October 2017 Letter from the Director
Hello from the Minnesota Aquatic Invasive Species Research Center! 
Over the last month, we have been working to update our list of prioritized research needs for our upcoming request for proposals (RFP). Experts from MAISRC’s Technical Committee, Faculty Group, and Advisory Board, as well as the DNR, have all weighed in to help inform the selections. This has once again been an interesting and productive process, resulting in what I believe to be a strong list of research needs that complements ongoing work by us and others, balances the many needs of the state, and highlights the need for building diverse, collaborative teams.
If there is any ‘bad news’ in this story, it is that there are many important questions that have yet to be answered. We knew this was true when MAISRC was created – science takes time and far more often makes incremental steps, than silver bullet discoveries. We are making significant progress, but have a ways to go. Thank you for your continued support!
The ‘good news’ is that we at MAISRC are not deterred by those unanswered questions. We will be sending the list of prioritized research needs out soon with our RFP – keep your eyes open! We hope to fund 3-5 new projects during the next cycle and continue our efforts to solve Minnesota’s AIS problems. Thank you to the Environment and Natural Resources Trust Fund for making this work possible.
Time to get back to the lab…
Dr. Nick Phelps, Director
