CMU establishes Institute for Great Lakes ResearchCentral Michigan University President Dr. George E. Ross has announced a plan to strengthen research through the creation of The CMU Institute for Great Lakes Research (IGLR). The plan includes recruiting three new faculty members who will be tenure-track faculty with appointments in existing academic departments.
Provost and Executive Vice President Dr. E. Gary Shapiro commented, “This initiative signals the university’s commitment to invest in areas of research strength to provide enhanced opportunities for our students and to better serve the people of Michigan.”
IGLR will be housed in the College of Science and Technology and Dr. Don Uzarski – Director of the CMU Biological Station, Director of Great Lakes and Environmental Research, and Associate Professor of Biology – has been tapped as its Founding Director.
Dr. Jane Matty, interim dean for the College of Science and Technology said, “Dr. Uzarski is internationally recognized for his outstanding contributions to Great Lakes research, as demonstrated by his leadership of the $10 million project funded by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency that will study coastal wetlands across all of the Great Lakes.”
The Institute for Great Lakes Research is intended to act as a focal point for faculty from several departments to develop multidisciplinary projects on key questions affecting the important but fragile ecosystems of the Great Lakes.
CMU to oversee $10 million Great Lakes Restoration grant
Biology researchers at Central Michigan University are taking the lead on a $10 million grant designed to protect coastal wetlands in the Great Lakes. During the next five years, scientists will collect data to assess and track the health of surrounding wetlands — a move that environmental leaders say is critical to the economy, industry and future of conservation.
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Dr. Binney Girdler receives grant for environmental research
The National Science Foundation awarded Biology Professor Binney Girdler with a $135,000 grant to conduct environmental research on plant communities in Northern Michigan. She will study plant communities on the shoreline of Beaver Island, trying to observe the various factors that influence plant composition, particularly the interaction of environmental factors and dispersal dynamics. She hopes her research will lead to tangible ways to steward these plant communities and Dr. Girdler also hopes her results can illuminate the effects of climate change on the area.