The Lake Erie and Aquatic Research Network (LEARN), an Ohio-based regional research consortium, recently brought academics and agencies together at its annual meeting in November.
The meeting, held in Newark, Ohio, helped foster collaboration among different universities, public agencies, and non-governmental organizations to assess and work to improve Ohio’s aquatic ecosystems.
At the event, LEARN members from around the region presented research posters and had the opportunity to network.
LEARN, originally conceived in 2017 under a National Science Foundation planning grant, is a network of researchers throughout Ohio and surrounding areas studying Lake Erie, the Ohio River, and related aquatic ecosystems, such as wetlands and streams.
“Our goal is to connect academics to academics, connect academics to agencies, and to connect different disciplines of academics together,” said Dr. Chris Winslow, director of Ohio Sea Grant and Stone Laboratory, who helped form LEARN alongside associate director Dr. Kristen Fussell and more than 30 academics from across the state.
With hundreds of members from more than 20 universities, LEARN provides access to research expertise, research facilities and equipment, collaborative grant writing opportunities, specialized workshops, and the ability to interface with decision makers.
The meeting featured lightning talks from members of LEARN, networking and research posters, and an “ask a professional” panel discussion with working professionals. Organizations represented in the panel included The Nature Conservancy, the Ohio River Valley Water Sanitation Commission, Outdoor Sylvania Community Parks, Stream + Wetlands Foundation, and the Great Lakes Commission.
Panelists responded to a variety of questions geared toward helping researchers understand the organizations’ science needs and informing early-career students about what entities are looking for when hiring natural resource professionals.
The event included an “ask a professional” panel discussion with representatives from The Nature Conservancy, the Ohio River Valley Water Sanitation Commission, Outdoor Sylvania Community Parks, Stream + Wetlands Foundation, and the Great Lakes Commission.
“We’re looking for science and research that helps us understand how the lakes are doing, how our human interactions and the uses of the lakes impact things like water quality and impact our ability to beneficially use the lakes,” said Erika Jensen, executive director of the Great Lakes Commission, an interstate agency that represents the eight states and two provinces that surround the Great Lakes.
For LEARN member Dr. Natalie Kruse Daniels, an environmental studies professor and director of Ohio University’s Environmental Studies Program, the event revealed enthusiasm for collaboration and research in the Ohio River Basin with broad expertise across the state.
“This was an excellent early step in engaging that group of people in LEARN,” Kruse Daniels said. “It’s a great opportunity to have a smaller, collegial connection between the multiple players in aquatic systems in Ohio. The opportunity for engagement through breakouts really allows us to connect and learn from each other.”
Kruse Daniels added that LEARN addresses a great need for aquatic research and practice in both Lake Erie and in the Ohio River basin, promoting synergy to find creative multidisciplinary solutions.
For student researchers like Michael Back, a Ph.D. candidate in the Ecology and Evolutionary Biology program at Kent State University, the event provided an opportunity to network with people in his field. Previously, he served on LEARN’s board as a student representative from 2023-2024.
“LEARN is one of my favorite organizations to facilitate connections with likeminded aquatic scientists in our area and is often the first suggestion I give when a fellow student asks for ways to broaden their network,” Back said.
“Thanks to LEARN, I now understand that science is not an individual sport, and the larger you build your team, the more impactful your science will be in the end,” he continued. “We’ve got many pressing issues related to aquatic resources in Ohio, and no one researcher or institution can solve them all. Building interdisciplinary relationships can get us closer to addressing some of them.”
Ohio Sea Grant is supported by The Ohio State University College of Food, Agricultural, and Environmental Sciences (CFAES) School of Environment and Natural Resources, Ohio State University Extension, and NOAA Sea Grant, a network of 34 Sea Grant programs nation-wide dedicated to the protection and sustainable use of marine and Great Lakes resources. Stone Laboratory is Ohio State’s island campus on Lake Erie and is the research, education, and outreach facility of Ohio Sea Grant and part of CFAES School of Environment and Natural Resources.