Posted: 5:00 AM Jul 30, 2012 Reporter: Associated Press
HOUGHTON, Mich. (AP) -- Michigan Technological University this week plans to dedicate a $25 million research facility that was created to address pressing Great Lakes issues. Michael Abbott, the facility's director, tells The Detroit News (http://bit.ly/Qr3rOe ) he has high hopes for the Great Lakes Research Center in Houghton. He says those interested in the Great Lakes -- from government agencies to educational institutions -- will come together at the facility. A dedication is planned for Thursday at the facility in Michigan's Upper Peninsula. Issues on the center's plate range from invasive species to climate change. The center includes laboratories, aquatic labs, a computer center, underwater robots and a dock for the center's 37-foot research vessel, the Agassiz.