduate Research Fair in Allendale on October 6.  He is quoted in the October 8 issue of the Lanthorn (GVSU’s student-run newspaper) under its coverage of the Research Fair.  Bopi administers all MSGC programs for GVSU.

John Koches hosted a Regional Community Sustainability Partnership meeting with Terry Sabo, Muskegon County Board of Commissioners Chair, and Mayor George Heartwell, City of Grand Rapids, on October 8 to discuss port development.

Shirley McIntire and Janet Vail represented AWRI with a display at a Muskegon STEM event on October 20.

Jim McNair and Kevin Strychar represented AWRI at the annual GVSU Undergraduate Research Fair held on the Allendale campus on October 6.

Al Steinman participated in PACES faculty panel on Research and Travel Grants at the Grand Rapids campus on October 24.

AWRI staff are bolded, undergraduate students are denoted with a single asterisk*, graduate students are denoted with two asterisks**, and post-doc researchers are donated with three asterisks ***.

Publications

Nadia Gillett, former postdoctoral researcher who worked with Al Steinman, has a paper published in Journal of Limnology.  Al and Mark Luttenton are co-authors:
Gillett, N.D.***, M.R. Luttenton, and A.D. Steinman. 2015. Spatial and temporal dynamics of phytoplankton communities in a Great Lakes drowned river-mouth lake (Mona Lake, USA). Journal of Limnology 74(3): 453-466.

Geraldine Nogaro, former postdoctoral researcher who worked with Al Steinman, has a paper accepted to Freshwater Science; Al and undergraduate student Anna Harris are co-authors.
Nogaro, G.***, Harris, A.*, and A.D. Steinman. In Press. Alum application, invertebrate bioturbation and sediment characteristics interact to affect nutrient exchanges in eutrophic ecosystems. Freshwater Science.

Al Steinman and Geraldine Nogaro are co-authors with Solange Duhamel on a paper accepted to Aquatic Science.
Duhamel, S., G. Nogaro***, and A.D. Steinman. In Press. Effects of water level fluctuation and sediment–water nutrient exchange on phosphorus biogeochemistry in two Great Lakes coastal wetlands. Aquatic Sciences.

Presentations
(Presenter listed first)

AWRI was represented at the State of Michigan Water Collaboration Workshop, held at the RAM Center in Roscommon, MI on October 9.  Personnel in attendance were: Dirk Koopmans, Dave Kraff, Carl Ruetz, Al Steinman, Kevin Strychar, and Andrya Whitten.
AWRI presentations given:
Biddanda, B., D. Dila*, A. Weinke*, S. Kendall, L. Gereaux*, N. Weber**, C. VandenBerg**, V. Ng**, M. Lindback, S. Vela, D. Koopmans*** and J. Vail. Poster. Time-Series monitoring reveals Muskegon Lake estuary as a “goldilocks zone” of net biological productivity.
Koopmans, D.***, A. Weinke*, S. Kendall, J.V. Klump, and B. Biddanda.  Poster.  Can upwelling along Lake Michigan’s eastern shore ameliorate hypoxia in drowned river mouth lakes?  A case study in Muskegon Lake.
Whitten, A. and C.R. Ruetz III.  Poster.  Littoral fish assemblages in two Lake Michigan drowned river mouths. 

AWRI was represented at the 9^th Biennial State of Lake Michigan/15^th annual Great Lakes Beach Association joint conference held at the Grand Traverse Resort in Acme, MI from October 28 – 30.
AWRI presentations given:
Vail, J. Oral. Making Lake Michigan Great: An onboard Outreach and Education project.
Clement, D.* and A.D. Steinman. Poster. Tile drains as a source of bioavailable phosphorus.

Rick Rediske gave a guest lecture in Advanced Aquatic Ecology on October 13.

Rick Rediske gave a guest lecture in Environmental Planning on October 16.

Al Steinman was guest lecturer for Advanced Aquatic Ecology on October 6.

Al Steinman gave a presentation on the Blue Economy at the annual Secchia Breakfast in Grand Rapids on October 15.

Al Steinman was a guest lecturer for BIO 610 on October 26.

Kevin Strychar gave a guest lecture at Aquinas College on October 7 titled “Climate Change: Immunity in corals allows faster adaptation to global warming and changing environmental conditions”.

Jared Homola, graduate student who worked with Carl Ruetz, has been nominated by the GVSU Office of Graduate Studies for the 2016 Midwest Association of Graduate Schools Master’s Thesis Awards for Biological/Life Sciences.  Jared’s thesis:  “Disease ecology of a microsporidian parasite and its effects on mottled sculpin”, has been submitted to the review committee.  A winner will be announced in early 2016.

Charlyn Partridge has received a catalyst grant to GVSU’s CSCE (Center for Scholarship and Creative Excellence) in the amount of $2,200.

Rick Rediske’s lab received pass through awards from MDEQ to Public Health Muskegon County to AWRI for Great Lakes Beach Monitoring in the amount of $15,097 and for qPCR supplies in the amount of $4,600.

AWRI in the News

“EPA awards CMU $10 million Great Lakes Restoration Initiative Grant to monitor coastal wetlands”
Midland Daily News, October 1, 2015.
AWRI is one of the sub-contractors for this project.
Also picked up by Newsroom America,
Water World.com,
EPA Home,
PubMemo.com,
Sand and gravel.com/Dredging News Online,
Water Technology

“GV hosts seventh annual research fair: students encouraged to ‘find their geek’”
Grand Valley Lanthorn, October 8, 2015
Bopi Biddanda was interviewed regarding the student research fair.

(AWRI ad)
Grand Valley Lanthorn, October 8, 2015
The ad features former R.B. Annis Intern Brittany Jacobs.

“Steinman to address Blue Economy”
Forum: a newsletter for the Grand Valley State University Community, October 12, 2015
Al Steinman will speak at the Peter F. Secchia Breakfast Lecture on October 15.

“Steinman says water defines Michigan”
GVNext, October 15, 2015
Al Steinman spoke at the Peter F. Secchia Breakfast Lecture on October 15.

“AWRI director: water defines Michigan”
Forum: a newsletter for the Grand Valley State University Community, October 19, 2015
Al Steinman spoke at the Peter F. Secchia Breakfast Lecture on October 15.

LMC Events

Oct 2 & 3
Students from Fruitport Middle School (Muskegon County) visited the Annis Educational Foundation Classroom for hands-on activities and took a vessel cruise on the W.G. Jackson.              

Oct 3
Participants in the GVSU Family Weekend enjoyed trips on the research vessel W.G. Jackson. 

Oct 16
Series Seminar: Dr. Ian Hewson, Associate Professor of Microbiology at Cornell University, presented:  “Ecology of single stranded DNA viruses in aquatic invertebrates: New foes or old friends?"

Oct 22
Special Seminar and 2015 CLAS Distinguished Alumni speaker: Dr. Matt Cooper, Research Scientist at Northland College’s Burke Center for Freshwater Innovation, presented: “Ecosystem and Career Transition Zones Along the Laurentian Great Lakes Coast”

Oct 26
Students from Beechnau Elementary (Muskegon County) visited the Annis Educational Foundation Classroom for hands on activities.

Oct 28
Planned Parenthood held a “Healthy Families Benefit” event at the LMC.

Oct 29
The Northwest Ottawa County Chamber Foundation held a “Lakeshore Youth Leadership Connections” event at the LMC.