Alan D. Steinman, Ph.D.

Allen and Helen Hunting Research Professor
[email protected]
(616) 331-3749

Teaching

BIO 651: Emerging Issues in Water Resources

Academic Awards and Honors (select)

• Award of Excellence, Society for Freshwater Science, recognizing a person's outstanding contributions to freshwater science, 2025.
• McNALMS Dr. Niles R. Kevern Lifetime Achievement Award, given to a Michigan limnologist or aquatic scientist who has significantly contributed to the advancement of the understanding of lakes, has provided leadership in addressing key lake issues, and has exhibited excellence in promoting lake ecology and/or management. 2024.
• CR Everson Award. West Michigan Environmental Action Council (for long-term dedication and contribution to environmental protection in Michigan). 2024.
• Fellow, Society of Freshwater Science, 2021.
• Award of Excellence for 2017, National Garden Clubs, Inc., 2017.
• Keiser Distinguished Lecturer in Life Sciences, Ohio Northern University, 2016.
• Patricia B. Johnson Award for Leadership and Innovative Grantmaking, Community Foundation for Muskegon County, 2016.
• Paul Harris Fellow, Rotary Foundation of Rotary International, 2011.
• Massapequa (NY) High School Hall of Fame, 2009.
• Outstanding Reviewer Award, Journal of Environmental Quality (JEQ), 2007.
• Environmental Excellence Award, Muskegon Area Environmental Coordinating Council, 2005.
• Joan Hodges Queneau Palladium Medal (as part of the Restudy Team) for restoration of the Everglades, National Audubon Society, 2000.
• U.S. Army Corps of Engineers 1999 Outstanding Planning Achievement Award: in recognition of the Restudy team's contributions to advancing the state of the art in the practice of water resources planning.
• Research Award for Foreign Specialists: To present research on long-term ecosystem research as guest of the National Institute of Agro-Environmental Sciences (NIAES), Tsukuba, Japan, 3/97.
• Best Student Paper: Northeast Algal Symposium. Woods Hole, MA. 1983.
• Phi Beta Kappa: University of Vermont. 1979.

Current Research

• Impacts of Lake Salinization
• Control of Harmful Algal Blooms
• Muskegon Lake Long-Term Monitoring
• Project Clarity: Restoring the Macatawa Watershed
• Church Lake Microplastic Biofilms
• Bear Lake Watershed Assessment
• Mona Lake Celery Flats Reconnection Monitoring
• Little Black Lake Environmental Assessment
• Groundwater in Crisis? Addressing Groundwater Challenges in Michigan as a template for the Great Lakes

Media

• The Great Lakes Go-To Guy, University of Rhode Island alumni magazine feature, Spring, 2025
• Road Salt: A Necessary Evil?, a webinar for Tip of the Mitt Watershed Council, February 25, 2025
• WOOD-TV interview with Amanda Porter on low ice levels in the Great Lakes, February 26, 2024
• WZZM-TV interview with Chris Fleszar on climate change impacts, March 7, 2024
• FOX-TV interview with Sam Lanstra on impacts from loss of ice, March 15, 2024.
• Even in water-rich Michigan, no guarantee of enough for all, an article by John Flesher, Associated Press
• Great Lakes water levels are 2 feet lower than records set in 2020, a news report by FOX17, West Michigan
• A Grand Rapids lake and the consequences of Michigan’s road salt addiction, an article by Kelly House, Bridge Magazine
• Lake Michigan faces effects of climate change and coastal erosion, a news report by Ginger Zee, Good Morning America
• Microplastics: Separating Fact from Hype, a webinar for GVSU's Grand Forum
• Will the Recovery be Sustainable Business?, a COVID-19 webinar hosted by the West Michigan Sustainable Business Forum
• GVSU researchers investigate biological, chemical effects of microplastics, an article and video clip by Nate Hoekstra, GVSU
• With Embrace of the Waterfront, a New Era Comes to Muskegon, an article by Anna Gustafson, Rapid Growth Media
• WGVU-TV Newsmakers interview with Patrick Center on invasive species
• Michigan Blue Economy, an interview on WGVU's West Michigan Week

Recent Testimony

U.S. House of Representatives. Subcommittee of the Interior. Invasive species and the Great Lakes. Washington, D.C. December 2015.

U.S. Congressional Briefing: Using Geoscience Research to Accelerate Innovation and the Coastal Economy.  Ecosystem Restoration in the Great Lakes Yields Significant Return on Investment. Washington, DC. November 2015.

General Information

Curriculum Vitae
Biosketch
Post-Doctoral Fellowship, 1987-92, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Oak Ridge, TN
Ph.D., Botany/Aquatic Ecology, 1987, Oregon State University, Corvallis, OR
M.S., Botany, 1983, University of Rhode Island, Kingston, RI
B.S., Botany, 1979, University of Vermont, Burlington, VT