July 2024 eNewsletter

Announcements

$6.5M Awarded for Great Lakes Center for Fresh Waters and Human Health

Photo Credit: McKenzie Powers.

Jim Erickson, Michigan News (full article)

Great Lakes researchers at the University of Michigan and CIGLR have been awarded a $6.5 million, five-year federal grant to host a center to study the links between climate change, harmful algal blooms, and human health. CIGLR Director Gregory Dick will serve as director of the Great Lakes Center for Fresh Waters and Human Health, while CIGLR Assistant Research Scientist Casey Godwin will join a team of scientists to assess the occurrence, transport, and effects on human health of aerosolized cyanobacterial toxins. Results of the center’s studies will inform management strategies and public policies to protect drinking water and safeguard human health in the Great Lakes region and other freshwater systems afflicted by cyanobacterial harmful algal blooms worldwide.

$1.75M Awarded for Great Lakes Marine Biodiversity Observation Network

Photo Credit: NASA.

NOAA U.S. Integrated Ocean Observing System (full article)

Anna Busse, Michigan News (full article)

The University of Michigan with CIGLR’s Casey Godwin as principal investigator was awarded $1.75M for the Great Lakes Marine Biodiversity Observation Network (GL-MBON) to assess biodiversity, habitat, and key ecosystem functions in the region to meet stakeholders’ information needs. The Great Lakes are seeing dramatic shifts and losses in biodiversity that threaten ecosystem services in these inland seas of North America, which are under pressure from invasive species, climate change, nutrient pollution, hypoxia, and harmful algal blooms. The GL-MBON will assess biodiversity, habitat, and key ecosystem functions in the region to meet stakeholders’ information needs. The University of Michigan is partnering with NOAA’s Great Lakes Environmental Research Laboratory, Oregon State University, Great Lakes Fisheries Commission, and the Great Lakes Observing System (GLOS) to assess habitat and biodiversity across a range of spatial and temporal scales. A key innovation of the GL-MBON will be integration across multiple technological approaches, including high-throughput sequencing and bioinformatics, telemetry for fish populations, and mapping large-scale biogeographic patterns measured by satellites. Working closely with GLOS, data from those approaches will be integrated to maximize interoperability of information, links with existing repositories, and access to the information.

Congratulations to CIGLR’s Glenn Carter, Songzhi Liu, and Mary Ogdahl!

Glenn Carter and Songzhi Liu Receive Awards from the University of Michigan Office of the Vice President for Research

The Office of the Vice President for Research recognized 15 staff members from across the University of Michigan for their outstanding service and leadership in advancing research, scholarship, and creative practice. “The remarkable efforts and dedication of our research staff are essential to the vitality and progress of the University of Michigan’s diverse research landscape,” said Arthur Lupia, interim vice president for research and innovation.

Glenn Carter (top photo) received the Research Associate/Assistant/Technician Recognition Award, which recognizes distinguished service to the University of Michigan research community and celebrates exemplary performance in their role as a research associate/assistant or technician. “Glenn first started with CILER (now CIGLR) in 1996 and has spent most of his career working with the University’s research partnerships related to the Great Lakes and aquatic science,” said Casey Godwin, CIGLR Associate Research Scientist. “In addition to his contributions to Dreissena mussels and lower food web research, Glenn has improved our workplace through mentoring new employees and fellows and by promoting a culture of safety and respect in the lab and aboard vessels.”

Songzhi Liu (bottom photo) received the Research Data Management and Analysis Staff Recognition Award, which recognizes a staff member’s distinguished service to the University of Michigan research community and celebrates exemplary performance in their data manager or analysis roles. “Songzhi has served as the Operations Manager for NOAA’s CoastWatch Great Lakes Node since 1997,” said Ayumi Fujisaki-Manome, CIGLR Associate Research Scientist. “Songzhi works to obtain and deliver near real-time and retrospective satellite observations for the Great Lakes data users in collaboration with NOAA scientists. He has made many achievements to establish pathways from science to public service. Most notably, Songzhi played essential roles in organizing the annual CoastWatch Satellite Data Training Courses, which provided valuable opportunities to learn satellite products, data access, and data analysis for students, scientists, and professionals across the Great Lakes region.”

Mary Ogdahl receives the SEAS Most Valuable Player (MVP) Award. Photo Credit: UM SEAS.

Mary Ogdahl Receives Award from the University of Michigan School for Environment and Sustainability (SEAS)

Mary Ogdahl was selected for the SEAS Most Valuable Player (MVP) Award. This award celebrates the employee who consistently delivers exceptional results, makes significant contributions to the team, and goes above and beyond in their role to support the SEAS community. “Mary’s dedication, hard work, and excellence to the SEAS community have set her apart, and we are thrilled that she was selected and honored for her accomplishments,” said Gregory Dick, CIGLR Director. “This award is certainly well deserved, and CIGLR is so lucky to benefit from Mary’s exceptional work every day.”

Thank You, Sara Hughes!

