AWRI Biologist presents at TEDx Muskegon

In its sixth year, TEDxMuskegon welcomed a variety of local, regional and national speakers and entertainers with a broad spectrum of topics, generally centered around the heart of TED: ideas on Technology, Entertainment and Design.  One of this year’s speakers was Syndell Parks, a biologist and owner of GenPass, a Muskegon-based company which works with communities and individuals to manage invasive species through use of genetics. Syndell received her Master of Science degree at AWRI last year, transitioning from graduate student to business owner in a few short months.  Of her speech, titled "Changing the world one gene at a time", Parks said: "So much of our world is defined by what we can't see. From public health to individual homes, genetic technologies will change how we view the world around us...” In her talk Syndell revealed how we make the invisible visible and how communities can become engaged in research and begin viewing science for the benefits it can provide.

Bopi Biddanda participated in the Undergraduate Research Fair on October 4. He serves as GVSU’s representative to the Michigan Space Grant Consortium (MSGC). He announced the next round of funding available through MSGC while at the fair.

Tori Harris, graduate student working with Rick Rediske, successfully passed her qualifying exam on Oct 14.

Mark Luttenton attended the 2-day Big Data Ignite conference held at DeVos Place on September 29 and 30.

Mark Luttenton hosted the October meeting of the West Michigan Chapter of the Michigan Botanical Club at Grand Valley State University on October 15.

Jim McNair and Kevin Strychar represented AWRI at the Undergraduate Research Fair held on the Allendale campus on October 4.

Al Steinman participated in a conference call of the Great Lakes Advisory Board on October 18.

Al Steinman chaired the meeting of the Environmental Committee at the Community Foundation for Muskegon County on October 18.

Janet Vail has been re-appointed to the Environmental Studies Advisory Board. Her term runs through winter 2019.

Janet Vail participated in a Freshwater Forum Committee meeting hosted by Cranbrook Institute of Science on October 19. She conferred with Cranbrook’s head of watershed education about statewide water education efforts after the Forum Committee meeting.    

Janet Vail attended a Creek Connections in West Michigan workshop on October 22.

Janet Vail attended the Regional Math & Science Center’s Advisory Board meeting on October 26.

Janet Vail attended the West Michigan Clean Air Coalition meeting on October 28 to review the 2016 ozone season and to discuss plans for complying with the new, stricter ozone standards.

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

Bopi Biddanda, Scott Kendall, and graduate student Anthony Weinke were co-authors of a “Postcard from the Field” entry onto the American Geophysical Union (AGU) Tumblr.
https://americangeophysicalunion.tumblr.com/tagged/postcards+from+the+field

Briana Hauff, PhD student who worked with Kevin Strychar, has an article accepted to PLOS One:
Hauff-Salas B.***, J.A. Haslun***, K.B. Strychar, P. Ostrom, and J.M. Cervino. In Press. Site-specific variation in gene expression from Symbiodinium spp. associated with offshore and inshore Porites asteroids in the Lower Florida Keys. PLOS One. PONE-D-16-28059

Carl Ruetz and Al Steinman are co-authors on a manuscript accepted to the journal Wetlands:
Uzarski, D.G., V.J. Brady, M.J. Cooper, D.A. Wilcox, D.A. Albert, R. Axler, P. Bostwick, T.N. Brown, J.J.H. Ciborowski, N.P. Danz, J. Gathman, T. Gehring, G. Grabas, A. Garwood, R. Howe, L.B. Johnson, G.A. Lamberti, A. Moerke, B. Murry, G. Niemi, C.J. Norment, C.R. Ruetz III, A.D. Steinman, D. Tozer, R. Wheeler, T.K. O'Donnell, and J.P. Schneider. In press. Standardized measures of coastal wetland condition: implementation at the Laurentian Great Lakes basin-wide scale. Wetlands doi:10.1007/s13157-016-0835-7.

Delilah Clement, former graduate student who worked with Al Steinman, has an article accepted to Journal of Great Lakes Research:
Clement, D.R.** and A.D. Steinman. In Press. Nonpoint phosphorus loading from agricultural tile drains in a West Michigan Watershed. Journal of Great Lakes Research

Presentations

(Presenter listed first)

AWRI was represented at the Michigan Space Grant Consortium Fall Conference, held at the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor on October 8.  Bopi Biddanda was an invited speaker at the conference.  Students Nick Gezon, Emily Kindervater, and Gabrielle Thelen also attended and presented.
Biddanda, B. Invited Seminar. Time & Space-traveling with microbial ecosystems of Lake Huron’s sinkholes.
Gezon, N.**, M. Santana, I. Hewson, and K. Strychar. Poster. Exploring the presence of Diporeia-associated circoviruses (LM29173) in Quagga Mussels and sediments of Lake Michigan.
Kindervater, E.** and A. Steinman. Oral. Phosphorus retention in West Michigan two-stage agricultural ditches.
Thelen, G.* and J. Koches. Poster. Coupling UAV to wirelessly tethered ASV for more robust and comprehensive habitat assessment and water quality analysis.                                                      

Mark Luttenton was a guest lecturer for Al Steinman’s BIO 651 course on October 11; the topic was the Grayling fish farm.

