In this Update: we provide resources from recent Water Center events; introduce a project that is tracking climate adaptation in US coastal communities; welcome participants to our new community of practice; and interview microbiologist Dr. Michele Swanson about her research on Legionella in Flint and beyond.

Jennifer Read
Director
U-M Water Center

WATER CENTER QUICK LINKS

• Water@Michigan Presentations
• Tracking Climate Adaptation
• Expert Insights
• Community of Practice
• Featured Projects
• Dr. Michele Swanson
• Upcoming Event
• Featured Products

2017 Water@Michigan Presentations

The "lightning talk" video presentations and the presentation summaries from our University-wide forum are now available. This yearly event brings together U-M faculty with local and regional partners to share the latest on their water research programs.

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Tracking Climate Adaptation

The National Estuarine Research Reserve System (NERRS) Science Collaborative, hosted by the Water Center, is collaborating with estuarine reserves in identifying successful climate adaptation. As part of these efforts, Dr. Susanne Moser is working closely with the NERRS to develop approaches to tracking climate change adaptation in reserves and other US coastal communities.

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Expert Insights

Recent Water Center panels brought together experts to discuss valuing ecosystem services and emerging water issues in Asia.

Event summaries are now available online for December’s panel discussion on Valuing Ecosystem Services and for February’s seminar on Eutrophication and Biodiversity in Indonesia and China.

Community of Practice

The Graham Sustainability Institute is exploring ways to connect and support U-M staff who facilitate outreach and engagement for sustainability topics.

A ‘community of practice’ group is forming to share ideas around common outreach topics, such as stakeholder analysis, event planning, and collaboration techniques. Please contact Lynn Vaccaro if this group is of interest to you.

Saginaw Bay Optimization Decision Tool: Linking management options to multiple ecological benefits via integrated modeling

Researchers developed a decision-support tool that directly connects Saginaw Bay watershed runoff to the areas of Saginaw Bay where excess sediment and nutrients most impact human and ecosystem uses. Read More

Environmental DNA-Based Quantification of Dreissenid Mussels and their Impact on Freshwater Bacterioplankton

A U-M research team conducted a study to determine the relative impacts of dreissenid mussels on bacterial communities. Read More

Assessing the Bioavailability of Hydrophobic Organic Contaminants (HOCs)

Researchers from the University of Minnesota-Duluth applied new techniques to improve methods for assessing pollutant bioavailability for aquatic macroinvertebrates. Read More

Water Perspective:
An interview with Dr. Michele Swanson

Dr. Michele Swanson is Professor of Microbiology and Immunology at the U-M School of Medicine. Dr. Swanson’s work on Legionella pneumophila has led her to serve on a team studying the 2014-2015 Legionella outbreak in Flint, Michigan.

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Upcoming Ecosystem Services Event

Please join us on March 28 for an interdisciplinary panel and discussion: Beyond Dollars and Cents: Non-Market Value of Ecosystem Services. The discussion will consider recent efforts by environmental and natural resource practitioners to price ecosystem services so that their value might be weighed in economic decisions in the global market.

Details and Registration

Featured Products

Learn more about water research and its applications through these products:

• Saginaw Bay Optimization Tool website – An online video and resources for understanding the decision-support tool developed by David Karpovich and his team
• Are Oligotypes Meaningful Ecological and Phylogenetic Units? A Case Study of Microsystis in Freshwater Lakes – A publication from the project Environmental DNA-Based Quantification of Dreissenid Mussels and Their Impact on Freshwater Bacterioplankton, led by Vincent Denef and Thomas Johengen
• Cyanobacterial harmful algal blooms are a biological disturbance in Western Lake Erie bacterial communities – A publication from the project Environmental DNA-Based Quantification of Dreissenid Mussels and Their Impact on Freshwater Bacterioplankton, led by Vincent Denef and Thomas Johengen

The U-M Water Center addresses critical and emerging water resource challenges through collaborative research projects. The Center is part of the Graham Sustainability Institute, which engages, empowers, and supports faculty, staff, and students from all U-M units and integrates this talent with external stakeholders to foster sustainability solutions at all scales. We believe that diversity, equity, and inclusion are key to individual empowerment, and the advancement of sustainability knowledge, learning and leadership.

graham.umich.edu/water
graham-water-center@umich.edu