AWRI welcomes Mike Hassett, who is joining Al Steinman’s lab as their new lab manager.  Before joining AWRI, Mike completed his master’s thesis at Loyola University Chicago, investigating how oyster reef restoration can influence nitrogen transformation rates in New York City estuary sediments. Mike also worked with the US Fish and Wildlife Service and Arizona Game and Fish Department on water quality and fisheries projects. Mike will be a great addition to the lab and will continue to work on current and future projects for the Steinman Lab.

Bopi Biddanda served on a Water Quality Panel for students at the Hamilton Middle School on November 24.

Al Steinman participated in a conference call as a member of the science collaborative of NERRS (National Estuary Research Reserve System) on November 12.

Janet Vail and Karen Meyers, Regional Math & Science Center, facilitated a GLOBE workshop for the Place Based Education Conference. The workshop was held on November 6 in Grand Rapids.

Al Steinman was invited to testify before the Congressional Subcommittee of the Interior (House Oversight Committee) on invasive species control on December 1 in Washington, DC.

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

Briana Hauff, PhD student working with Kevin Strychar, has an article accepted to the International Journal of Biology.
Hauff, B.***, J.A. Haslun***, K.B. Strychar, P. Ostrom, J.M. Cervino.  In press.  Symbiont diversity of zooxanthellae (Symbiodinium spp.) in Porites astreoides and Montastraea cavernosa from a reciprocal transplant in the lower Florida Keys.  International Journal of Biology.

Rick Rediske is a co-author of a manuscript accepted to PLOS One.
Madenjian C., O. Jensen, R. Rediske, J. O’Keefe, and S. Pothoven.  In Press.  Differences in energy expenditures and growth dilution explain higher PCB concentrations in male Summer Flounder.  PLOS One.

Rick Rediske is a co-author of a manuscript accepted to Journal of Water Resources IMPACT, special issue on Hydrophilanthropy.
Wampler, P., A. Molla, and R. Rediske.  In Press.  Transdisciplinary approaches to sustainable water resources and treatment in developing countries.  Journal of Water Resources IMPACT.

Presentations
(Presenter listed first)

Bopi Biddanda, Dirk Koopmans, Janet Vail, and Anthony Weinke presented to the students of AP Environmental Science class from North Muskegon High School on “Using observatory data to understand ongoing ecosystem changes in Muskegon Lake ” on November 19.

Delilah Clement, graduate student working with Al Steinman, gave a presentation about her research at the Ottawa County Water Quality Forum on November 13. Others from AWRI in attendance at this forum were: Emily Kindervater, Maggie Oudsema, Rajesh Sigdel, Al Steinman, Andrya Whitten, and Brian Zuber.
Clement, D.**  Oral.  Tile drains as a source of bioavailable phosphorus in the Macatawa Watershed.

Macy Doster, Wipperfurth Scholarship winner working with Bopi Biddanda this semester, presented a poster, based on her work at AWRI, at the West Michigan Undergraduate Research Conference, Van Andel Institute on November 21.
Doster, M*, A. Weinke.**, D. Koopmans*** and B. Biddanda.  Poster.  Analyzing drivers of and linkages between hypoxia and algal blooms in a Great Lakes Estuary using time series observations.

Fallon Januska, Dirk Koopmans, and Janet Vail presented at the Fall Science Update on “Water Quality Monitoring: Exploring Time-Series Data” on November 18.

John Koches was a guest lecturer for Rick Rediske’s Wetlands and Watersheds class on November 2.

Dave Kraff and Al Steinman hosted an Integrated Watershed Commission project kick-off meeting at the Seidman Center in Grand Rapids on November 24.  Al presented at this event. Mike Hassett and Kurt Thompson assisted with the meeting.

Mark Luttenton was guest lecturer for Gary Greer’s Environmental Science class, BIO 105, on October 30.  He spoke about Environmental History of the Great Lakes.

Drew McWilliams, R. B. Annis Intern working in the Rediske Lab last summer, presented a poster based on his work at AWRI at the West Michigan Undergraduate Research Conference held at the Van Andel Institute on November 21.
McWilliams, A.*, R. Rediske, R. Morgan, B. Scull, and T. Harris**.  Poster.  Implementation of a quantitative Polymerase Chain Reaction (qPCR) for Escherichia coli for Lake Michigan beaches.

Delilah Clement, Emily Kindervater, and Maggie Oudsema presented at the 2015 Watershed Annual Meeting in Holland on December 4.
Delilah Clement**:  Oral. Tile Drains as a Source of Bioavailable Phosphorus in the Macatawa Watershed.
Emily Kindervater**: Oral.  Phosphorus Retention in Two-stage Agricultural Ditches.
Maggie Oudsema:  Oral.  Project Clarity Wetland and Lake Monitoring Update.

Syndell Parks attended the North American Lake Management Society conference in Sarasota Springs, New York from November 17 – 20.  She gave a presentation while there:
Parks, S.**, R. Thum, and J. McNair.  Oral.  The influence of the adaptive management process on watermilfoil control.

Rick Rediske attended the American Public Health conference in Chicago from November 2-4.  He gave a presentation on November 3.
Rediske, R.  Oral.  Assessment of Cyanotoxins and their Public Health Significance in West Michigan Lakes.

Al Steinman gave a presentation on weather and harmful algal blooms at the Grand Rapids Office of the National Weather Service on November 11.

Al Steinman gave a presentation at a Congressional Briefing in Washington DC on November 20.
Steinman, A.D. Oral.  Ecosystem Restoration in the Great Lakes Yields Significant Return on Investment.

Al Steinman gave a presentation to the Muskegon Rotary Club on December 3. He spoke on Michigan’s Blue Economy.

Michael Snider, recent graduate student who worked with Bopi Biddanda, was awarded the GVSU Graduate Dean’s Citation for Academic Excellence for Outstanding Thesis.

Janet Vail was selected by the Board of the Michigan Science Teachers Association as the 2016 Informal Science Educator. 

Al Steinman was awarded $30,000 from the Frey Foundation in support of the Integrated Watershed Commission project. 

AWRI in the News

Michigan Chapter: North American Lake Management Society (McNALMS)
Fall 2015 newsletter
Delilah Clement, graduate student working with Al Steinman, is mentioned for receiving a grant through McNALMS.

“Macatawa Watershed Project to hold annual meeting Dec. 4 in Holland”
Holland Sentinel, November 9, 2015
GVSU – AWRI will be providing presentations on the Project Clarity work they are involved in.

“Steinman to speak about Great Lakes at Washington D.C. congressional briefing”
GV Now (a Grand Valley State University online publication), November 19, 2015
Al Steinman will be presenting at a coastal science congressional briefing in Washington, D.C. on November 20, sponsored by Sen. Bill Nelson.

LMC Events

Nov 13
Series Seminar: Melanie Manion, Natural Resources Management Supervisor at Ottawa County Parks and Recreation, presented: “Discovering Ottawa County Parks’ Biodiversity”

Nov 19
The Muskegon Lake Watershed Partnership held a public meeting at the LMC.