AWRI Welcomes New Postdoctoral Researcher

AWRI welcomes Dr. Qianqian Liu.  Dr. Liu is a new postdoc working with Prof. Bopi Biddanda at AWRI-GVSU and Dr. Eric Anderson at GLERL-NOAA as part of the CILER-GLERL postdoctoral fellowship project. In addition to analyzing the available multi-year time-series observatory data for Muskegon Lake, Dr. Liu will implement a coupled physical-biogeochemical model for Muskegon Lake to systematically investigate the ecosystem. For example, she will be studying the spatial and temporal variability of hypoxia (low dissolved oxygen), and how hydrodynamics affects eutrophication, harmful algal blooms, and hypoxia in Muskegon Lake.  This project will lead to the development of a 3-D hydrodynamic model for the Muskegon Lake Area of Concern, and will assist ecosystem-based management.

Qianqian graduated from the Graduate School of Oceanography, University of Rhode Island with a PhD degree in Physical Oceanography in May 2015. Her PhD work was on understanding the fundamental physics of important processes in the southern New England's inner shelf by the Regional Ocean Modeling System (ROMS), including an investigation of the seasonally varying circulation in Rhode Island Sound, and the circulation’s response to climate change and climate variability. From June 2015 to November 2016, she was a postdoctoral research associate in the School of Marine Sciences, University of Maine, where she studied nutrient fluxes and biomass production cycles in San Francisco Bay by developing and implementing a coupled physical-biogeochemical (SCHISM-CoSiNE) model. As a Laker now, she hopes to utilize her expertise in physical and biogeochemical oceanography to the study of Muskegon Lake, and contribute to the much larger-scale Michigan-Huron Operational Forecast System in the Great Lakes. 

Bopi Biddanda participated in interviewing prospective students for “Awards of Distinction” on the Allendale campus on December 3.

Rick Rediske and Carl Ruetz attended the Muskegon Lake Watershed Partnership’s Muskegon Lake Ecosystem Master Plan meeting on January 27.

Al Steinman has attended a series of meetings as a member of the search committee for the next Goodwill Executive Director.

Al Steinman attended a TNC (The Nature Conservancy) Board meeting held in Lansing on December 2.

Al Steinman attended a meeting regarding the proposal to have Muskegon Lake declared a National Estuarine Research Reserve System, held at the West Michigan Shoreline Regional Development Commission on December 14.

Al Steinman hosted a meeting between USGS and AWRI at the Lake Michigan Center on January 4.

Al Steinman attended a meeting of the Muskegon Lake Watershed Partnership focused on Bear Lake restoration, held at the West Michigan Shoreline Regional Development Commission on January 19.

Al Steinman traveled to MSU in East Lansing to participate in Kateri Salk’s Ph.D. defense on January 20. Bopi Biddanda participated by Skype.

Al Steinman attended the Editorial Board meeting of Freshwater Biology in Oxford, UK. on January  23-30.

Janet Vail attended a luncheon convened by the West Michigan Environmental Action Council for the West Michigan Water Partners (women who are involved in west Michigan environmental activities) on January 17.

AWRI staff are bolded, undergraduate students are denoted with a single asterisk*, graduate students are denoted with two asterisks**, and post-doc researchers are donated with three asterisks ***.

Publications

Bopi Biddanda is a co-author of an article published in Biogeochemistry:
Salk, K.R., P.H. Ostrom, B.A. Biddanda, A.D. Weinke**, S.T. Kendall and N.E. Ostrom. 2016. Ecosystem metabolism and greenhouse gas production in a mesotrophic northern temperate lake experiencing seasonal hypoxia. Biogeochemistry 131: 303-319.

Bopi Biddanda has a manuscript accepted to Eos – American Geophysical Union.
Biddanda, B.A. In Press. Emerging global significance of the freshwater carbon cycle. Eos – American Geophysical Union.

Charlyn Partridge was lead author of an article published in PLoS ONE:
Partridge, C., M.D. MacManes, R. Knapp, and B.D. Neff. 2016. Brain transcriptional profiles of male alternative reproductive tactics and females in bluegill sunfish. PLoS ONE 11(12): e0167509; doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0167509

Rick Rediske is a co-author of an article published in Scientific Reports; other co-authors include Liqiang Xie and Nadia Gillett, both former post-doctoral researchers at AWRI, and Brian Scull.
Xie, L.***, R. Rediske, N.D. Gillett***, J.P. O’Keefe, B. Scull and Q. Xue. 2016. The impact of environmental parameters on microcystin production in dialysis bag experiments.  Scientific Reports 6:38722 | DOI: 10.1038/srep38722

Al Steinman, Nadia Gillett, and Maggie Oudsema are co-authors on an article published in Environmental Monitoring and Assessment.
Gillett, N.D.***, M. Oudsema, and A.D. Steinman. 2017. Live diatoms as indicators of urban stormwater runoff. Environmental Monitoring and Assessment 189:37. DOI 10.1007/s10661-016-5747-8

Presentations

(Presenter listed first)

John Koches participated in and made a brief presentation at the Michigan State University sponsored “Drone Use for Agriculture” ground school class for FAA UAS Certification held at the Muskegon Community College Lakeshore Facility on January 6.

