Below is a transcript of our conversation with Dr. Don Uzarski:
David Nicholas:
I'm David Nicholas and this is Central Focus, a weekly look at research activity and innovative work from Central Michigan University students and faculty. CMU's contribution to Great Lakes research has flourished in the 15 years since Dr. Don Uzarski, Professor of Biology, became the fourth director of the university's Biological Station on Beaver Island. He has secured three $10 million federal grants to expand both the work and focus on the station, and during this time, also founded CMU's Institute for Great Lakes Research. He will remain in that role but is stepping down as director of the station. I reached Doctor Uzarski via Zoom to look back on his tenure and to look forward to what happens next. Why the decision then now Don to (to) step aside from the role as director of the biological station. What (what) brought you to the decision you've made?
Don Uzarski:
Yeah. So, over the past 15 years, you know, I was charged to bring research to the biological station in a substantial way, established a research experience for undergraduate students at the biological station in 2010 where we bring five to seven students, undergraduates from across the country and (and) (and) beyond. We've even had students from China, uh and elsewhere where they come and they do Great Lakes research for 10 weeks on the island with CMU researchers. So that program is still going on today. We started really expanding research on the biological station. We built a mesocosm facility that is (one and) one-of-a-kind in the Great Lakes and basically you can picture this as 12 tanks, 250-gallon tanks. That we can basically mimic Lake MI, we can control the temperature. We can control the light intensity. We can control the species in these tanks. And (that was a) that was an $850,000 NSF grant that funded that facility right here on the island. So we were, we were in a great location to be conducting these studies where we could do very controlled experiments in that mesocosm lab and then couple those with the same experiments out in the Great Lakes. So, we (we) basically had the best of both worlds being able to, yeah, when those, when the results of those studies merge, that's the most powerful science you can get!
DN:
Come 2025, you'd get to the end of another grant cycle. You're stepping away from this particular role. As you hand things over to Doctor Kevin Pangel, does it continue in this expanded role of incorporating the benefits and facilities of the station to really be, what, K through 16? I suppose one could say, the (the) youngest ones up to those doing undergrad and then graduate work, where (where) do you see, at this kind of crossroads point, what happens next?
DU:
We've doubled the workforce, potentially expanding the (the) region from the island all the way to Traverse City and continue to see that aspect of it build and while Dr. Pangle is working towards more of the education aspect at the station, and (and) also bringing other groups and conferences and (and) expanding in a way that that's, you know, on the, I don't want to say resort but moving towards that direction the (the) station then starts to bring in, it starts to get more stable financially and yet we're still increasing research, just not necessarily all of it being on site, you know, I see synergy taking place and I think that CMU can have a, just a (a) huge presence in (in) Northern Lake Michigan.
DN:
Thank you for what you have given CMU in this role and continued success with all of this as it moves forward. Doctor Don Uzarsky, thank you so very much for taking the time to talk with us. Again, congratulations and we look forward to what will be coming next. We appreciate your time.
DU:
Alright. Thank you, David.
