Underwater Mapping of Grand Traverse Bay Continues
TRAVERSE CITY -- A new underwater research project is giving Northwestern Michigan College students a new way to learn outside of the classroom.
NMC's Underwater Institute directors say their new research program is giving students a hands-on experience with underwater studies.
It's also giving them an edge up in the growing field of freshwater research.
Northwestern Michigan College's Great Lakes Campus is located right next to Grand Traverse Bay, and with good reason.
NMC's new Freshwater Studies degree program is launching the second phase of its underwater research project that started last year.
With $38,000 from the Michigan Department of Natural Resource and Environment, and $19,500 from Michigan Sea Grant, NMC's research project is giving its students hands-on experience that the school's directors say they can't get anywhere else.
"It's the first program at the associate level in the country," said NMC Water Sudies Coordinator Constanza Hazelwood. "The need for people who specialize in water-related issues is big and there's a growing demand for professionals in this field."
The project brings NMC students out of the classroom and onto a boat, the "Northwestern," to collect data and map out Grand Traverse Bay every day.
"The best part for me is just being able to be out on the water everyday," said NMC student David Bearss. "Not a lot of people can look out their office windows and just be surrounded by water, so that's pretty awesome."
$250,000 sonar equipment can cut through 800 feet of water to show clear images of the lake floor in high resolution. When research of the Grand Traverse Bay ends next month, NMC will have a detailed underwater map of the bays -- something that hasn't been done in 80 years.
NMC's Water Studies Institute Director Hans VanSumeren said this program is not only sophisticated and unique, but it will also bring more jobs to NMC graduates in just two years.
"It has been extremely successful," said VanSumeren. "We started last year and it was about two weeks after we had launched our first class opportunity and we had employers calling, asking for our graduates."
According to VanSumeren, this project would cost NMC more than $120,000 a month if it wasn't for funding and grants.
