The University of Michigan SEAS Team


Dr. Paul Seelbach, Professor of Practice, Conservation Ecology

Professor Seelbach's experiences bridge the academic study of aquatic ecosystems and its application within a range of resource management agencies. He has worked for the Michigan Department of Natural Resources, Fisheries Division as Research Scientist and Statewide Research Director; for the USGS Great Lakes Science Center, as Coastal Ecosystems Branch Chief; for the Great Lakes Commission as Senior Science Advisor; and currently serves the Michigan Department of Natural Resources, Office of the Great Lakes, as Senior Fellow. He has helped with major initiatives regarding watershed assessment and management, ecological flows and water allocation policy, water resources monitoring, and coastal zone management.

Regarding science, Paul applies a landscape-ecology approach to understanding the structure and function of riverine and nearshore ecosystems. He is interested in system elements such as: spatial heterogeneity and context, scales and hierarchy, driving processes, and the human footprint.  Regarding aquatic practice, Paul is interested in promoting effective knowledge transfer to management and governance decision processes and in nurturing development of professional and leadership skills.

SEAS students: Adam Arend, Kangyu Yu, Lingzi Liu, Nancy Ye, Kaitlin Vapenik

Adam Arend - Environmental Policy and Planning

Adam has experience creating interview guides and conducting individual interviews, using RStudio for quantitative research, and researching primary literature. He is excited to learn how to craft an effective survey and learn more about hydrology and the Grand Traverse Bay Watershed. Adam's experience will be valuable in interviewing stakeholders and crafting meaningful reports.

Kaitlin Vapenik - Environmental Informatics with Data Science Certificate

Kaitlin has experience performing, analyzing and writing literature reviews. She has used ArcGIS software for geospatial work and RStudio for statistics. She is excited to expand her hydrology knowledge and leverage her informatics experience. 

Kangyu Yu - Landscape Architecture

Kangyu has experience with water-related site design and urban planning. She has basic knowledge of green infrastructure, especially in stormwater management and the concept of sponge cities. Kangyu's experience with case studies, background research and site analysis will be an asset in building a strong research foundation for the Blue Communities project.

Lingzi Liu - Landscape Architecture 

Lingzi is experienced with stormwater management and green infrastructure. She has experience using Photoshop and Illustrator for design deliverables as well as ArcGIS for geodesign. Lingzi's experience with space making and ecological design solutions will be helpful to the Blue Communities team.

Nancy Ye - Conservation Ecology

Nancy's academic focus is hydrology and aquatic toxicology, with additional understanding of environmental law, regulation, and justice. Nancy is also experienced in creating maps using ArcGIS, and using RStudio to analyze quantitative data. Nancy's experience will be valuable in understanding the ecological framework of the Grand Traverse Bay Watershed.