Nov 22
Apr 25, 2019
Lake Superior State University has joined the Cooperative Institute for Great Lakes Research (CIGLR) Regional Consortium. This new partnership compliments the strategic investment LSSU has made in Great Lakes science and education with the development of the Center for Freshwater Research and Education (CFRE).
LSSU is broadening its long tradition as leaders in Great Lakes fisheries management and aquatic science with the new Center for Freshwater Research and Education. LSSU fills a critical geographic void in the Regional Consortium, brings needed fisheries management facilities and expertise, and connects the CIGLR university network with research-trained undergraduate students that will be well-prepared for graduate studies on Great Lakes topics.
“I’d like to thank CFRE Director Dr. Ashley Moerke, CFRE Assistant Director of Research Dr. Kevin Kapuscinski, and CFRE Assistant Director of Education and Community Engagement Dr. Barb Light for making this new partnership possible,” commented LSSU President Rodney Hanley. “Their hard work on developing this successful proposal highlights our faculty’s commitment to creating new and innovative opportunities for our students.”
“The timing of the partnership with the Regional Consortium is extremely exciting,” said Dr. Moerke, “It happens during the construction of LSSU’s Richard and Theresa Barch Center for Freshwater Research and Education, a facility on the St. Marys River that will build collaborative and innovative opportunities in research, student training, and community engagement throughout the upper Great Lakes.”
“Becoming a member of CIGLR provides exciting new opportunities for synergistic research collaborations among LSSU’s faculty, staff, and students and partner agencies across the Great Lakes.” Dr. Kapuscinski, said, “These opportunities will enrich the unique education already experienced by our students, enhance CFRE’s internationally-recognized research program in Great Lakes freshwater science, and leverage the substantial investments being made in CFRE by LSSU, our generous donors, and the State of Michigan.”
Three additional new partners, Cleveland Water Alliance, Michigan Technological University, and Wayne State University, also join LSSU in partnering with CIGLR. This further expands CIGLR’s capacity and expertise to understand, predict, and ultimately solve the critical issues facing the Great Lakes and surrounding communities. With the addition of these new partner organizations, the CIGLR Regional Consortium consists of twelve universities, four NGOs, and three businesses who partner with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) in research and development activities that support NOAA’s mission in the Great Lakes.