June 2009 Table of Contents |
University of Michigan fisheries biologist Jim Diana took over as director of the Michigan Sea Grant College Program at the beginning of March. Jim, professor of natural resources and environment, has studied the behavior and ecology of temperate fishes for three decades and has been a member of the U-M faculty since 1979. He has received numerous professional honors, and is the author of more than 70 scientific publications and reports. “As director, I will continue the focus on integration of many disciplines to solve complex problems, and also hope to apply my own interests in fisheries and especially aquaculture toward future economic growth in Michigan,” he said of the appointment. Jim replaces U-M aquatic ecologist Donald Scavia as Michigan Sea Grant director. Earlier this year, Donald was named director of U-M’s Graham Environmental Sustainability Institute. |
New Director for Michigan Sea Grant|
By Elizabeth LaPorte Taking the Helm of upwellingsStephanie Ariganello, Associate Editor, came to Michigan Sea Grant after working as a reporter for newspapers in the Upper Peninsula, the metro area of Minneapolis and St. Paul, Ann Arbor and most recently Monroe. “The Great Lakes have shaped me in immeasurable ways – first as a child camping with my family, then as a student at Northern Michigan University and now as a resident of a seaside community in southeast Michigan,” said Stephanie. As the newest team member of Sea Grant communication and education services, she has been working with Todd Marsee (senior graphic designer) and Joyce Daniels (senior editor). As of this issue, Stephanie will be taking the helm of upwellings, bringing her own blend of fun and function to the content about Sea Grant efforts and Michigan’s coastal/Great Lakes topics. Stephanie’s personal philosophy is: just because something is informative doesn’t mean it can’t be enjoyable. And I could not agree more. Transitioning from Great Lakes to Transportation Joyce has a gift of being able to distill complex research, accurately describe how we work, and highlight key issues of interest to the public and our stakeholders. In addition to being a talented writer and editor, Joyce developed great photography skills. Photos of her son, coastal birds, and Michigan beaches ended up on the website or in upwellings. Though she worked well independently, Joyce was able to forge the geographic gap with Sea Grant staff located in seven different offices around the state. Some upwellings stories, such as the Web of Life, Treasures of the Great Lakes, and the Art of Communicating Science were so well received that we quickly ran out of copies. For the program website, Joyce initiated two new educational areas: Coastal Birds and Coastal Habitats. Also, she edited and reconfigured the content from an 80-page Clean Marina Program workbook to a new online classroom to assist marinas with understanding and implementing best practices to protect water quality. We are currently in the pilot-testing phase with this project. Over the years, Joyce became one of those invaluable people with a great deal of institutional knowledge. So we will certainly miss her when preparing impact statements for our upcoming annual report. In fact, we already miss her. Exchanging the Old for the New – Kind Of This spring, Jessica graduated from U-M with a Bachelor’s degree in American Culture and a Minor in Cultural Anthropology. She also graduated from student assistant to full-time employee, accepting a position as the accounting clerk intermediate starting mid-May. Jessica will work on maintaining department records, reconciling expenses and accounts, assisting with event planning, and providing support to the Michigan Sea Grant fiscal officer as well as the assistant director. She is also a literal voice of Sea Grant; answering the general phone line and helping people find what they are looking for in the online Bookstore. |