Day three of the 52nd annual International Association of Great Lakes Research conference at the University of Toledo kept pace with the overall theme of the week. It was an all-out science blitz of Great Lakes research.

A few hundred scientists arrived Wednesday, drifting in and out of presentations on nearly everything from persistent organic pollutants in tree bark to Mysis organism populations in southern Lake Michigan.

While some topics were esoteric, they still set the stage for engaging debate.

For nearly four hours, the emergence, patterns and management of Viral Hemorrhagic Septicemia (VHS) in the Great Lakes were outlined in brief 20-minute presentations.  VHS is a viral finfish disease (not spreadable to humans) in which fish suffer from hemorrhaging, bloatedness and lethargy.  It was first reported in the Great Lakes in 2005 and has spread through all of the lakes except Superior.  More than 28 Great Lakes fish species are known to be susceptible.

When researchers had a chance to informally discuss social and economic aspects of VHS, the science turned lively.

Fred Snyder of the Ohio Sea Grant College Program said of the abrupt and incomplete federal regulations on VHS: “A whole lot of hardship was involved with this.”

A view of University Hall from the steps of the Student Union, University of Toledo, May 20, 2009. Photo by Andy Balaskovitz

MSU’s Jan Stevenson (Zoology) spoke Wednesday on the value of determining ecosystem health accurately and how that reflects policy.  Innovative models, he said, are the key for creating policy now that will protect ecosystems later.

These “multi-metric” models are fairly new, Stevenson said, and improve on past policy determinants such as rating ecosystems on a poor, fair, good and excellent scale.

In other sessions, the audience would muster up a chuckle when it was obvious not everyone in the room understood what the scientist was talking about.

As if some of the presentations didn’t already confuse this mere journalism graduate, the gorgeous, 85-degree weather outside made it that much more difficult to focus.  I probably wasn’t alone, either.

–Andy Balaskovitz

How can Michigan’s university researchers help the state? A group at MSU has an answer: an approach called “engaged sustainability scholarship.” The Sustainable Michigan Endowed Project (SMEP) says that professors need to work with communities to identify challenges and solutions for Michigan sustainability.

This model was the focus at SMEP’s 4^th annual Academy at MSU last week. SMEP, funded by the Kellogg Foundation, seeks to identify how Michigan can balance economy, environment, and community. It’s led by endowed chairs at MSU; the Academies bring together people from inside and outside MSU to join in conversation.

Sandra Batie, SMEP coordinator and professor of Agricultural, Food, and Resource Economics, launched the Academy by describing how the traditional model of science, with isolated scientists studying problems, doesn’t work when the subject is sustainability. Sustainability is complex, involving many connected issues and touching on people’s individual values. To find the pathway to sustainability, scholars from many disciplines need to come together with laypeople, “co-creating knowledge.” Such a process results in solutions that are more informed and effective.

A proposal made by Dutch academics to reorganize the country’s swine industry highlights the danger of decisions made without public input. Academics suggested putting all of the country’s swine in three huge towers, said speaker Herman de Boon of Transforum, a sustainable agribusiness organization. They argued that the consolidation would free up farmland for development and increase efficiency: pigs would be raised and processed within the towers (“pigs in, meat out”), which would be near a port for easy transportation. The idea was developed without public consultation and met with resistance: no one wanted the towers nearby. “It was not a good solution – it ignored the social component,” said de Boon.

Speaker John Fisk, of sustainability non-profit Winrock, quoted author Bill McKibben: “The technology we need most is the technology of community: the knowledge of how to collaborate and get things done.” This approach is a traditional strength of the land grant university, noted Rick Foster, vice president of the Kellogg Foundation. “Land grant is the higher education model…of the future,” he said, as it represents accountability to the public.

SMEP’s academies and other events explore alternative futures for Michigan; for example, last year’s academy focused on the bioeconomy . Because sustainability is complex and evolving, however, the group also emphasizes the importance of ongoing, collaborative processes. SMEP members recently created a video , available soon, to describe the process of engaged sustainability scholarship. (The video was produced by students and faculty at MSU’s School of Journalism.)

More information about SMEP and its work is available here.

-Maya Fischhoff