Lake Superior State University given $3.87 million from Canadian government to lead oil spill research
Lake Superior State University’s Center for Freshwater Research and Education will partner with Algoma University to lead the project.
Along with a significant donation from the Canadian government, Lake Superior State University has been chosen to lead an important project: a portion of the International Consortium on Oil Research for Our Waters of the North.
According to an article on Lake Superior State University’s website, Dr. Ashley Moerke, who is leading the International Collaboration on Oil Research and Dean of the College of Great Lakes Ecology and Education for LSSU, said of the project, “ICOR-OWN is leveraging LSSU and Algoma University’s scientific expertise and resources and our unique location, at an international border and the nexus of the upper Great Lakes, to build scientific capacity and training, ensuring that the best available science is used to understand, minimize, and respond to oil spills in cold, freshwater environments.”
The funding is part of a Multi-Partner Research Initiative on behalf of Canada’s Oceans Protection Plan. The goal of the plan is to research, develop new cleanup strategies, and find new ways to protect Canada’s waters.
The main research areas of the project, and the division of the funding, includes Research on Oil Fate in Freshwater Ecosystems, Oil Spill Detection and Monitoring Technologies, and Ecological Effects of Oil Spills in Cold-Climate Ecosystems. Lake Superior State University will have a hand in each of these specific projects as lead partners.
Lake Superior State University’s interim President Lynn Gillette discussed this exciting opportunity, saying, “We are thrilled to lead this international initiative alongside our Canadian partners, including our international neighbors at Algoma University. The collaboration highlights our new College of Great Lakes Ecology and Education and LSSU’s reputation as a growing leader in freshwater science. This exciting initiative will create numerous opportunities for our students to engage in real-world science on a multinational issue that will contribute directly to Great Lakes conservation.”
For more information about Lake Superior State University, visit the school’s website.