This summer, Michigan Sea Grant interns are taking to the woods, water, lab, and streets to further the cause of Great Lakes stewardship. Michigan Sea Grant’s undergraduate internship program coordinates and funds students working on summer Great Lakes stewardship projects. Each internship pairs a student with a business, nonprofit, government agency, or academic institution that can help support and guide the project. In 2021, the internship program’s third year, Michigan Sea Grant is funding 13 interns representing 8 colleges and universities. Their projects range from conducting a campus tree survey at Wayne State University, to training community scientists with the Detroit Zoo, to investigating microplastics in Michigan rivers.

Meet the interns

Elizabeth BelangerElizabeth Belanger

Lake Superior State University
Advisors: Dr. Edoardo Sarda and Dr. Kevin Kapuscinski
Project Partner: Center for Freshwater Research and Education
Project: Locating Acipenser fulvescens (Lake Sturgeon) in Sault Ste. Marie Waters    

Aiden Bobak

Michigan State University
Supervisor: Mike Reed, Curator of Education Sponsor
Organization: Detroit Zoological Society
Project: Inspiring environmental stewardship in members of the Detroit community

Tristan ComptonTristan Compton

Lake Superior State University
Advisor: Dr. Jonathan Doubek
Project Partner: Lake Superior State University
Project: Microplastic density in relation to season, land use, and storms in a Michigan river network

Gabrielle DeMottGabrielle DeMott

University of Michigan College of Literature, Science, and the Arts
Supervisor: Mike Reed, Curator of Education Sponsor
Organization: Detroit Zoological Society
Project: Researching and implementing environmental initiatives and educational programs in the Detroit area   

Simon FreemanSimon Freeman

Lake Superior State University
Advisor: Dr. Jonathan Doubek Project
Partners: Michigan DNR, U.S. Fish and Wildlife in Green Bay, WI, Sault Tribe of Chippewa Indians, Little Traverse Bay Band of Odawa Indians, Grand Traverse Bay Band of Ottawa and Chippewa Indians
Project: Quantifying day versus night relationships between larval lake whitefish and zooplankton prey density and biomass in Lakes Michigan, Huron, and Superior  

Ángela Gutiérrez

Michigan Technological University
Advisors: Dr. Melissa Baird, Dr. Valoree Gagnon, Evelyn Ravindran, Larissa Juip
Project Partner: Keweenaw Bay Indian Community Natural Resources Department (KBIC NRD)
Project: Understanding Socio-Ecological and Stewardship of a Contaminated Tribal Landscape (TLS) in Lake Superior

Cynthia Gutierrez NavarroCynthia Gutierrez Navarro

University: University of Detroit Mercy Advisor: Dr. Victor Carmona Galindo
Project Partners: Healthy Urban Waters Initiative at Wayne State University and Lake St. Clair Metropark
Project: Invasive plant species impact on bioswale fecal indicator bacteria (FIB) communities and the capacity of green stormwater infrastructure to sustain ecosystem services. 

Mikayla KindlerMikayla Kindler

Kalamazoo College
Supervisor: Dave Clapp, Charlevoix Fisheries Research Station Manager Sponsor Organization: Michigan DNR—Fisheries Division
Project: Analysis of the ecological dynamics of smallmouth bass populations in the Lake Michigan reef ecosystem near the Charlevoix Fisheries Research Station

Rachel LondonRachel London

Michigan State University
Advisor: Dr. Thomas Loch; Supervisor: Dave Clapp, Charlevoix Fisheries Research Station Manager
Project Partner: Aquatic Animal Health Laboratory Sponsor Organization: Michigan DNR—Fisheries Division
Project: Exploring the potential causes of reported skin lesions in smallmouth bass (Micropterus dolomieu) inhabiting the Great Lakes Basin

Grace Maves

Wayne State University
Supervisor: Daryl Pierson, Sustainability Coordinator
Project Partner: Wayne State University Office of Campus Sustainability
Project: A Survey of the Trees on Wayne State’s Campus

Giovani RoselliGiovani Roselli

Michigan State University
Supervisor: David Mifsud, President Sponsor
Organization: Herpetological Resource Management
Project: Revision of the Michigan Amphibian and Reptile Best Management Practices Manual

Ethan VanvalkenburgEthan Vanvalkenburg

University of Michigan
Advisor: Dr. Ben Winger Sponsor
Organization: University of Michigan Biological Station
Project: Bird range shifts and climate change in Great Lakes coastal wetlands 

Cheyenne WilcoxCheyenne Wilcox

Oakland University
Supervisors: Dave Clapp, Charlevoix Fisheries Research Station Manager and Todd Wills, Lake St. Clair Fisheries Research Station Area Research Manager Sponsor
Organization: Michigan DNR—Fisheries Division
Project: Role of smallmouth bass in Lake Michigan reef communities