Great Lakes Institute Faculty and Staff | Great Lakes Research Center

Timothy C. Havens

Director, Great Lakes Research Center
Director, Institute of Computing and Cybersystems
William and Gloria Jackson Professor

Links of Interest

Faculty Webpage

Areas of Interest

Pattern Recognition and Machine Learning
Signal and Image Processing
Sensor and Data Fusion
Heterogeneous Data Mining
Explosive Hazard Detection

Pengfei Xue

Associate Director, Great Lakes Research Center
Associate Professor, Civil, Environmental, and Geospatial Engineering
Director, Numerical Geophysical Fluid Dynamics Laboratory, Great Lakes Research Center

Links of Interest

Teaching Interests

Introductory Geophysical Fluid Dynamics
Hydrodynamic Modeling
Water Resources Engineering
Ecosystem Dynamics Modeling

Research Interests

Hydrodynamic modeling
Regional climate modeling
Coupled ocean-atmosphere dynamics
Data assimilation and machine learning
Biophysical processes in the Great Lakes
Estuary and coastal ocean processes

Elizabeth Hoy

Director, Business & Program Development
Great Lakes Research Center

Specialties

Facilitates partnerships that support Institute growth
Directs the development and distribution of outreach material to external partners
Oversees administrative operations

Guy Meadows

Director, Marine Engineering Laboratory
Robbins Professor of Sustainable Marine Engineering
Research Professor, Mechanical Engineering-Engineering Mechanics

Research Interests

Large scale field experimentation in the Inland Seas of the Great Lakes and coastal oceans
Nearshore hydrodynamics and prediction
Autonomous and semi-autonomous environmental monitoring platforms (surface and sub-surface)
Underwater acoustic remote sensing
Marine engineering

Valoree Gagnon

Director, University-Indigenous Community Partnerships, Great Lakes Research Center
Assistant Professor, College of Forest Resources and Environmental Science

vsgagnon@mtu.edu
906-487-2180
Noblet Building 168

Links of Interest

Research Interests

University-Community Partnerships, research engagement, and equitable practice and design
Environmental Justice and Policy, toxic substances, risk management, and promoting holistic health
Indigenous / Native American Studies, treaties and the government-to-government relationship, food sovereignty, and Indigenous wisdom in the Great Lakes region
Environmental Stewardship and the Seven Generations Philosophy

John D. Lenters

Associate Research Scientist, Great Lakes Research Center
Adjunct Professor, Civil, Environmental, and Geospatial Engineering
Adjunct Professor, Mechanical Engineering - Engineering Mechanics

Areas of Expertise

- Lake evaporation
- Physical limnology
- Great Lakes weather and climate
- Surface waves and coastal storms
- Air-sea interaction
- Autonomous buoys
- Watershed hydrology
- Global and regional climate change

Research Interests

Impacts of climate on lake temperature and ice cover
Lake surface energy balance studies
Marine weather observations and forecasting
Great Lakes evaporation and water levels
Climate impacts on lake and land surface hydrology
Mesoscale and boundary layer meteorology
Great Lakes observation networks
Societal impacts of climate change
Autonomous sensors at the lake-air interface

Amanda Gonczi

Associate Research Scientist, Great Lakes Research Center
Instructor, Cognitive and Learning Sciences
Director of Research and Evaluation, Michigan Science Teaching and Assessment Reform

algonczi@mtu.edu

Areas of Expertise

Design and implementation of professional development for K-12 and undergraduate STEM teachers
K-12 STEM education research
Program evaluation

Amanda's CV

Research Interests

Instructional practices that support environmental literacy and stewardship
Integration of computing into STEM education
Teachers beliefs about reforms-based science instruction including nature of science, inquiry, engineering, Next Generation Science Standards, and technology integration
Professional development elements (remote and face-to-face) that support instructional change, teacher leadership and reforms-based science instruction
Using levels of inquiry to support teachers' understanding and integration of mathematical and scientific inquiry in k-12 education
Teachers' understandings regarding key concepts in science including respiration and photosynthesis

Erika Vye

Geosciences Research Scientist, Great Lakes Research Center

Areas of Interest

Geosciences Education
Geoconservation
Geoheritage
National Marine Sanctuary
Great Lakes Indigenous Knowledge
University-Indigenous Community Partnerships

Erik Kocher

Research Engineer - Electrical Engineer, Great Lakes Research Center

Research Interests

Marine & Naval Engineering
Electro-Mechanical Systems
Self-driving/Autonomous Systems
Robotics
Controls
Acoustics/Vibration

Specialties

Support GLRC Research Projects & Programs
Coordinate GLRC Engineering Lab & Shop Space
Mechanical & Mechatronics Engineering
Maritime and Naval Systems Design, Assembly, and Operation
Certified Fanuc Robotics Technician
State certified Firefighter & First Responder with additional training in Search & Rescue, First Aid, Ice Rescue, and Hazmat Emergency Response

Christopher Pinnow

Electrical & Computer Engineer, Great Lakes Research Center

Specialties

Support GLRC research programs
Focus on measurements of the over water and in-water environments
Support design, fabrication, testing & utilization of prototype field deployable instruments, including programming and decision support algorithms
Statistical analysis of remote sensing and in situ data sets
Expanded Biography

Jamey Anderson

Assistant Director, Marine Operations
Manager, Marine Research Assets Shared Facility

Specialties

Oversee research buoys
Maintain and repair Remote Operated Vehicles
Maintain R/V Agassiz to USCG standards
Maintain and operate survey vessels
Provide electrical and mechanical support of specialized research equipment
Expanded Biography