Mark Luttenton presented on the New Zealand mudsnail at the Freshwater Summit in Traverse City on Oct 28.

Brian Scull and Rick Rediske attended the 2016 Lake Michigan Beach Conference in Marquette, Michigan from October 5 – 7. Brian was part of a panel discussion with the EPA on implementing the qPCR E. coli method. Both also presented at the conference:
Scull, B. Oral. Lessons learned in the implementation of qPCR methods in a water quality lab.
Rediske, R., B. Scull, T. Harris**, D. McWilliams, and V. Martin* (NSF-REU student). Oral. Results of the 2015 Muskegon Beach Monitoring Program: Comparison of Colilert and qPCR Methods.

Rick Rediske was guest lecturer in Janet Vail’s Environmental Studies 201 class on October 20.  He spoke about water quality in developing countries.

Carl Ruetz was a guest lecturer on the topic “my professional journey” to Paul Keelance’s NRM 150 class on Oct. 18.

Al Steinman was a guest lecturer for Rick Rediske’s NRM 452 class on October 7.

Al Steinman presented to the Charlevoix Garden Club and Lake Association on Great Lakes issues on October 11.

Al Steinman presented to the Grosse Pointe Garden Club on October 20.

Janet Vail presented two programs for 2^nd grade students at the Lakeshore Museum Center on October 18.

Al Steinman was awarded Distinguished Lecturer in Biological Sciences for 2016-2017 at Ohio Northern University. He gave two formal presentations and spoke in numerous classes. He was on campus from October 25 – 28.

Bopi Biddanda has a newly funded grant through University of Michigan, Cooperative Institute for Limnology and Ecosystem Research (CILER) titled “Synthesis and Observations” for $25,000 to fund the Muskegon Lake Buoy 2016-2017.

AWRI In the News

“Challenges, solutions facing the Great Lakes”
Petoskey News, October 7, 2016
Al Steinman will be speaking to the Charlevoix Area Garden Club and Lake Charlevoix Association on October 11.

“Researcher discusses ecosystem restoration in Keiser Distinguished Lecture Series”
Ada (Ohio) ICON, October 19, 2016
Al Steinman was an invited speaker for the Keiser Distinguished Lecture Series.  He gave two presentations, titled “Ecosystem restoration from the Everglades to the Great Lakes: Fact, fiction and (occasional) frustration” and “The role of science in the restoration of aquatic systems”.

“Reducing nutrients in White Lake”
White Lake Beacon, October 24, 2016
Mark Luttenton gave a presentation about nutrients in White Lake.

“Restoring the ecosystem and its connection to the government”
Hometownstations.com, October 26, 2016
Al Steinman was an invited speaker for the Keiser Distinguished Lecture Series.  He gave two presentations, titled “Ecosystem restoration from the Everglades to the Great Lakes: Fact, fiction and (occasional) frustration” and “The role of science in the restoration of aquatic systems”.

LMC Events

Oct 3
Students from Okemos High School (Ingham County) visited the Annis Educational Foundation Classroom for hands-on activities and took a vessel cruise on the W.G. Jackson. 

Oct 5 & 7
Sixth grade students from Orchard View Elementary (Kent County) visited the Annis Educational Foundation Classroom for hands-on activities and took a vessel cruise on the W.G. Jackson. 

Oct 10
Fourth grade students from Meadow Ridge Elementary (Kent County) visited the Annis Educational Foundation Classroom for hands-on activities and took a vessel cruise on the W.G. Jackson. 

Oct 13
Students from the Grand Rapids Museum School (Kent County) visited the Annis Educational Foundation Classroom for hands-on activities and took a vessel cruise on the W.G. Jackson. 

Oct 14
Sixth grade students from CA Frost Elementary (Kent County) visited the Annis Educational Foundation Classroom for hands-on activities and took a vessel cruise on the W.G. Jackson. 

Oct 14
Seminar Speaker: Dr. Yunzhou “Joe” Chai, Environmental Research Scientist at Dow Chemical Company, Toxicology & Environmental Research & Consulting (TERC) presented:  “Persistent Organic Contaminants in Soils and Sediments: Environmental Fate, Risk and Remediation”

Oct 19
The West Michigan Watersheds Collaborative (WMWC) held a regional meeting at Lake Michigan Center.