Incoming Graduate Students at AWRI

Graduate students are a vital and critical part of our mission at the Annis Water Resources Institute (AWRI). We welcome the 4 new graduate students joining us this fall. 

Matt Allen grew up in West Michigan and graduated with a B.S. in Natural Resource Management from GVSU. He spends most of his free time fly fishing and teaching fly fishing classes in Grand Rapids. He will be working with Dr. Rick Rediske on water quality and watershed management in Lake Michigan coastal streams.

Cassidy Gilmore is from Greenville, Michigan. She attended Newberry College in South Carolina and graduated with a B.S. in Biology magna cum laude in 2017. She will be working with Dr. Kevin Strychar at AWRI. Prior to attending GVSU, Cassidy was employed as a substitute teacher, an adult paraprofessional for Kent District Library, and a park ranger for Kent County Parks. 

Tyler Harman is a native from St. Louis, MO. He moved to Norfolk, VA to attend Old Dominion University for his undergraduate degree in Biological Oceanography with a minor in Biology, where he studied temperate coral reefs under Dr. Daniel Barshis. Tyler is now looking to further his research in temperate coral under Dr. Kevin Strychar, focusing on certain aspects of climate change and how it affects Symbiodinium clades in the Northern Star Coral (Astrangia poculata).

Jasmine Mancuso grew up in Muskegon, Michigan and moved to Auburn Hills, Michigan to attend Oakland University where she received a bachelor’s degree in Environmental Sustainability and Resource Management with a minor in Biology. There, she took part in an aquatic ecology lab studying an invasive species, the New Zealand mud snail, and its impact on the health of Michigan streams and rivers.  Jasmine will be completing her master’s degree in Biology with a concentration in aquatic sciences at AWRI.  She will be working in Dr. Bopi Biddanda’s lab using data collected by the Muskegon Lake Buoy Observatory to monitor changing conditions in Muskegon Lake.  

Jennifer Kovach grew up in Freeport, Pennsylvania. She attended Chatham University and graduated with a B.S. in Environmental Science. She is now working with Dr. Jennifer Moore (Biology Department) and Dr. Kevin Strychar researching leukocyte profiles of the Michigan native Eastern Massasauga Rattlesnake.  

Maggie Oudsema was born and raised in Iron Mountain, Michigan and moved downstate to attend GVSU for her bachelor’s degree in Biology with an aquatic science emphasis. Upon completing her degree in 2009, she was hired as a Research Assistant in Dr. Alan Steinman’s lab, where she still works today.  Maggie will continue her full-time position within the Steinman lab while going to school part-time to complete her master’s degree in Biology with an aquatic science emphasis. Dr. Carl Ruetz will be her advisor and her thesis work will focus on long-term monitoring of the fish community in Lake Macatawa, located in Holland, MI.

Bopi Biddanda hosted Michigan Space Grant Consortium’s Executive Board retreat held at both AWRI and Shoreline Inn, Muskegon on August 17^th – 18^th.  Affiliate representatives of 12 Michigan institutions met to plan a proposal to NASA for the next 5-year cycle.

Barney Boyer, graduate student working with Mark Luttenton, successfully passed his Qualifying Exam on Aug 20^th.

Molly Lane and Brian Scull were in Lansing attending a training seminar hosted by MDEQ and MSU on Molecular Source Tracking Methods for Human Biomarkers from August 20^th – 24^th.

Shirley McIntire and Michele Smith, AWRI vessel instructors, hosted a display at the opening of the Smithsonian Water/Ways exhibit at the Raven Hill Discovery Center in East Jordan, Michigan on August 11^th.

Rick Rediske met with Diane Russel of the EPA on Aug 22^nd to talk about PFAS.  Diane is the Community Involvement Coordinator for Flint, Michigan.

Janet Vail held a Project WET workshop at AWRI on August 13^th.

Janet Vail assisted Amanda Syers from the GVSU College of Education in coordinating a GLOBE workshop held in Grand Rapids on August 15^th.

Janet Vail facilitated a Great Lakes Literacy educator workshop at Raven Hill Discovery Center (East Jordan, MI) on August 21^st.  She also gave an evening talk there on Michigan’s Water Resources.

