Lake Erie researchers LEARN together at 1st annual meeting on campus

Heidelberg University hosted the first annual LEARN (Lake Erie and Aquatic Research Network) meeting on November 9. The meeting brought over 80 attendees from Ohio and Michigan colleges and universities to campus for the day. 

Dr. Laura Johnson, director of the National Center for Water Quality Research, and Dr. Douglas Kane, assistant professor of ecology, are currently board members of LEARN, and Dr. Johnson is the incoming president. 

One of LEARN's workgroups, the H2Ohio Wetland Monitoring Program, held a project meeting the day prior followed by a Lake Erie trivia night organized by Doug to kick off the meeting events. 

The meeting consisted of several talks by the Ohio DNR and Ohio EPA and a breakout session on current research issues in Lake Erie and how to partner to address them. Finally, a poster session concluded the conference, with the three Water Management Association of Ohio (WMAO) student posters representing Heidelberg, as well as Molly Cannon’s poster, The Effects of Glitter on Bluegreen Algal Growth (Dolichospermum and Microcystis, co-advised by Doug and Dr. Amy Berger, professor of environmental science.

For more information about LEARN, visit https://lakeerieandaquaticresearch.org/.