Green Research, Development and Practice

MAREC – Michigan Alternative and Renewable Energy Center

The Michigan Alternative and Renewable Energy Center (MAREC)

MAREC was developed as a direct response to the growing need for alternative and renewable energy sources. The mission of MAREC is to be an international destination point for researchers and businesses developing alternative energy technologies and applications. In addition, the Center will be a leading resource for education and instruction on alternative energy.

The initial spark for the development of MAREC came in 1999 when a group of Grand Valley State University faculty and Muskegon business people conceived the idea of a research and development facility focused on alternative energy. Subsequent partnerships between the business, community, and private sectors resulted in groundbreaking for the Center in late 2002, with the facility opening its doors in November 2003.

Located in the Muskegon Lakeshore SmartZone on Muskegon Lake, MAREC is a self-sustaining distributive energy center that features a high-temperature molten carbonate fuel cell, photovoltaic solar roof tiles, and nickel metal hydride battery energy storage system. In addition, the facility offers business incubator space, energy laboratory, conference center, and classroom facilities.

MAREC's strategic focus revolves around four key initiatives: 1) managing a leading-edge facility, 2) implementing visionary energy projects, 3) providing alternative energy education, and 4) supporting the economic development of Muskegon and the state.

http://www.gvsu.edu/marec/index.cfm?id=F39433C2-094F-7AFB-64F7E40792139651

AWRI –Annis Water Resources Institute

The Robert B. Annis Water Resources Institute (AWRI) is a multidisciplinary research organization committed to the study of freshwater resources. The mission of the Institute is to integrate research, education, and outreach to enhance and preserve freshwater resources.

AWRI seeks to accomplish this mission through:

• Research into major questions about our water resources, including: ecosystem structure and function; contaminants and toxicology; hydrology; land use; watershed, stream, and wetland ecology; water quality; and basic and applied limnology.
• Public education for a variety of groups, including K-12, university students, and the community.
• Outreach to ensure that decision makers are equipped with the best available knowledge on environmental and water resource-related issues, to reduce the uncertainty associated with their resource management decisions.

The Institute occupies the Lake Michigan Center on Muskegon Lake in Muskegon, MI. Facilities include classrooms, conference areas, analytical labs, research labs, mesocosms, dockage, and ship support and storage. AWRI also promotes collaborative research and educational programming and offers research space and equipment, as well as ship support facilities to advance such collaborative efforts. AWRI operates its own research vessels, the D.J. Angus and the W.G. Jackson, and offers the Water Resources Outreach Education Program for K-12 schools and community groups.

The Institute consists of three main programmatic areas:

1. The Ecological Research Program, which consists of environmental biology and environmental chemistry groups, addresses questions about water resources, hydrology, watershed ecology and management, environmental chemistry and toxicology, aquatic ecosystem structure and function, aquatic conservation, land use change, pollution prevention, and aquatic food webs.

2. The Information Services Center, which uses state-of-the-art Geographic Information Services technology to collect and analyze data, and condense it into useful information for those who make critical decisions about natural resource management

3. The Education and Outreach Program, which includes the use of the AWRI's two research vessels, and provides scientific information to K-12 students, policymakers, educators, college students, and community groups.

Grand Valley students and faculty have the opportunity to participate in AWRI activities as volunteers, paid assistants, interns, research associates, or graduate students.

http://www.gvsu.edu/wri/