Hayden Henderson

Research Engineer
Relief Captain

Areas of Expertise

Limnology and physical oceanography
Application, fabrication, and deployment of advanced technology and integrated observing systems
Surface and underwater autonomous or remotely operated research platforms
Meteorological and biogeochemical sensor instrumentation
Quality assurance and control of in-situ data
USCG 100 GRT Master Captain

Research Interests

Establishment of long-term climate observations
Great Lakes acidification
Ship based flow-through systems
Nutrient cycling and subsequent productivity
Advanced technologies for increasing public safety
Data science and tool building

Travis White

Research Engineer, Great Lakes Research Center
Relief Captain, Great Lakes Research Center

Specialties

Responsible for administration of the Marine Autonomy Research Site and Smart Ships Coalition and coordination with the Marine Research Assets Shared Use Facility (MRAF) in support of client needs.
Provide scientific and engineering support to faculty, staff, partners, and sponsors with expertise in design, manufacturing, and integration of marine systems. Support budget and proposal development, project management, and strategic planning.
Over 10 years' experience as a licensed captain on the Great Lakes with expertise in navigation systems, marine electronics, mechanical systems, and maintenance, repair, and operations.
Expanded Biography.

Steven Senczyszyn

Research Engineer, Great Lakes Research Center

Specialties

Program Management
Proposal Development
Technology Commercialization

Research Interests

Acoustics and Vibrations
- Thermoacoustics
- Carbon Nanotube Speaker Design and Fabrication
- Underwater Acoustics
- Active Noise Control
Image and Signal Processing
Autonomous Vehicles

Shadi Moradi

Research Engineer

shadim@mtu.edu

Areas of Interest

Pattern Recognition and Machine Learning
Image Processing
Data Science and Analytics

Joseph Geisz

Research Engineer

jgeisz@mtu.edu

Research Interests

Applied mathematics
Computer vision
Machine learning
Benthic substrate mapping
AUV data analysis

Anthony Arnold

Research Engineer

anthonya@mtu.edu

Specialties

Underwater acoustic remote sensing
Design, fabrication, testing & utilization of prototype field deployable instruments
Application and deployment of advanced technologies and integrated observing systems
Quality assurance and control of in-situ data
Provide strategic scientific and engineering support to partners
Scientific scuba diving

Research Interests

Surface and underwater autonomous or remotely operated research platforms
Acoustic signal processing
Optical engineering
Marine engineering
Business water risk

Christopher Wojick

Senior Researcher, Program Evaluation
Great Lakes Research Center

clwojick@mtu.edu
GLRC

Ryan Williams, GISP, MGIS

Assistant Director, Geospatial Research Facility

Areas of Expertise

Geographic Information Systems
Database Development
GIS Tool and Process Development
Integrating Web, GIS, Database and Analytics Tools

Dan Trepal

Senior Geospatial Research Scientist
Adjunct Assistant Professor, Social Sciences

Education

PhD, Industrial Heritage and Archaeology, Michigan Technological University
MS, Industrial Archaeology, Michigan Technological University
BS, Anthropology and History, Cleveland State University

Research Interests

Industrial and Urban Archaeology
Historical GIS
Deindustrialization
Industrial Landscapes
The Archaeology of Brownfields
Spatial Analysis of Historical Industrial Pollutants
Big Data Approaches to Archaeology
Publicly-engaged Scholarship

Daniel J. Lizzadro-McPherson

Geospatial Research Scientist

djlizzad@mtu.edu
906-487-3418
GLRC 316 and 318

Areas of Expertise

Geographic Information Systems (GIS) and Geostatistical Analysis
Lake Superior Geology, Coastal Geomorphology, and Geoheritage
GPS, GIS Data Collector Applications, and Mapping Technologies
Web-based GIS Data Dissemination and Applications
Interdisciplinary GIS Project Management

Bob Cowling

GIS Data Librarian

rcowling@mtu.edu
GLRC 316

Areas of Expertise

Geographic Information Systems (GIS)
Geospatial Metadata
Cartography
Web-based GIS application development
Geospatial data management, discovery, and dissemination

Gary Spikberg

GIS Specialist

gaspikbe@mtu.edu
GLRC 316

Research Interests

Heritage Interpretation
French Canadian Migration
Record Linkage
Virtual Reality
Deep Mapping
Historical GIS

"Start from a place of "we"; practice proactive sharing; foster personal awareness; be the educator, be the learner; live the agreements"
—Five Agreements of Organizational Sensitivity

Jackie Gebhardt, PMP

Senior Coordinator, Great Lakes Research Center

Roles and Areas of Responsibility

Safety Liaison
Pre-Award Proposal Development and Budgeting Support
Post Award Project Management
Implementation of Institute Initiatives
Website Development

Rachel Rulison

Coordinator, Great Lakes Research Center

Roles and Areas of Responsibility

Department Payroll and Timesheets
Financial Transactions
Website Maintenance
Purchase Requisitions and Invoices
Department/Shared Facilities Data/Reports
GLRC Events

Longhuan Zhu

Postdoctoral Researcher, Great Lakes Research Center

lzhu7@mtu.edu

Education

Ph.D., Civil and Environmental Engineering (Coastal Engineering Focus), University of Maine, 2020
M.Eng.,Naval Architecture and Ocean Engineering, Tianjin University, 2015
B.Eng., Naval Architecture and Ocean Engineering, Tianjin University, 2012
B.Mgt., Project Management, Tianjin University, 2012

Research Interests

Hydrodynamic modeling with focus on wave-current-sediment processes
Modeling nearshore coastal processes with engineering applications
Nature-based solutions for coastal protection with focus on flow-vegetation-sediment interaction and wave attenuation
Computational fluid dynamics (CFD) with focus on multiphase flow and fluid-structure interaction (FSI) modeling
Hydrodynamic performance of offshore engineering structures and aquaculture structure systems