Maggie Oudsema and Emily Kindervater gave presentations at the annual watershed meeting of the Macatawa Area Coordinating Council on December 15.

Al Steinman was the keynote speaker at the National Caucus of Environmental Legislators in Washington, DC on December 3.

Al Steinman spoke at the Southwest Michigan Drain Commissioners meeting held at AWRI on December 7.

AWRI received an award for “Stakeholder of the Year” from the Macatawa Area Coordinating Council at their annual watershed meeting held on December 15.

Deb Dila, former graduate student who worked with Bopi Biddanda, received the 2016 Graduate Dean's Citation Award for Outstanding Publication.
Dila, D.K.** and B.A. Biddanda. 2015. From land to lake: Contrasting microbial processes across Great Lakes gradient of carbon and nutrient inventories. Journal of Great Lakes Research 41:75-85. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0380133015001239

There were no new grants or contracts for this issue.  Check again next month!

AWRI In the News

“Saving Sleeping Bear”
Grand Valley Magazine, Fall 2016, pages 14 – 17
Charlyn Partridge and her students are featured in an article about their project to attempt to eradicate the invasive species Baby’s Breath from Sleeping Bear Dunes.

“Defining moments in life”
ISEA End-of-Year News – December 2016 Newsletter
Maggie Oudsema was interviewed regarding her internship on the Inland Seas, and how it affected her career path.

“Research institute named ‘stakeholder of the year’ for watershed work”
Holland Sentinel, December 16, 2016
AWRI received the “Stakeholder of the Year” award from the Macatawa Watershed Project at their annual meeting on December 15.  Mike Hassett, Emily Kindervater, and Maggie Oudsema were in attendance; Maggie and Emily gave presentations at the meeting.

“The evolution of environmental education in Michigan”
WMEAC, December 17, 2016
Janet Vail is highlighted as an environmental educator.

“Environmental HOF seeks nominations”
White Lake Beacon, December 19, 2016
Muskegon Environmental Research & Education Society (MERES) is seeking nominees for its annual Hall of Fame.  AWRI is mentioned as a 2016 recipient.

“2016 Macatawa Watershed Stakeholder of the Year”
Macatawa Watershed Explorer, Winter 2016
AWRI received the “Stakeholder of the Year” award from the Macatawa Watershed Project at their annual meeting on December 15.  Mike Hassett, Emily Kindervater, and Maggie Oudsema were in attendance; Maggie and Emily gave presentations at the meeting.

“Student research presented at watershed annual meeting”
Macatawa Watershed Explorer, Winter 2016, pg. 3
Emily Kindervater, graduate student working with Al Steinman, gave a presentation about her thesis work in the Macatawa Watershed.

“GVSU undergraduate research gets national boost”
GVNext, a publication of Grand Valley State University, January 18, 2017
Bopi Biddanda and Kevin Strychar are two of the twelve faculty members who have agreed to be mentors for the Beckman Scholars Program.  GVSU is one of the eleven universities selected to administer this scholarship.

“Big changes could be coming to the EPA – but no one is sure what”
Business Insider, January 29, 2017
Charlyn Partridge is quoted regarding a grant she is involved in that is funded by the EPA.
This article was also carried by:
Times Union Online; San Antonio Express-News Online; News – Times online; SFGate; Greenwich Time Online; LMTonline; Connecticut Post Online; seattlePI.com; Beaumont Enterprise Online; Hour Online; Stamford Times Online; Business Insider UK; Business Insider Singapore; Business Insider Malaysia; and Business Insider Australia; INSIDER; Latest Nigerian News.

LMC Events

Dec 7
The Southwest Chapter of Michigan Drain Commissioners held their quarterly meeting at the Lake Michigan Center.

Dec 9
Seminar Speaker: Kateri Salk, Ph.D. Candidate, Department of Integrative Biology at Michigan State University, presented:  “Nitrogen removal across waterscapes: Insights from stable isotopes”

Jan 4
Members from the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) and Annis Water Resources Institute (AWRI) held a meeting at the Lake Michigan Center.

Jan 13
Seminar Speaker: Robert DeVries, Adjunct Faculty, Department of Biology at Grand Valley State University, PhD Candidate, Mississippi State University, presented:  “Growth rates of pallid sturgeon and shovelnose sturgeon and the management of an endangered species”