NEWS RELEASE
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 collocated 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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