Associate dean and professor Harvey Bootsma spoke to Spectrum News 1 about programs at risk with the proposed 2026 federal budget, which includes the Great Lakes Observing System and other research programs. GLOS is funded by National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), which would have a 25% reduction — nearly $1.5 billion. GLOS includes the buoy system that is operated by many entities, but the School of Freshwater Sciences operates and manages four of them.