GLRC Student Resources

$500 GLRC Travel Awards are available for graduate and undergraduate students whose advisors are GLRC faculty members, or they are supported on a research project affiliated with the GLRC.  The funds are intended for travel costs to a professional conference where the student will be presenting a poster or paper.

Students are required to provide a return on the GLRC investment.  Options include:
    a. presenting a poster at World Water Day in March
    b. assisting with preparations for World Water Day
    c. assisting with GLRC-sponsored outreach activities

GLRC Travel Grant Application:  accepted anytime for review on the last Friday of each month.  Applications must be submitted at least 2 weeks in advance of travel.

This is a unique research funding opportunity sponsored by the Clarke and Nancy Borgeson GLRC Endowment Fund.  The GLRC will award one $2,000 or two $1,000 grants in research funding to students this fall, applications due October 1, 2021.   This is an early-career opportunity open to Tenure-Track GLRC affiliated faculty and early-career GLRC research scientists (first 4 years) and their students.  This grant is intended to help early career faculty and researchers advance their research.   The awarded proposal(s) must further the GLRC mission of delivering interdisciplinary water research and outreach to the community and our partners around the Great Lakes, and support the GLRC vision of inspiring and advancing knowledge and innovation in interdisciplinary science, engineering, technology, and policy.  Underrepresented groups, such as women, ethnic and racial minorities, members of the LGBTQIA+ community, and individuals with disabilities, are strongly encouraged to apply.  Please read the GLRC Endowment Research Grant Guide for further information about grant terms, proposal instructions, and evaluation criteria.  Submit your GLRC Borgeson Endowment Student Research Grant Application by October 1, 2021. 

$750 GLRC Research Grants are available for graduate and undergraduate students whose advisors are affiliated with the GLRC. The grants are intended to provide graduate and undergraduate students an opportunity to gain experience in writing competitive grants and to perform research they would not be able to attempt due to funding limitations. Allowable expenditures may include supplies, services, equipment, travel, and personnel.   

Funded students are expected to participate/volunteer for at least one GLRC activity during the grant period.  A final research report is due within 30 days of grant end date.   Please read the GLRC Student Research Grants Guide for further information about grant terms, proposal instructions, and evaluation criteria.

GLRC Research Grant Application: Accepted 3 times each year - November 1, March 1, and July 1.     

Sustainable Water Resources Systems
Contact: Adam Wellstead (awellste@mtu.edu) or Jackie Gebhardt (glrcadmin-l@mtu.edu)

This Certificate formally recognizes students will have a set of core competencies in understanding current water resource issues and develop an advanced understanding of the problems and new technology development in their field of expertise. This certificate will be useful to students in such fields as natural resource management, business and policy, environmental and civil engineering, geology and geological engineering, and environmental policy. Students who complete this certificate will be able to demonstrate that they understand water resource management from an interdisciplinary perspective that includes policy, natural sciences, and applied sciences.

Requirements:

• UN5100 Water and Society (1 cr) or SS5325 Water Policy, History, and Governance (3 cr)
• Other Water Related Courses (11 cr) - minimum of one course from each of the following categories (course lists are provided in the Degree Schedule):
  • Hydrology
  • Natural Systems
  • Policy and Societal Systems & Economics
  • Physical Hydrology and Engineered Water Resource Systems

Degree Schedule: When students have completed the required courses, or are enrolled in the last ones, the certificate degree schedule should be submitted to Nancy Byers Sprague (nspr@mtu.edu) in the Graduate School.

UN5100 Water and Society (1 credit)
Contact: Adam Wellstead (awellste@mtu.edu)

Offered each Spring Semester, each week, participants will read a journal paper or scientific report in preparation of discussion sessions on Tuesdays. Select films from the Green Film series (held Thursday evenings) will be used in lieu of the paper/Tuesday discussions. Students not registered for the course and faculty are encouraged to participate.

Discussion sessions will be led by a group of students and faculty. This group will prepare a few questions or comments the week preceding the discussion and send these to the class as a way to begin focusing the discussion. The group will begin the discussion session with a 10-minute summary of the major issues covered by the preceding week’s reading and repeat the discussion questions.

Students will be expected either to:

1. produce and present a poster on a relevant topic for the GLRC World Water Day poster session, or
2. write and submit a 5-page reflection paper due at the end of the semester
3. commit to read papers, lead discussions at least once during the semester, and participate in all discussions.

This 1-credit colloquium course is a required component of the Graduate Certificate in Sustainable Water Resources Systems.

World Water Day is celebrated at Michigan Tech in March of each year.  The theme is set by the United Nations, and the following events bring faculty, students, and staff together in recognition of water-related issues.

• Keynote Lecture:  Invited speaker with expertise in the theme topic
• Youth Keynote Lecture:  Invited youth speaker knowledgeable and passionate about the theme
• World Water Day Poster or 3 Minute Thesis Competition: open to grads and undergrads with cash awards in 2 categories (Original Research, presentation of thesis or project research and Coursework/Informational, presentation of coursework or literature based research related to WWD theme).  Faculty are encouraged to include WWD posters or 3 Minute Thesis competition in their course assignments.
• Panel Discussion: Panelists are invited to present on the WWD theme, chosen from a variety of backgrounds - government, industry, academia, tribal, etc.
• Green Film presentation: the Green Film committee chooses a documentary pertaining to the WWD theme
• Art Show: water-themed online art gallery
• Other theme-related activities: Other events based on ideas of students, staff and faculty

2022 World Water Day Theme - Groundwater:  Making the Invisible Visible - Please contact Jackie Gebhardt (glrcadmin-l@mtu.edu) with ideas for speakers, panelists, and events.

 

Seminar Speaker Request Form
Great Lakes Research Center faculty members can apply for assistance ($500) in bringing seminar speakers to Michigan Tech. Lecture topics should be of interest to the GLRC, and the visit should correspond with GLRC goals. The above form should be emailed to Jackie Gebhardt at glrcadmin-l@mtu.edu.