Students will participate in interdisciplinary research that addresses critical issues facing the Laurentian Great Lakes, one of the world’s most important and threatened freshwater ecosystems. Faculty-guided projects will focus on the response of large freshwater systems to anthropogenic stressors including pollution (nutrients, contaminants, microplastics), climate change (water level, extreme weather), and non-native species. Research will be conducted at CMU’s Biological Station on Beaver Island, a remote, largely forested, island in northern Lake Michigan with few permanent residents. Its complex geological history, seven insular lakes, and proximity to large lake water currents make Beaver Island an ideal location to explore connections between anthropogenic stressors, Great Lakes ecosystems, and weather.

Participants will collaborate with CMU faculty to develop research projects in areas such as animal behavior, climate, conservation and spatial ecology, fisheries biology, hydrology, limnology, microbial ecology, mussel ecology, plankton ecology, and weather. Participants will gain hands-on experience in all parts of the scientific process, from experimental design through data acquisition and dissemination. Participants will engage with multiple stakeholders (e.g. government entities, private individuals, and Indigenous communities) who have interest in Great Lakes resources and will learn to communicate their science to these groups.

• Applicants who are U.S. citizens or permanent residents, with a grade point average of 3.0 or higher, and who will be returning to their undergraduate program in Fall 2024 are eligible to apply.
• Women and minorities are particularly encouraged to apply.
• We strongly encourage applications from underrepresented groups, especially Native Americans, and students from small colleges or 2-year programs whose research opportunities have been limited.