Spring 2017 eNewsletter

Welcome 2017 Great Lakes Summer Fellows!

Each year, CIGLR has the pleasure of hosting a group of bright, upcoming scientists as part of our Great Lakes Summer Fellows Program. During the course of their 12-week fellowship, students are exposed to a broad range of disciplines while working on a substantive research topic under the mentorship of a CIGLR or GLERL scientist. This summer we welcome 12 students to the program. While most are working at NOAA GLERL, one fellow is located at the Midwestern Regional Climate Center at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. In addition to a heavy research focus, the program includes career preparation activities and community outreach opportunities. The Great Lakes Summer Fellows program is in partnership with NOAA GLERL.

The 2017 Great Lakes Summer Fellows include:

Kennedy Connolly
Kennedy is working with Kim Kulpanowski (GLERL) on a project to develop and implement improvements to the GLERL safety and environmental compliance program. Her project will involve both the NOAA GLERL facility in Ann Arbor and the Lake Michigan Field Station in Muskegon. Kennedy is currently a senior at Oakland University studying Environmental Science, with a concentration in Sustainability and Resource Management.

Rachel Fadlovich
Rae is working with Hongyan Zhang (CIGLR), Ed Rutherford (GLERL), and Doran Mason (GLERL), using an ecosystem model to study the impacts of remediation actions, like habitat restoration and invasive species control, on the Lake Erie food web. Rae is a senior at Arizona State University studying Conservation Biology and Ecology.

Deanna Fyffe
Deanna is working with Thomas Johengen (CIGLR) and Tim Davis (GLERL) on a project investigating the use of in situ fluorometers for detection of harmful algal blooms (HABs). Deanna recently graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Microbiology and Environmental Science from Miami University.

Franky Hang
Franky is working with James Kessler (CIGLR), Haoguo Hu (CIGLR) and Jia Wang (GLERL) on research linking climate teleconnection patterns, such as El Niño Southern Oscillation, to the Great Lakes climate and ice cover. Franky is currently a senior at the University of Michigan, studying environmental engineering and biofuels.

Thomas Hercula
Thomas is working with Chuliang Xiao (CIGLR) and Brent Lofgren (GLERL) on research to identify relationships between lake levels in the Great Lakes and meteorological conditions such as air temperature, barometric pressure, and precipitation. Thomas is currently a first year Masters student at the University of Michigan in chemical engineering.

Kylan Hopper
Kylan is working on a project to expand the Great Lakes Aquatic Nonindigenous Species Information System (GLANSIS), with Rochelle Sturtevant (NOAA Sea Grant) and Felix Martinez (NOAA NOS). Kylan is currently a junior completing a Bachelor of Environmental Science Degree with a GIS minor at Western Washington University.

Angelika Kurthen
Angelika is working with Ed Rutherford (GLERL) on an ongoing study of invasive species impacts on Great Lakes fisheries and food webs. Angelika is a recent graduate from the University of Michigan Program in the Environment, where she focused on marine and aquatic conservation.

Verena Lucke
Verena is working with Hank Vanderploeg (GLERL), Ed Rutherford (GLERL), and Doran Mason (GLERL) on research to understand the day-night vertical movement of zooplankton and larval fishes in Lakes Huron and Michigan, following the changes in water clarity and food web structure that have occurred since the invasion of zebra and quagga mussels. Verena recently graduated from Indiana University with a Bachelor of Science degree in Biology.

Thomas Makled
Thomas working on a project to expand the Great Lakes Aquatic Nonindigenous Species Information System (GLANSIS), with Rochelle Sturtevant (NOAA Sea Grant) and Felix Martinez (NOAA NOS). Thomas is beginning graduate studies in Environmental Policy and Planning at the University of Michigan School for Environment and Sustainability (SEAS) this fall.

Mary Grace Thibault
Mary Grace is working at the Midwestern Regional Climate Center with Beth Hall (University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (UIUC)) and Jennifer Day (GLERL) on a project to advance climate decision support services (DSS) by engaging federal, state, and regional climatologists to identify critical DSS need gaps. Mary Grace recently graduated from Ohio State University (OSU) with Bachelor of Science degrees in Atmospheric Science and Anthropology. She will be returning to OSU for a Master of Science degree in Atmospheric Science this fall.

Chelsea Weiskerger
Chelsea is working with Mark Rowe (CIGLR), Hongyan Zhang (CIGLR), Craig Stow (GLERL), and Tim Davis (GLERL) on a project to evaluate the relationship between light penetration and water quality in Lake Erie, using statistical models. Chelsea is currently working toward a Ph.D. in Environmental Engineering at Michigan State University (MSU). She has a Bachelor of Science degree from Colorado State University in Wildlife Biology, and a Master of Science in Environmental Engineering from MSU.

Huayun Zhou
Huayun is working with Dmitry Beletsky (CIGLR) and Eric Anderson (GLERL) to improve Lake Erie harmful algal bloom (HAB) models, by analyzing and processing available observational data for model calibration. Huayun has a Bachelor of Science degree in Engineering from the University of Singapore, and is currently a graduate student at the University of Michigan School of Natural Resources and Environment.