SAULT STE. MARIE, MI— Lake Superior State University will serve as the hub for the new U.S. Coast Guard National Center of Expertise for the Great Lakes.
The NCOE was stablished in 2018 and recently received $4.5 million in funding. It’s designed to examine the impacts of oil spills in freshwater environments and help develop effective responses.
Creator of the NCOE, Senator Gary Peters, says current oil spill response technologies are primarily designed for saltwater environments.
LSSU will serve as the hub for the initiative and home to its supervisor. It will partner with NOAA’s Great Lakes Environmental Research Laboratory in Ann Arbor and the Coast Guard.
LSSU President Rodney Hanley says the venture will underwrite several research positions at the school’s Center for Freshwater Research and Education facility, scheduled to open toward the end of this year.
