Lake Champlain Sea Grant Hires New Outreach/Extension Specialist at SUNY Plattsburgh

Lake Champlain Sea Grant, of the University of Vermont and SUNY Plattsburgh, welcomes Dr. Aude Lochet as an outreach/extension specialist in water resources at the Lake Champlain Research Institute located at SUNY Plattsburgh. She will develop and implement an extension education program related to water resources and human use of Lake Champlain and its shoreline. Currently an adjunct lecturer in the Biological Sciences Department at SUNY Plattsburgh, Aude will begin her new role full-time on May 17, 2021.

“I believe in the importance of environmental literacy to build a sustainable future, and working for Lake Champlain Sea Grant is right up my alley,” said Aude. “I am looking forward to building connections with the Lake Champlain community and providing high-quality educational opportunities.”

Through outreach, educational activities, and applied research, Aude will work to enhance local governmental, business, media, special interest groups, and general public awareness and understanding of water resource issues, such as invasive species, water quality, fisheries habitat, and lake recreation. She will develop and support activities that help community members and visitors learn how to wisely use aquatic resources and increase their ability to prepare for and respond to coastal hazardous events.

"We are very happy to have Aude join us at the Lake Champlain Research Institute,” said Tim Mihuc, Director of the Research Institute and Co-Director of Lake Champlain Sea Grant. “She brings many skills that will complement our research efforts and science outreach efforts in the region."

During the past 14 years, Aude served in a variety of educational and research roles at Vassar College, Cary Institute of Ecosystem Studies, University of Vermont, and SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry. She began her career as a fish ecologist in France at what is now called the French National Research Institute for Agriculture, Food and Environment and earned her PhD in oceanography at the University of Bordeaux. She studied the otoliths, or ear stones, of fish to understand the migration of different species, and she participated in fish restoration programs.

“Aude’s experience developing and leading education and outreach programs and in researching fish species, in particular sea lamprey in Lake Champlain, gives her a unique perspective to understand and to share knowledge of Lake Champlain and its aquatic resources with key audiences in the basin,” said Breck Bowden, Director of Lake Champlain Sea Grant at the University of Vermont (UVM) Rubenstein School of Environment and Natural Resources. “Her efforts will enhance the Lake Champlain Sea Grant program and workforce development programming of Lake Champlain Sea Grant, SUNY Plattsburgh, and UVM Extension."