ANN ARBOR—Jennifer Read has been named assistant director at Michigan Sea Grant. Read, a specialist in Great Lakes pollution, brings several years’ experience in environmental program development, research and management to her new position.

Read will oversee day-to-day operations of Michigan Sea Grant’s Ann Arbor offices at the University of Michigan and will teach and conduct research contributing to the development of Michigan Sea Grant’s overall vision.

Read, who has a doctorate in environmental history from the University of Western Ontario, was employed by the Great Lakes Institute for Environmental Research at the University of Windsor. There, she was responsible for program development, planning, research and management on a number of Detroit River and other regional environmental issues. Read also has served as a consultant to the Great Lakes Commission and the International Joint Commission.

“I’m excited to be working with Michigan Sea Grant,” Read says, “and I’m looking forward to collaborating with the Great Lakes Sea Grant Network and others in the Great Lakes community as we work on our shared goals for coastal resource management and protection.”

The program currently funds research projects and numerous outreach activities, such as sustainable coastal development, fisheries, coastal wetlands, Great Lakes education, Great Lakes ecosystem dynamics, exotic species and marine engineering.

Michigan Sea Grant promotes greater knowledge and stewardship of the Great Lakes through research and education. It is a joint program of the U-M and Michigan State University, and is funded in part by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (U.S. Department of Commerce).