In the early years of Grand Valley State University's history, only a few years after its founding, the University received the gift of a 50-foot, diesel-powered, steel-hulled boat from entrepreneur D.J. Angus in 1965. This gift of this vessel and the floating classroom and laboratory program that it inspired would lead GVSU to later create the Water Resources Institute in 1985, which was renamed the R.B. Annis Water Resources Institute in 1997.

Learn more about AWRI by reading the biographies, histories, and annual Year In Review newsletters linked below, a timeline of AWRI major events, or the current research on our faculty's lab websites.