Any day doing research on the water is a good day for Michigan Technological University students getting to know the greatest of the Great Lakes.
A boatload of Huskies ranging from undergraduates to doctoral candidates learned and practiced research techniques in the “Lake Superior Exploration” course led by ecosystem ecologist Amy Marcarelli.
The group traveled the shoreline of Upper Michigan’s Keweenaw Peninsula aboard the University Research Vessel Agassiz this summer, taking dozens of water samples and performing other fieldwork that laid groundwork for future Michigan Tech research projects and their own careers.
It was the first time out on Lake Superior for Sarah Kiszelik, an undergraduate transfer student from Manistee, Michigan. The scenery was a close second to her favorite part of the course: “I really like the water sampling.” The environmental engineering student says she’s “always been interested in water chemistry. Being on the boat has solidified what I want to do for a living.”
“I grew up here. It was fun to see it from a different, scientific perspective,” said Laura Schaerer, who’s in the second year of her master’s studies in microbiology.
She appreciated the geological components of the program that Marcarelli included, capitalizing on the expertise of Jim DeGraff, research professor in geological and mining engineering and sciences, whose work includes mapping the Keweenaw Fault. DeGraff was one of more than a dozen guest scientists and other experts who came aboard to share their work.
“The course is a quick but holistic view of the different aspects of Lake Superior where we could draw in people doing research around the lake,” Marcarelli said.
She wants her students to cultivate the big-picture critical thinking behind research, considering the human decisions about what is important and also the inherent constraints of the work researchers choose to pursue. Whether it’s light, temperature, nutrients, sound or toxins, the need for comprehensive, connected sampling is continual. Available information is evolving and the challenges are significant.
Lydia Nicholas, in her third year of biology studies with an ecology and aquatics focus, said she was really excited when she saw this kind of course is available at Michigan Tech. “I love being on the water and learning new research methods,” she said. The diversity of the Lake was readily apparent: “We see how the bottom changes, sampling at so many sites.”
