The University of Michigan Water Center is a $9 million Great Lakes research and education center established in October 2012. Its purpose is to support and guide efforts in protection and restoration of freshwater ecosystems. Today, the U-M Water Center has awarded twelve, two-year research grants of up to $50,000 each, totaling nearly $570,000.
Emphasis was given to projects that integrate one or more of the federal Great Lakes Restoration Initiative’s four focus areas: removing toxic contamination and restoring regions of environmental degradation known as areas of concern; combating invasive species; protecting and restoring wildlife and their habitats; and ridding nearshore waters of polluted runoff.
Projects include: efforts to track the remediation of harmful algae blooms; assessments of the effectiveness of techniques to control non-native weedy plant invasions; the study of chromosomal damage in tree swallow nestlings; and monitoring fish responses to restoration activities.
View all twelve grant projects here.
To learn more about the University of Michigan Water Center, part of U-M’s Graham Sustainability Institute, check out their information page here.
A second round of larger grants, up to $500,000 each, will be awarded later this year.
