AWRI Welcomes New Postdoctoral Researcher

After graduating from Ohio State University with his Ph.D. in Public Health, Dr. Igor Mrdjen joined AWRI as a postdoctoral research associate in September 2018.  His doctoral research focused on the causes, consequences, and solutions to harmful algal blooms in small lakes and ponds and part of his work recently was published in Environmental Science and Technology.  Specifically, his dissertation focused on human land use influences on harmful algal blooms, toxicity and carcinogenicity of microcystin toxins, and novel ways of preventing harmful algal bloom exposures.

Igor will be joining Dr. Rick Rediske’s lab and work on projects dealing with qPCR and microbial source tracking of fecal bacteria in environmental, cyanobacteria blooms in drowned river mouth lakes, and emerging chemical contaminants in the Great Lakes basin. He currently is working on projects in collaboration with multiple public health labs, the MDEQ, and the U.S. EPA, to help develop and establish criteria for beach water E. coli monitoring and microbial source tracking methods.

Jamie Cross, Shirley McIntire, and Michele Smith, AWRI science instructors, ran a station at the Muskegon County Water Festival on September 20^th and 21^st.

Ann Hesselsweet, AWRI science instructor, led a macroinvertebrate session for a group from Grand Haven Christian School at the East End Grand River Park in Grand Haven on September 19^th.

Shirley McIntire and Michele Smith, hosted a display and activities at the Salmon Festival in Grand Haven on September 15^th.

Charlyn Partridge attended the 2018 Pacbio User Group Meeting, North America, on September 20^th and 21^st in St Louis, Missouri to learn about new sequencing technologies.

Al Steinman hosted a delegation from Shiga Prefecture (Japan) on September 6^th.  The group had a cruise on the research vessel W. G. Jackson.

Al Steinman was invited to give remarks at a Muskegon Rotary Event honoring Roger Andersen on September 8^th.

Janet Vail attended the Project WET USA annual conference and Project WET USA Council meeting in Mystic, Connecticut on September 10^th -11^th.  She has completed her four-year term on the Council.  She also visited Project Oceanology (a vessel-based outreach program) on the campus of the University of Connecticut in Groton, CT.

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

Carl Ruetz is a co-author of a paper published in Environmental Monitoring and Assessment:
Cooper, M.J., G.A. Lamberti, A.H. Moerke, C.R. Ruetz III, D.A. Wilcox, V.J. Brady, T.N. Brown, J.J.H. Ciborowski, J.P. Gathman, G.P. Grabas, L.B. Johnson, and D.G. Uzarski.  2018.  An expanded fish-based index of biotic integrity for Great Lakes coastal wetlands.  Environmental Monitoring and Assessment 190:580, doi: 10.1007/s10661-018-6950-6.

Al Steinman is author of an article in press with Lake and Reservoir Management:
Steinman, A.D.  In Press.  Response to Osgood Comment: Alum efficiency 11 years following treatment: Phosphorus and macroinvertebrates.  Lake and Reservoir Management.

Al Steinman is lead author of a manuscript accepted to International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health. 
Steinman, A.D., M. Hassett, and M. Oudsema.  In Press.  Effectiveness of Best Management Practices to reduce phosphorus loading to a highly eutrophic lake.  International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health.

Kevin Strychar is a co-author of a paper accepted to Marine Biology:
Haslun J.A.***, Hauff Salas B.***, Strychar K.B., Ostrom N.E., and Cervino J. M. In Press. Biotic stress contributes to seawater temperature induced stress in a site-specific manner for Porites astreoides.  MABI-D-17-00669

Presentations

(Presenter listed first)

Bopi Biddanda represented AWRI at a Cooperative Institute for Great Lakes Research (CIGLR) partners meeting in Ann Arbor on September 20^th – 21^st.  Bopi gave a presentation and presented 3 posters prepared by members of his lab.

Carl Ruetz attended and presented at “Big Lakes – Small World”, a joint conference between the International Association of Great Lakes Research and European Large Lakes Symposium, held in Evian, France from September 23^rd – 28^th.
Ruetz, C.R., III. Oral. Fish use of Lake Michigan drowned river mouths: how common are migratory life history types?

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

Al Steinman has a grant as a contractor to LimnoTech in the amount of $88,500 for a project titled: GVMC Water Quality Model and TMDL Implementation Plan Proposal.

Al Steinman has a new additional grant as part of the Project Clarity work AWRI is already doing, not to exceed $80,000, titled:  Monitoring of tile drain effluent for upcoming Macatawa Phosphorus Pilot project.

“Researcher studying whether food production could be safer with new E. Coli test”
InterChange Newsletter, September 2018
Kevin Strychar’s grant to test for E. Coli using an imaging flow cytometer is discussed.

“GVSU researchers investigate biological, chemical effects of microplastics”
GVNext, September 12, 2018
Al Steinman was interviewed regarding his microplastics project.

“Expert on PFAS in Grand Haven: ‘It shouldn’t be there’”
The Tribune, September 14, 2018
Rick Rediske was interviewed concerning PFAS being found in drinking water.

“Global flow cytometry market to record impressive growth, revenue to surge to US $5,650.9 million by 2023”
Digital Journal, September 18, 2018
The article mentions the grant Kevin Strychar received from Michigan Department of Agriculture and Rural Development to use imaging flow cytometry to detect E. Coli in food.

“Testing the water: LSSU Freshwater Research and Education Center officials working in temporary digs as new facility on way”
The Sault Star, September 26, 2018
GVSU is mentioned as a collaborator with LSSU.

“Groundwater levels, quality drop in Ottawa County”
myZeeland, September 26, 2018
AWRI is listed as a partner in the monitoring of groundwater in Ottawa County.

“Expert on PFAS in Grand Haven: ‘It shouldn’t be there’”.
myZeeland, September 26, 2018
Rick Rediske was interviewed concerning PFAS being found in drinking water.

LMC Events

Sept 14
Seminar Speaker: Dr. Manuel Villar-Argaiz, Professor of Ecology with the Institute Agua at University of Granada, presented:  “Life in a Dustier World:  Ecological Consequences of Dust Deposition”.

Sept 19
The Muskegon in Focus group held its annual luncheon presentation and vessel trip on the W.G. Jackson.

Sept 20
Students from Saugatuck High School (Allegan County) visited the Annis Educational Foundation Classroom for hands-on activities and took a vessel cruise on the W.G. Jackson.

Sept 24 & 25
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.

Sept 27
Seventh grade students from Crestwood Middle School (Kent County) visited the Annis Educational Foundation Classroom for hands-on activities and took a vessel cruise on the W.G. Jackson