Sara Hughes has transitioned out of her role as CIGLR Associate Director and into a new position as a full-time senior policy researcher at the RAND Corporation. Sara will maintain an adjunct role at the University of Michigan for the time being, continuing to mentor her students and collaborate on ongoing projects. “I’d like to take this opportunity to thank Sara for her leadership of CIGLR’s social science efforts,” said Gregory Dick, CIGLR Director. “Sara’s time as our Associate Director was short, and I’m sorry to see her go, but I wish her all the best in this new and exciting chapter of her career.” CIGLR’s Mike Shriberg has stepped into the CIGLR Associate Director role, in addition to his role as CIGLR Director of Engagement, and will continue building CIGLR’s social science research program.

CIGLR has a NEW Blog!

We’re excited to share our new blog CIGLR Connect with everyone. CIGLR Connect is an informal, blog-style publication that will connect our readers and science by sharing news from CIGLR’s Research Institute and Consortium, program updates, staff and student highlights, collaborations, and more. 

The CIGLR Connect blog space is open to anyone from the CIGLR Research Institute, Regional Consortium, program award recipients, and affiliated students. Please email CIGLR Communications Specialist Aubrey Lashaway ([email protected]) with questions, how to contribute, and to learn more.

Summit and Working Group (SWG) Meeting: The Use of Archival Environmental DNA in the Laurentian Great Lakes

Taking notes at the archival eDNA working group meeting. Photo Credit: Steve Ruberg.

Long-term time series data are critical in any effort to understand the timing and impact of stressors on an aquatic ecosystem and the potential resilience of that system to external pressures. For most aquatic systems, the breadth of available historical information is insufficient to identify ecological/biological transitions and their connection to altered ecosystem conditions. Recently, bulk environmental DNA (eDNA) analysis methods were developed and are now being applied to a variety of environments (e.g., water, soils, air, the built environment). In limnological settings, DNA preserved in sediment cores has proven to extend the observational record well beyond what was previously possible and provides a record for the many organisms living in these systems that do not leave behind fossils. These DNA-based analyses now allow for a richer examination of the organismal history of a water body and the opportunity to make connections to current communities, including microbial communities, which have profound impacts on aquatic ecosystem functions.

A team of experts from the University of Wisconsin – Milwaukee, University of Toledo and NOAA GLERL led a CIGLR-hosted working group from June 10-13, 2024, focused on archival eDNA studies within several areas of the Laurentian Great Lakes that have low dissolved oxygen levels. Low oxygen systems provide useful preservation of eDNA. They are also often locations that have been impacted by human-mediated eutrophication, and thus are a priority for ecosystem management. This team of interdisciplinary scientists is working together to document the past and present functioning of these low oxygen environments and better understand the future trajectory of coastal areas and pelagic zones in the rapidly changing Great Lakes. The ultimate goal of the working group meeting was to evaluate the potential for archival eDNA from sediments to serve as a proxy of past biodiversity change. Two products are being developed from this working group and include 1) a white paper/perspectives manuscript on the scope of science that could be carried out in the Great Lakes using archival eDNA and 2) a collaborative proposal to the cross-directorate the US National Science Foundation’s Biodiversity on a Changing Planet (BoCP) program.

CIGLR Energizes Great Lakes Partnerships with 7th All Partners Meeting

7th CIGLR All Partners Meeting poster session. Photo Credit: Aubrey Lashaway.

CIGLR‘s All Partners Meeting is a 2-day event that aims to coordinate research goals and foster new research partnerships between NOAA GLERL and members of the CIGLR Regional Consortium. The meeting was from May 6-7 on the University of Michigan campus and focused on climate impacts and resilience. More than 130 scientists from the CIGLR Research Institute, CIGLR Regional Consortium, and NOAA were in attendance.

The meeting kicked off with welcome presentations by NOAA GLERL Director Deborah Lee and CIGLR Director Gregory Dick, providing overviews of GLERL/CIGLR and laying out pathways to collaboration. U.S. Representative for Michigan’s 6th Congressional District Debbie Dingell shared a meaningful message with the group that opened a panel discussion focused on the future of Great Lakes research, education, and sustainability. Panelists included Ashley Moerke, Director of Lake Superior State University’s Center for Freshwater Research and Education, Laura Rubin, Director of the Healing Our Waters – Great Lakes Coalition, and Jonathan Overpeck, Dean of the University of Michigan’s School for Environment and Sustainability. Keynote presentations by Bob Sterner (University of Minnesota Duluth) and Val Klump (University of Wisconsin Milwaukee) set the stage for the meeting’s climate impacts and resilience theme. Meeting sessions included presentations by CIGLR, GLERL, and Regional Consortium investigators on climate impacts on ecosystems and ecosystem services; coastal flooding and other hazards; and predicting and preparing for changing water levels. A poster session and reception gave attendees the opportunity to showcase their research successes and engage in one-on-one discussions. During facilitated breakout sessions, participants identified and prioritized opportunities for collaboration, including strategies for pursing new research directions.

“It was marvelous to host the All Partners Meeting in person for the first time since 2019!” said Gregory Dick, CIGLR Director. “The power of partnerships between universities, NGOs, the private sector and NOAA was on full display. I was inspired to see new students, postdocs, and faculty engaging in Great Lakes research for the first time.  It was also exciting to hear about new technologies, such as the use of existing telecommunications cables on the lake bottoms for winter observations, and the use of artificial intelligence for designing and interpreting observing systems. We are looking forward to many new future collaborations!”

NOAA CoastWatch Sea Ice Course – Oct 21, 2024

CoastWatch is hosting a virtual training class that is free and open to all. Click here to Register.