The University of Michigan (UM) requests funding for shipboard technician activities associated with the research vessel LAURENTIAN, an 80-foot vessel. The LAURENTIAN is owned and operated by UM. It is the only UNOLS vessel conducting NSF-funded research in the Great Lakes. In most years, the LAURENTIAN supports between 30 to 100 days of NSF-funded research. The UM technician will be responsible for operating and repairing instruments while at sea, maintaining instruments onshore and assisting with scientific operations necessary before and after cruises.