Fall 2019 eNewsletter

Clay Carufel was mentored by Drs. Ayumi Fujisaki-Manome (CIGLR), Jia Wang (NOAA GLERL) and Philip Chu (NOAA GLERL). He helped analyze model results from sea ice, wave, and storm surge models from the western Alaska coastal region by comparing them with available observations, to provide forecast guidance of storm surges. Clay says, “ The fellowship and has helped me by exposing me to a new research project under the guidance of established scientists, getting to know more about the Great Lakes region, and by showing me that research areas I find interesting including physical and biological oceanography are not separate and can be studied together.”

Lauren Marshall worked with Lacey Mason (NOAA GLERL), Russ Miller (CIGLR), and Dr. Philip Chu (NOAA GLERL). She processed environmental data collected by autonomous underwater vehicles (AUVs) in the Great Lakes and helped to visualize the data so that it can be used to engage the public and stakeholders. Lauren says, “My favorite part of this fellowship has been the opportunity to go out in the field and see how different data are collected. Connecting what’s actually happening out on the lake with what’s happening here in the lab and how those two things come together in the big picture has been really exciting.”

Andrew Oppliger worked with NOAA GLERL scientists Drs. Ed Rutherford, Doran Mason , and Hank Vanderploeg to study how density, availability, and energetic content of Dreissena mussel veligers affect diet and growth of larval fish (yellow perch, alewife). Andrew says, “This fellowship has allowed me to gain an understanding of Great Lakes larval fish sampling and analysis that will be extremely valuable to me as I move forward to graduate school.”

Holly Roth was mentored by Dr. Dmitry Beletsky (CIGLR). She investigated the accuracy of over-lake meteorological forcing and its potential impact on surface heat balance and lake temperature predictions. Holly says, “This fellowship has helped me build my professional and scientific skills as well as a network of mentors and colleagues from federal, private, and academic backgrounds.”

Jacob Rudolph worked with Drs. Qianqian Liu (CIGLR), Eric Anderson (NOAA GLERL), and Mark Rowe (NOAA GLERL) on a project evaluating the accuracy of the HABs forecast in 2017 and 2018, and investigating how using different satellites affects the accuracy of the HAB tracker. Jacob is a Ph.D. student at North Carolina State University. Jacob says, “I have gained valuable experience in numerical modeling and the programming language “R” during this fellowship which will be helpful during my dissertation research in coastal biogeochemistry.”

Anna Schmidt worked with Drs. Doran Mason (NOAA GLERL), Ed Rutherford (NOAA GLERL), and Lars Rudstam (Cornell University) to investigate Mysis biomass and vertical distribution in Lake Michigan. She is studying Environmental Sciences and Biology at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Anna says, “As a CIGLR summer fellow, I have gained experience in hydroacoustics, field sampling, statistical analysis, and science communication that I can apply to my future research.”

Nolan Smith worked with Drs. Jill Crossman (University of Windsor), Aaron Fisk (University of Windsor), Mark Rowe (NOAA GLERL), and Tom Johengen (CIGLR). He evaluated the variation in real-time environmental data collected by the Realtime Aquatic Ecosystem Observation Network (RAEON) in the western basin of Lake Erie. Nolan says, “This fellowship has helped me by exposing me to how fieldwork-heavy research is performed and the ways in which to work past the difficulties that arise with it.”

Matthew Trumper worked with NOAA GLERL scientists Dr. Jia Wang and James Kessler to build statistical models to predict Great Lakes ice cover and hypoxia in Lake Erie. Matt says, “I’ve always envisioned myself working as a scientist for a federal agency and this fellowship has given me hands-on experience in that environment. Interacting with the scientists at NOAA and CIGLR has been great career training.”

Jessica Zehnpfennig worked with Drs. Casey Godwin (CIGLR) and Deric Learman (Central Michigan University) to study the fate of the heavy metal manganese during hypoxic events in Lake Erie. Jessica says, “This experience has helped me gain confidence in my skills and ability to perform research. The Great Lakes is a system that I am passionate about because I have grown up in the Great Lakes watershed and know the importance of the world’s largest freshwater system.”