MUSKEGON - Thanks to a donor with local ties and an interest in furthering water quality research, and to a healthy dose of federal funds, the Grand Valley State University Annis Water Resources Institute couldn't be in a better position to help push Great Lakes and local research projects forward, says Alan Steinman, the institute's executive director.

The university recently announced the institute was awarded about $1.5 million in federal, state and private funding, but Steinman said those funds could be just the tip of the iceberg.

"There's so much good happening right now with the funding successes," Steinman told MiBiz. "AWRI is incredibly well-positioned for the stimulus money about to be released through the federal RFP. We're anticipating $200 million will be spread among the Great Lakes states as the first down payment in the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative."

AWRI to monitor Muskegon Lake restoration MUSKEGON � The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration recently awarded $10 million in ARRA funding for a habitat restoration project on Muskegon Lake. The West Michigan Shoreline Regional Development Commissionwill coordinate the restoration of some 10,000 feet of shoreline "hardened" by years of industrial use. The project calls for the removal of more than 180,000 tons of degraded lake bottom sediment. The project is projected to generate almost 40,000 labor hours to support 125 jobs, largely in engineering and construction. More than $20 million will be contributed by local sources through in-kind services, donations of land, and conservation easements. In addition, AWRI will be doing the scientific monitoring as part of the habitat restoration project in Muskegon Lake, one of 43 EPA Great Lakes Areas of Concern. The labs of Alan Steinman and Carl Ruetz will receive $215,000 for this work. The restoration project builds on more than a decade of research, assessments, planning and design work, as well as large-scale remediation and pollution control efforts on Muskegon Lake by organizations like the Muskegon Lake Watershed Partnership. Design and engineering work for the project began in July, with on-the-ground work on some sites beginning in September. The remaining work will be completed in 2010.

Already this summer, AWRI was successful in securing grants from the National Science Foundation to purchase a gene sequencer and to examine the affects of invasive plants; the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration to monitor habitat restoration projects on Muskegon Lake; the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the Gun Lake Tribe to assess lake sturgeon in the Kalamazoo and Grand Rivers; and the Michigan Department of Environmental Quality to study benthic organisms in White Lake, to examine the release of toxins from blue-green algae, and to research how to control invasive aquatic plants.

For the first time in the institute's eight-year history, it also received funding from a private donor to create an endowed two-year, post-doctorate position to study local water quality issues.

Steinman was pleased with the response to the position. It was advertised on several scientific Web sites and the journal "Science," and within a short window, the school had received 45 applications.

"The quality was unbelievable," he said. "We know it will be relevant and provide good science."

Three finalists �from West Michigan, France and Canada �are currently being evaluated and one should start yet this fall. Steinman is hopeful that he might be able to leverage the amount of response to secure funding for a second post-doctorate position and possibly to extend one or both past the initial two-year timeframe.

While AWRI has hosted a couple of post-docs in the past, this privately endowed position with open-ended research constraints was a first, a rarity in much of academia since most post-docs are tied to a narrowly defined line of research.

The program helps the institute down the path toward fulfilling one of its strategic goals to have a "vibrant post-doc program," Steinman said, especially considering GVSU doesn't have a Ph.D. program in the sciences.

"To have a couple (of post-docs) simultaneously would get us that critical mass," he said, noting AWRI would also like to host more academics on sabbatical.

While the institute said the university has engaged in informal discussions about creating a Ph.D. science program tied to the institute, Steinman said that process is likely some years off. Having fought for six years and recently received formal recognition as an academic unit �which allows faculty to attain tenure �Steinman said he's ready to focus more on growing what's already in place at the institute.

Chief among his current focus is ensuring the completion of work being done on the AWRI field station, which could eventually become the institute's new annex. The facility formally housed vessels, but thanks to the recent construction of a garage built with federal funds, the field station is transitioning to its original purpose of housing laboratory spaces.

A bill approved by the U.S. House contains $500,000 to begin work on the inside of the station. That's about a quarter of the amount it would take to complete the facility's conversion, Steinman said. He's awaiting the bill's fate in the Senate.

Eventually, he'd like to see the institute construct the first lab in the field station, likely for molecular ecologist Ryan Thum, the recipient of three of the recent grants. He'd also like to see the facility include some short-term dormitory-style apartment for post-docs or those on sabbatical.

"The first step is making sure the $500,000 gets through Congress and the president," Steinman said. "If we get this money and get started, it will act as a catalyst that might lead to leveraging additional dollars. It makes it easier for others to contribute."

In nearly its first year, AWRI had outgrown its space, and if the institute is to continue to grow, Steinman said facilities like the field station must be a priority.

"I don't think anybody expected us to grow as rapidly as we did," he said. "In the summer months, there's so much activity, it's tough to find bench space, so we need to find new space to accommodate that growth."

Some of that growth will come as the institute continues to be successful in securing federal and state research grants. While most academic scientists get funding for about one out of five proposals, Steinman said AWRI scientists have a much higher percentage, likely because of the collaborative nature of their proposals.

"We work very collectively and with our geography, we're one of the few places on the Great Lakes. We've got a great location and we have the vessels to make it happen," he said.

As the institute looks to the future, Steinman is commissioning the help of his colleagues in the GVSU economics department to help determine the true economic impact the institute has on Muskegon and the surrounding areas. While he said it's certainly nice to talk about all of the research being done at the facility, he'd also like to put some dollars behind AWRI's impact on the community. Work on the study could take several months.