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

The Muskegon Lake Buoy was featured in an article in the publication Environmental Monitor:
Gillies, Jeff. 2018. Data Buoy powers Muskegon Lake Hypoxia research. Environmental Monitor, August 2018, pages 28 - 29.
https://fondriest.com/pdf/2018_em_summer_high.pdf

Jim McNair is lead author of an article in PLOS One:
McNair, J., C.R. Ruetz, A. Carlson, and J. Suh. 2018. Reducing effects of dispersal on the bias of 2-sample mark-recapture estimators of stream fish abundance. PLOS One.
https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0200733

Presentations

(Presenter listed first)

AWRI was represented at the 103^rd annual meeting of the Ecological Society of America (ESA) held August 5^th – 10^th in New Orleans, Louisiana.  AWRI personnel in attendance were Hailee Leimbach-Maus, Charlyn Partridge, Andrew Pyman, and Emma Rice.  The following AWRI presentations occurred:
Leimbach-Maus (Pavisich), H.** and C.G. Partridge.  Population genetic structure of invasive Gypsophila paniculata (baby’s breath) in the northwest Michigan dune system.
Pyman, A.D.** and C.G. Partridge.  Development of rapid assessment methods for harmful algal blooms (HABs) using qPCR.
Rice, E.K.** and J.N. McNair.  Assessment of invasive baby's breath control methods in the northwest Michigan dunes.

Rick Rediske spoke to the Grand Rapids Association of Realtors about PFAS on August 15^th.  About 160 people attended the presentation.

Al Steinman presented “Understanding Climate Change and its Impacts on Water Resources” and “Great Lakes Challenges and Solutions” at the Midwest Institute for International/Intercultural Education in Kalamazoo, Michigan on August 9^th.

Al Steinman presented “History of the Environmental Committee” for the Community Foundation for Muskegon County on August 27^th.

Janet Vail presented at a networking session at the summer institute for the West Michigan Great Lakes Stewardship Initiative on August 9^th.

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

Charlyn Partridge has secured a National Science Foundation-MRI grant in the amount of $183,747 for an Illumina MiSeq Sequencing System to enhance environmental research in the Great Lakes region.

Rick Rediske was awarded $3,100 from the Big Flower Creek Association, $1,000 from Reviving Our American Democracy (ROAD), and $500 from the Land Conservancy of West Michigan to support his Big Flower Creek Water Quality Testing project.

Carl Ruetz received a contract from the Ottawa County Parks Department for their Riverside Park Aquatic Survey in the amount of $16,421.

“Immersing in Project WET”
MAEOEgram (Michigan Alliance for Environmental and Outdoor Education), August 2018
AWRI’s Janet Vail hosted a workshop in June.  This article was written by one of the participants.

“State of Flux: Great Lakes water level variability leads to uncertainty for coastal areas”
MiBiz, August 4, 2018
Al Steinman was interviewed regarding lake levels.

“Lumber-era mill wood being pulled from bottom of Muskegon Lake”
Muskegon Chronicle, August 5, 2018
AWRI is mentioned as a partner in the mill debris clean up.
Also carried by Grand Rapids Press on 8/9/18

“Great Lakes ecology topic of talk in western Michigan”
Associated Press, August 8, 2018
Mark Luttenton presented “Science On Tap: Exploring the Ecology of the Great Lakes” held in Grand Rapids on August 9^th.
Also carried by San Francisco Chronicle
WGVU

“Water/Ways Smithsonian Museum on Main Street exhibit to open at Raven Hill”
Gaylord Herald Times, August 10, 2018
Janet Vail presented a Great Lakes Literacy Workshop as part of the Water/Ways event.

“Study data from Grand Valley State University provide new insights into Life Science Research”
Life Science Weekly, August 14, 2018
Jim McNair’s recent article in PLOS One was discussed.

“New E. coli test could change food production”
Global FoodMate, August 14, 2018
Kevin Strychar’s grant to test for E. coli using an imaging flow cytometer is discussed.
Also covered by Grand Rapids Business Journal
Holland Sentinel
WZZM – Health
Dutch and Belgium news
The Packer
Farm Journal

“UIX: If you live in West Michigan, these are the people keeping your most valuable resource alive”
Rapid Growth, August 24, 2018
Elaine Sterrett Isely, Director of Water Programs at West Michigan Environmental Action Council, was featured.  The article mentioned that Elaine received her Master’s Degree from GVSU and worked at AWRI after graduation.

“Gun Lake tribe to release Lake Sturgeon into Kalamazoo River”
Native News Online, August 24, 2018
GVSU (AWRI) is mentioned as a partner working with the Gun Lake Tribe to release lake sturgeon into the Kalamazoo River.

“Ottawa County tackles challenging groundwater issues with proactive planning”
Ottawa County, online, August 28, 2018
GVSU-AWRI is a partner in managing Ottawa County’s groundwater with Al Steinman serving on the Groundwater Executive Team.

LMC Events

Aug 7
The Muskegon Lake Watershed Partnership held a public meeting at the Lake Michigan Center.

Aug 15
Seminar Speaker:  Dr. Jo Latimore, Aquatic Ecologist and Outreach Specialist at MSU’s Department of Fisheries and Wildlife, presented:  “Science communication and engagement: Effective approaches that benefit researchers, stakeholders, and our shared water resources”.

Aug 17
The Michigan Space Grant Consortium’s Executive Board held a retreat at the Lake Michigan Center.