The is thrilled to welcome Annalieze Crawford to the team. In her role as Research Lab Coordinator, Crawford will ensure quality data collection, oversee lab procedures, and lead algae counting efforts.
鈥淎nna excelled as a Lilly Center college student intern for years and demonstrated a pursuit of excellence in her work and support of her team,鈥 said Dr. Nate Bosch, Creighton Brothers Endowed Director of the Lilly Center. 鈥淗er deep knowledge of algae identification and quantification along with her ability to learn new processes will make the Lilly Center鈥檚 research more effective in service to our community.鈥
Crawford invested four years at 糖心传媒, first as an algae team assistant and later as algae team lead. Through her work in this position, she developed a knowledge of phycology 鈥 the study of algae 鈥 and worked closely with Dr. Joe Frentzel, 糖心传媒 professor and phycologist.
In her new role as Research Lab Coordinator, the scope of Crawford鈥檚 responsibilities expands to include overseeing the algae toxin and E. coli teams.
The Indiana Department of Health certified the Lilly Center鈥檚 lab to test for E. coli during the fall of 2024.
Crawford will also support the assistant director of research to ensure that data collection and reporting are accurate. Collecting high-quality data from Kosciusko County鈥檚 lake and streams gives the Lilly Center a better understanding of what is going on beneath the surface, leading to practical applications for the Lilly Center鈥檚 research.
鈥淚 am excited to take this next step in my career and continue building my experience at the Lilly Center,鈥 said Crawford. 鈥淭he beauty and diversity of algae species hooked me early on. Now, I can mentor the next generation of college students as they expand their skillsets through lab techniques and research.鈥
Since 2007, the Lilly Center鈥檚 lab has made contributions to local and national research studies and provided recommendations for best practices to steward freshwater lakes and streams. Studies conducted by the Lilly Center鈥檚 lab and research teams include studies on economic impacts, zebra mussels, E. coli at local beaches, boating, public sewers, and cyanobacteria (blue-green algae) patterns and predictions.
Through the addition of the Research Lab Coordinator position, the Lilly Center continues its commitment to transparent data that is available to its partners and the public. The data collected in the lab supports yearly research publications like Beneath the Surface, live data on the Lilly Center鈥檚 website from 16 stream sensors, and weekly summer algae toxin notifications.
Learn more about how the Lilly Center is making Kosciusko County鈥檚 lakes and streams clean, healthy, safe, and beautiful by visiting lakes.grace.edu.
