Summer 2023 eNewsletter
Thank You 2023 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 through which they conduct an in-depth research project, attend career development seminars, receive skills training, and bond as a cohort. The program Fellows are also exposed to the many dynamic individuals in our collaborative environment through research discussions with 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 short 12-week period. We applaud everyone involved for their flexibility, creativity, and positivity that shaped a meaningful, career-building experience.
We offer an enthusiastic thank you and congratulations to the 2023 Great Lakes Summer Fellows:
Tait Algayer
Tait worked with Drs. S. Rao Chaganti (CIGLR) and Edward Rutherford (NOAA GLERL) on the development of genetic assays for Great Lakes larval fish identification. She is currently a master’s student at Washington State University.
Naomy Aviles-Diaz
Naomy is pursuing her master’s degree at the University of Puerto Rico Mayagüez. She worked with Drs. Greg Dick (CIGLR), Anders Kiledal (University of Michigan), Sara Rivera (University of Michigan) and Ph.D candidate Lauren Hart (University of Michigan) to study interactions of Microcystis and associated bacteria on bloom control and proliferation.
Kristin Huelsbeck
Kristin worked with Drs. Casey Godwin (CIGLR) and Reagan Errera (NOAA GLERL) to further explore microcystin production by benthic communities in western Lake Erie. She is currently an undergraduate student at the University of Wisconsin – Milwaukee entering her senior year.
Michael Meng
Michael is a rising senior at Boston University and was mentored by Drs. David Cannon (CIGLR) and Jia Wang (NOAA GLERL). Their fellowship research focused on understanding the connection between Great Lakes and Arctic ice cover in response to teleconnection forcing.
Jessica Middleton
Jessica is entering her senior year at the University of Michigan and was mentored by Drs. David Cannon (CIGLR) and Jia Wang (NOAA GLERL). Along with Michael Meng, her fellowship research focused on understanding the connection between Great Lakes and Arctic ice cover in response to teleconnection forcing.
Chase Pheifer
Chase worked with Drs. Yi Hong (CIGLR) and Lauren Fry (NOAA GLERL) to evaluate hydrologic modeling over the Great Lakes domain for sub-seasonal to annual forecasts. He is currently a master’s student at the University of Minnesota Duluth.
Heather Truong
Heather is a rising senior at Eckerd College and worked with Maddie Tomczak (CIGLR) and Drs. Edward Rutherford (NOAA GLERL), Doran Mason (NOAA GLERL) and Mark Rowe (NOAA GLERL). Her research investigated recruitment bottlenecks in larval stages of key Great Lakes prey fishes.
Karen Weldon
Karen worked with Lara O’Brien (NOAA Office for Coastal Management), Jennifer Day (NOAA GLERL), Chiara Zuccarino-Crowe, Michigan Sea Grant) and Dr. Kate Quigley (NOAA Office for Coastal Management) to explore Great Lakes ecosystem services valuation. Karen recently received her master’s degree from the University of Michigan.