AWRI Science Advisory Board

Shortly after AWRI moved to Muskegon in 2001, we formed an external Science Advisory Board (SAB), whose charge is to provide a general evaluation of science, programmatic directions, future needs, and strengths and weaknesses at AWRI. Prior written evaluations are available on the AWRI website at https://www.gvsu.edu/wri/science-advisory-board-25.htm

The SAB did their triennial review of AWRI on March 9-11.  This was their 8^th review of AWRI’s programs, providing valuable advice.  Although it will be several weeks before we receive their formal report, the general feedback from the SAB was very positive.  We thank our dedicated SAB members (pictured) for their time and input. 

AWRI was represented at the 33^rd annual Region 12 Science Olympiad Tournament, hosted by the GVSU Regional Math and Science Center, held on March 18 on the Allendale campus.  Graduate student Nick Gezon, Ann Hesselsweet, and Drs. Charlyn Partridge, Kevin Strychar, and Janet Vail participated.  Dr. Strychar was recognized with an Event Supervisor Appreciation Award for his leadership and continued service to the event.

Mike Hassett and Ann Hesselsweet represented AWRI at the River City Water Festival in Grand Rapids on March 25.

Dan Myer, graduate student working with Rick Rediske, successfully passed his qualifying exam on March 15.

Rick Rediske attended the first of five infrastructure meetings of the Water Network Fellows on March 24 in Lansing. The topic of this meeting was energy.

Carl Ruetz attended the Michigan Water Collaboration Workshop at the RAM Conference Center in Roscommon on March 31.

Janet Vail attended a reception for Mary Jane Dockeray and a tour at the Blandford Nature Center in Grand Rapids on March 8.

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, his former graduate student Tony Weinke, and Scott Kendall are co-authors of an article published in Eos:
Biddanda, B., A. Weinke** and S. Kendall. 2017. A view of Michigan’s Muskegon Lake Observatory Buoy. Eos-Earth and Space News, AGU, p. 48, March 1, 2017.

Brandon Harris, graduate student who worked with Carl Ruetz, had a manuscript accepted for publication, based on his thesis work:
Harris, B.S.**, C.R. Ruetz III, A.C. Wieten**, M.E. Altenritter**, and K.M. Smith. In Press. Characteristics of lake sturgeon Acipenser fulvescens Rafinesque, 1817 in a tributary of Lake Michigan, USA: status of the Muskegon River population. Journal of Applied Ichthyology. DOI 10.1111/jai.13365

Al Steinman is lead author of an article that is in press in Journal of Great Lakes Research:
Steinman, A.D., B.J. Cardinale, W.R. Munns, M.E. Ogdahl, et al. 2017. Ecosystem services in the Great Lakes. Journal of Great Lakes Research. DOI 10.1016/j.jglr.2017.02.004

Presentations

(Presenter listed first)

AWRI was represented at the annual meeting of the Michigan Chapter of the American Fisheries Society in Mackinaw City on March 15 and 16.  The Ruetz Lab gave the following presentations at the conference:
LaGory, S.** and C.R. Ruetz III. Oral. Seasonal growth, movement, and survival of mottled sculpin (Cottus bairdii) and brown trout (Salmo trutta) in a coldwater stream: preliminary results.
Chorak, G.**, C.R. Ruetz III, R.A. Thum, C. Partridge, D. Clapp, and D.J. Janetski***. Oral. Genetic stock structure of yellow perch in drowned river mouths of eastern Lake Michigan.
Colasante, J.M., G. Chorak**, D.J. Janetski***, C.R. Ruetz III, and D. Clapp. Poster. Size at age comparison of yellow perch across coastal drowned river mouth lakes.
Mock, A.*, S. LaGory**, C.R. Ruetz III, and J.N. McNair. Poster. Reducing bias in mark-recapture abundance estimators for stream fishes using a modified sampling scheme.

AWRI was represented at the Great Lakes AOC Delisting conference held at the Eberhard Center in Grand Rapids on March 29 and 30. Attendees included Mike Hassett, Kim Oldenborg, Maggie Oudsema, Al Steinman, and Kurt Thompson. Steinman Lab members Mike Hassett, Kim Oldenborg, and Maggie Oudsema each presented a poster:
Hassett, M. and A.D. Steinman. Poster. Muskegon Lake long-term monitoring and stakeholder communication.
Oldenborg, K.A.**, and A.D. Steinman. Poster. Impact of sediment dredging on wetland phosphorus dynamics.
Oudsema, M., M. Hassett, A.D. Steinman, and M.E. Ogdahl. Poster. Muskegon Lake AOC habitat restoration: Bear Lake hydraulic reconnection and wetland restoration without sacrificing water quality.

