Summer 2022 eNewsletter

Thank You 2022 Great Lakes Summer Fellows!

In partnership with NOAA GLERL, the Great Lakes Summer Fellows Program is the cornerstone of CIGLR’s efforts to train the next generation of scientists. Each year CIGLR has the pleasure of hosting a group of bright, upcoming scientists to participate in a 12-week fellowship that exposes them to an in-depth research project.

This year, the fellowship was a hybrid program with both remote and in-person participation. To help give the fellows exposure to the many dynamic individuals in our collaborative environment, weekly career development seminars were complemented by weekly research discussions, where fellows had the opportunity to hear from CIGLR and GLERL scientists about their work and their own career paths. The fellows, mentors, and CIGLR ECO (Engagement, Career Training, and Outreach) team truly demonstrated just how much can be accomplished in a hybrid fellowship. We applaud everyone involved for their continued flexibility, creativity, and positivity that are shaping a meaningful, career-building experience out of an ever-challenging situation.

We offer an enthusiastic thank you to the 2022 Great Lakes Summer Fellows:

Maya Casey

Maya worked with Drs. Reagan Errera (NOAA GLERL), Hank Vanderploeg (NOAA GLERL), and Cody Sheik (University of Minnesota-Duluth) to explore the buoyancy potential of Microcystis using metagenomic data. She recently obtained a bachelor’s degree from Haverford College.

Ryan Glassman

Ryan is currently a student at Valparaiso University and was mentored by Drs. Ayumi Fujisaki-Manome (CIGLR) and Abby Hutson (CIGLR). His fellowship research focused on understanding the long-term trends of winter storm frequency and intensity over the Great Lakes.

Shaun Laurinaitis

Shaun worked with Drs. Jia Wang (NOAA GLERL) and David Cannon (CIGLR) to investigate connection patterns between Great Lakes and Arctic ice cover in response to teleconnection forcing. He is currently a student at the State University of New York at Oswego.

Emilia Lepe

Emilia recently received her bachelor’s degree from California State University, Monterey Bay. She worked with Drs. Reagan Errera (NOAA GLERL), Hank Vanderploeg (NOAA GLERL), and Jim Hood (Ohio State University) to investigate pigment-specific identification methods of phytoplankton in Lake Erie.

Marion Martyres

Marion worked with Sarah Waters (NOAA ONMS) and Ellen Brody (NOAA ONMS) to support the Great Lakes Bay Watershed Education and Training (B-WET) program by connecting with staff and engaging with B-WET grant recipients leading place-based education projects throughout the Great Lakes. She recently obtained a bachelor’s degree from the University of Michigan.

David Rose

David worked with Drs. Ashley Elgin (NOAA GLERL) and Rochelle Sturtevant (Michigan Sea Grant, Michigan State University) to expand the Great Lakes Aquatic Nonindigenous Species Information System (GLANSIS). He is currently pursuing his master’s degree from the University of Michigan School for Environment and Sustainability.

 

Luke Skowronek

Luke recently graduated from the University of Michigan School for Environment and Sustainability with a master’s degree in geospatial data science and ecosystem science and management. He worked with Drs. Casey Godwin (CIGLR), Reagan Errera (NOAA GLERL), and Craig Stow (NOAA GLERL) to model harmful algal bloom (HAB) vertical distribution in Lake Erie.

Amy VanZanen

Amy worked with Dr. Craig Stow (NOAA GLERL) and Steve Ruberg (NOAA GLERL) to explore the status and trends of Saginaw Bay time-series observations. She is currently pursuing a master’s degree at the University of Michigan.