August 27, 2008

New Executive Director of Great Lakes Observing System

Jennifer Read appointed to key Great Lakes position

Ann Arbor, MI – Dr. Jennifer Read has been named the first executive director of the Great Lakes Observing System (GLOS), a new nonprofit organization dedicated to promoting Great Lakes stewardship through sound science and data management.

GLOS is one of 11 regional nodes of the U.S. Integrated Ocean Observing System, a nationwide federal initiative of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). As the only freshwater component of this nationwide system, GLOS will assume a central role in advancing science-based policy decisions and the exchange of scientific data among key agencies, organizations and academic institutions in the binational Great Lakes basin.

“Dr. Read is the ideal person to lead GLOS, as she brings a wealth of Great Lakes expertise, leadership and vision to this critical position,” stated Bill Werick, chair of the GLOS Board of Directors. “She will play a key role in our efforts to bridge the gap between science and user needs for data-related products and tools.”

Dr. Read holds a Ph.D. from the University of Western Ontario, where her research interests focused on the scientific and policy aspects of binational water policy in the context of the U.S.- Canada Great Lakes Water Quality Agreement. Over the last 15 years, she has held increasingly responsible positions in Great Lakes research, policy development and education/outreach.

She will assume the GLOS leadership role while maintaining her current position as assistant director at Michigan Sea Grant. Prior to her appointment at Michigan Sea Grant in 2001, Dr. Read was a research
associate at the Great Lakes Institute for Environmental Research, University of Windsor; and a program specialist at the Great Lakes Commission. Read was a Fulbright Doctoral Fellow at the University of Michigan in 1998 and has multiple publications to her credit.

In accepting the appointment, Read stated, “I welcome this tremendous opportunity to build partnerships among diverse Great Lakes institutions. Sound science is the basis for sound management, and GLOS is well-positioned to make a significant contribution to the restoration, protection and sustainable use of the binational Great Lakes.”

GLOS researchers presently have a number of applied research initiatives underway. A hydrodynamic model for the St. Clair River/ Lake St. Clair/Detroit River system is under development, and will provide managers and policymakers with enhanced understanding of river and lake processes. An Internet- based decision support tool, called “Harborview” is also under development, and will provide recreational boaters and commercial navigation interests with “real time” data and information on lake conditions and meteorological events. And, GLOS is supporting deployment of five buoys in several Great Lakes locations proximate to urban centers, where a range of data and information is being collected for research and policy application purposes.

Read succeeds Roger Gauthier, a senior manager at the Great Lakes Commission who has served as interim director of GLOS since 2006. The Commission led the conceptual development and early programming for GLOS, with funding through the NOAA Coastal Services Center.

GLOS will be co-located with Michigan Sea Grant on the University of Michigan campus, where Dr. Read can be
contacted at (734) 936-3622 or jenread@umich.edu. For further details, visit the GLOS web site at www.glos.us.

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