Bopi Biddanda gave two invited seminars while on sabbatical in Spain:
Biddanda, B.  Finding the “Goldilocks Zone” for carbon cycling in a Great Lakes watershed.   Departmento de Ecologia, University of Granada, Granada, Spain. March 1, 2017.
Biddanda, B.  Time and space-traveling with microbial ecosystems of Lake Huron’s sinkholes.  Instituto del Agua, University of Granada, Granada, Spain. March 21, 2017.

Hailee Pavisich, graduate student working with Charlyn Partridge, presented a poster at the Midwest – Great Lakes Chapter of the Society for Ecological Restoration held in Grand Rapids from March 24 – 26.
Pavisich, H** and C. Partridge. Poster. Characterization and development of microsatellite markers for invasive baby's breath, Gypsophila paniculata. 

Janet Vail presented a program at the Lakeshore Museum for a group from Central Elementary on March 21.

Janet Vail co-presented two sessions with Amanda Syers at the Michigan Science Teachers Association annual conference in Novi on March 24 and 25.  The sessions were on the MEECS Climate change Unit and on Population Education.

Janet Vail presented at the National Science Teachers Association Conference in Los Angeles at the end of March. Her talk was on using times series data from lakes for educational purposes.

Tony Weinke, formerly a graduate student and now a technician for Bopi Biddanda, gave a public presentation about the Muskegon Lake Observatory at Torresen Marine’s annual “Spring Thaw” event on March 11.

There were no new awards or recognition for this issue.  Check again next month!

Al Steinman has received a sub-award from the Duck Creek Watershed Assembly for the Duck Creek/Duck Lake Sedimentation Study.  It is in the amount of $12,500 and runs April 1, 2017 to August 31, 2017.

AWRI In the News

“One-Day Workshop: Covering the Grand River – covering any river”
Society of Environmental Journalists, www.sej.org, March 2, 2017
On 4/1/17 the Knight Center for Environmental Journalism is hosting a workshop.  Al Steinman is one of the presenters at this event.

“Great Lakes funding is in jeopardy”
Grand Rapids Business Journal, March 10, 2017
Al Steinman was interviewed concerning the possible cuts to the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative.

“Great Lakes fund has aided Ohio’s algae fight, river cleanup”
News 12 Connecticut, March 12, 2017
A file photo with former technician Tom Holcomb and the Muskegon Lake Buoy are included in the article, as well as a caption to the picture that tells about the buoy and AWRI.
This article was also picked up by:
My GVTC;
Fiostrending;
Toshiba Start;
Fairfield Citizen Online;
Times Union online;
Seattle PI.com;
SFGate;
Westport News;
New Canaan News;
MediaComToday.com;
The Hour Online;
Houston Community Newspapers – Sugar Land Online;
Darien News – online;
Houston Chronicle – online;
New Melford Spectrum – online;
Laredo Morning Times – online;
News 12 New Jersey – online;
Mycci;
Windstream

“Improving the quality of Duck Creek and Duck Lake”
WMEAC, March 14, 2017
The article is about the recent Freshwater Future grant to help improve water quality of Duck Creek/Duck Lake.  WMEAC and Duck Creek Watershed Assembly are partnering to administer the grant.  AWRI technicians will test in spring/summer 2017.

“Great Lakes funding in peril under Trump’s budget proposal”
WOOD-TV 8, March 16, 2017
Al Steinman is quoted regarding proposed cuts to the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative budget.

“Great Lakes funding cut in Trump budget proposal”
WKZO, March 17, 2017
Al Steinman is quoted regarding proposed cuts to the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative budget.
This article was also picked up by:
WNWN – FM, 3/17
WHTC – AM, 3/17
95.5 FM, 3/17
thevan.fm, 3/17
WLMI – FM, 3/17

“Trump’s budget cuts could devastate Great Lakes restoration”
Great Lakes Echo, March 17, 2017
AWRI is involved in GLRI projects, some of which are mentioned in the article.

“Tuesday Talks: Trout in Cedar Creek”
The Post (Cedar Springs), March 17, 2017
Justin Wegner, graduate student working with Mark Luttenton, will be speaking about trout and their movements on March 28^th at Cedar Springs Brewing Company.

“$5 million gift from Indianapolis scientist will address STEM and engineering workforce gaps – launching the R. B. Annis School of Engineering”
UIndy News, March 21, 2017
AWRI is mentioned in the article as a recipient of funds from the R. B. Annis Education Foundation.

LMC Events

Mar 9-11
The AWRI Science Advisory Board held their triennial review at the LMC.

Mar 17
Seminar Speaker: Dr. A.J. Reisinger, Post-Doctoral Researcher at the Cary Institute of Ecosystem Studies, presented: “Biogeochemical symptoms of the urban stream syndrome”

Mar 24-25
AWRI held a graduate student recruitment event at the LMC.

Mar 27
George Heartwell, former Mayor of Grand Rapids, presented on “Sustainability” to AWRI staff and students.

Mar 29-30
The Great Lakes Fishery Trust (GLFT) held their Scientific Advisory Team meeting at the LMC.