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Great Salt Lake Institute
Our Mission
Connecting people to Great Salt Lake through research and education.
Our Story
Great Salt Lake Institute (GSLI) was established in 2008 with support from Westminster University and an external grant, allowing us to hire a coordinator, involve student employees, and purchase equipment to reach out to the community in a real way. We began by running community field trips and developing high school and college curriculum on GSL. Shortly thereafter, we created a GSLI summer undergraduate research program.
Meet the Team
Great Salt Lake Institute
Bonnie Baxter, Ph.D
Professor
Georgie Corkery
Coordinator II, Great Salt Lake City Institute
David Parrott, Ph.D
Associate Professor
In the News
Get Involved
We welcome your participation in our study of Great Salt Lake. We want to hear from you, whether you're a scientist, a poet, a performance artist. We are interested in helping people make connections to enhance study, understanding and appreciation of the lake and its surroundings. To get involved, email gslinstitute@westminsteru.edu.
Resources
Great Salt Lake
As one of the extreme ecosystems of the world, where life is test to its limits, Great Salt Lake provides new territory for exploration and stewardship.
Spiral Jetty
We are committed to protect and value the Spiral Jetty as a unique, world-renowned artwork, and as a place where we can conduct valuable research on Great Salt Lake.
Teacher Resources
We support field trips, teacher training, and curriculum development centered on the Great Salt Lake.
Publications
Director of the Great Salt Lake Institute, Dr. Bonnie Baxter and Jaimi Butler edited
and published Great Salt Lake Biology. This book includes many Westminster faculty and students as authors. This is the
first book ever centered on Great Salt Lake biology. Authors explore the lake from
the microbial diversity to the invertebrates and the birds who eat them. Unusual perspectives
are included, including the impact of tar seeps on the lake biology and why the Great
Salt Lake may help us search for life on Mars. The role of human perceptions and our
effect on the biology of the lake is also considered.
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Director of the Great Salt Lake Institute, Dr. Bonnie Baxter, and former coordinator,
Jaimi Butler, published the children’s book The Great Great Salt Lake Monster Mystery, which follows children as they look for the fabled Great Salt Lake Monster while discovering
brine shrimp, birds, salt, and much more.