Celebrate Lake Superior at Great Lakes Research Center Apr. 23; Photos: GLRC hosts World Water Day poster displays

HOUGHTON -- What makes our lake "Superior?" A contest on that theme, along with displays, music, local food tasting, birthday cake and lemonade are all part of the fun planned for the Lake Superior Day celebration at the Great Lakes Research Center (GLRC) from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. Tuesday, April 23. The community is invited to this free, family friendly event.

The Great Lakes Research Center (GLRC) on the Michigan Tech campus will be the scene of a Lake Superior Day celebration on Tuesday, April 23.

All ages will be tapping their toes at the two 30-minute concerts (6:30 p.m. and 7:15 p.m.) by Joe Reilly, a popular Michigan children's musician, who will visit CLK and Barkell Elementary Schools, as well as Baraga, CJ Sullivan and Arvon Schools on his UP Tour from April 23-26 during Earth Week.

Sponsored by the  Western UP Center for Science, Mathematics and Environmental Education and by the Lake Superior Stewardship Initiative (LSSI) in honor of the Initiative's 5th anniversary, the Lake Superior Celebration will also include informative displays by LSSI community partners -- Dollar Bay High School SOAR Team’s ROV, Keweenaw Land Trust, Isle Royale National Park and others.

A "Superior Taste" will showcase locally grown and produced products of the Lake Superior region. Other activities include tours of the new Great Lakes Research Center by Director Guy Meadows, and tours led by Robert Handler of the aquaponics lab that grows foot-long fish and vibrant veggies. Everyone is invited to enjoy birthday cake, tastes of local food, lemonade and coffee.

Photos: GLRC hosts poster display for World Water Day

The Great Lakes Research Center was the scene of a poster display by Michigan Tech graduate and undergraduate students to celebrate World Water Day, sponsored by Michigan Tech's Center for Water and Society on March 21, 2013.

Matthew Van Grinson, Michigan Tech doctoral student in Forestry, explains his research project on the hydrology of black ash wetlands in the Ottawa National Forest to Noel Urban, professor in Civil and Environmental Engineering and director of Michigan Tech's Center for Water and Society. (Photos by Keweenaw Now)

Mariah Maggio, who served in the U.S. Peace Corps in the Philippines in 2006 and is now a graduate student in social sciences, explains her project to help Peace Corps Volunteers use social science methods to help them understand communities in order to design effective sustainability projects. Maggio is speaking to Jessie Zhang, left, from China, who is a Ph.D. student in environmental engineering. Michigan Tech offers eight different Peace Corps Masters International programs for Peace Corps Volunteers who can earn a Masters degree combined with their overseas service.*

Rasika Gawde of Mumbai, India, a Ph.D. candidate in civil and environmental engineering, displays her research on the temperature structure of Lake Superior. In studying climate change effects on the lake, it is necessary to understand what the temperature structure of the lake looks like, she explained.

Aparupa Sengupta, Ph.D. candidate in biology, explains her project, "Remediation of Tetracycline from Wastewater Using Vetiver Grass and Tetracycline-Tolerant Bacteria."

Colleen Mouw, left, assistant professor in geology and mining engineering sciences, listens as Anika Kuczynski, Ph.D. student, explains her research on changes in Cladophora biomass in some of the Great Lakes.

Joshua Papacek, an undergraduate biology student, displays his project on "Nutrient Limitation of Phytoplankton in Portage Lake, Michigan."

*Editor's Note: To learn about Michigan Tech's eight Peace Corps Masters International programs, click here.