A federal government funding bill signed in March 2024 has been earmarked for the GLWI to help fund an environmental laboratory for use by Alma College students, as well as students from other partner institutions.
Alma College will receive $850,000 in federal funding earmarked in March 2024 for the College’s Great Lakes Watershed Institute, which is a water quality laboratory that focuses on examining the waters that feed into Michigan’s Great Lakes. The funding will help the Institute build a new laboratory that will provide learning experiences for students, via securing new equipment and renovating Alma College’s Dow Science Center, in which the GLWI resides.
According to an article on Alma College’s website, Eric Blackhurst, the interim president of the college, was quoted as saying of the funding the GLWI has received, “We are pleased to see the federal government funding bill signed, and grateful to the efforts of U.S. Sen. Debbie Stabenow, for her support in seeing this earmark through. It will allow Alma College and the GLWI to continue its work with collaborators and help lead the way in maintaining and improving our waterways.”
The GLWI is the first water quality laboratory that is specifically focused on the quality of the Great Lakes. Alma College students, particularly those in the environment studies program, will be able to work alongside their professors to address water issues. The new laboratory within the GLWI will give students, both from Alma College and from partner institutions, hands-on learning opportunities, and in the future, expansions into outreach for local K-12 schools is planned.
Murray Borrello, who is the director of the GLWI and the chair of the environmental studies program, said, “We hope to turn attention toward watersheds, a large source of these contaminants, so we can address them at their source. Additionally, we will be investigating the effects of climate change, which will only exacerbate these issues. We look forward to the opportunity to not only define current problems, but anticipate future ones.”
Speaking particularly of the recent funding, he said, “It is important to recognize the incredible support Sen. Stabenow and her staff have provided to Alma College and this community over the years. I hope this grant leaves a legacy of her support and commitment to environmental issues.”
For more information about Alma College, visit the school’s website.