5 days ago
Hundreds of scientists gather in Milwaukee to confront Great Lakes resilience challenges
Amid drastic cuts to science programs, grants and funding, Great Lakes scientists are converging in Milwaukee this week to talk about resilience – not just in the lakes, but science itself.
More than 600 scientists from the U.S. and Canada are attending the International Association for Great Lakes Research week-long conference at Baird Center. The theme is creating Great Lakes resilience, which includes hundreds of presentations that cover topics like harmful blue-green algae blooms, coastal erosion, climate change and Indigenous knowledge.
Rebecca Klaper, dean of the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee School of Freshwater Sciences, said the conference is a way for scientists to talk about patterns, changes and solutions across the lakes.
It's the first time in four decades the international conference is in Milwaukee. The conference rotates each year to a different city across the Great Lakes region, alternating between the U.S. and Canada.
Harvey Bootsma, associate dean of UW-Milwaukee's School of Freshwater Sciences, said Milwaukee's deep connection to Lake Michigan and its three rivers made it a natural choice. He added that having one of the only graduate schools dedicated to freshwater science also helped draw the conference to the city.
While the conference focuses on collaboration, growing uncertainty around Great Lakes research is top of mind for many as the Trump administration's proposed federal budget includes drastic cuts to science funding and programs.
For instance, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, or NOAA, which supports a lot of research and long-term monitoring efforts in the Great Lakes, could see 25% of its budget cut from the proposed federal bill. Staffing cuts at the agency's Great Lakes lab in Michigan has already left much of the region's science efforts in limbo.
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The National Health Institute, or NIH, could face a 40% reduction of funding in the proposed federal budget.
Klaper said many grants that support Great Lakes research have already been canceled.
Universities are in a period of transition as they navigate how to adapt to shifting funding landscapes, Bootsma said. At the School of Freshwater Sciences, half of the revenue comes from overhead tied to research grants – money that supports basic operations like building maintenance. Losing that funding, he said, would have serious budget implications.
"The current administration is driving science out of the U.S.," said Stephen Carpenter, the director of limnology at UW-Madison, adding that proposed budget cuts could slow U.S. progress as a leading nation in science.
Despite funding concerns, researchers remain committed to protecting the Great Lakes. For many, the conference offers not just research opportunities, but inspiration and connection.
Even with funding concerns, Kenneth Anderson, a post-doctoral researcher at Kent State University in Ohio, said he's motivated to keep his research going.
'As long as there are opportunities out there, we're going to be looking for ways to pursue them," Anderson said.
More: Invasive mussels drastically altered the Great Lakes. Now, scientists are fighting back.
This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Great Lakes research conference brings scientists to Milwaukee
