A new research center is opening its doors at Michigan Technological University in Houghton. The
Great Lakes Research Center focuses on what else, the Great Lakes.
Scientists from many disciplines, along with students, can use its labs to research fish ecology, invasive species or atmospheric science, or use the Research Vessel Agassiz which is at home in the center's boathouse.
The GLRC has three areas: the boathouse, which holds the university's three research vessels and environmental monitoring buoy network; a complex of eight research laboratories, and a public area that includes K-12 education spaces, conference facilities and a great second-floor view of the lake.
Outside, its complemented by eight gardens of different Great Lakes plant communities, as well as a "green roof" system that minimizes rain runoff and helps cool the building in the summer. In the winter, a heat exchanger uses hot water to heat the building for a low-cost, low-impact system year-round.
Mike Abbott, director of the center's operations says the center will be constantly modeling current and future conditions of the Great Lakes, using the aforementioned buoy network, which is constantly updating the center's computers, and a supercomputer devoted to hydrodynamic modeling.
"People will come and go here; no department calls this space home. We will host people from other institutions, and researchers will apply to use space in our flex labs," says Abbott. Social scientists also are welcome at the GLRC, which is envisioned as a space where Great Lakes public policy discussions also can happen.
The new center is jointly funded by the university and the state of Michigan: Tech put up $6.6 million, or 26 percent of the funds, while the state provided the rest, $18.7 million.
Writer: Sam Eggleston
Source: Mike Abbott, Michigan Technological University
Enjoy this story?
Sign up for free solutions-based reporting in your inbox each week.