Ayumi Fujisaki-Manome

10 Questions: Ayumi Fujisaki-Manome

By Lori Atherton

Ayumi Fujisaki-Manome is an associate research scientist at the Cooperative Institute for Great Lakes Research (CIGLR), which is hosted by the University of Michigan School for Environment and Sustainability. Her research uses geophysical modeling to address the impacts of interactions between ice, oceans and lakes on larger-scale phenomena, such as weather, storm surges, and sea and lake ice melting.

How did you become interested in your research, and what is most exciting about it for you?

When I was a college student, I watched the first HDTV live broadcast from the Showa Station in Antarctica. During the broadcast, scientists discussed exciting weather observations they had made in the harsh polar environment. This sparked a deep interest in me. Since then, I have spent a good amount of time reading about how polar environments influence global climate, how ice cover interacts with ocean and lake circulations and ecosystems, and how ice cover has been culturally significant to communities living in coastal areas near mid-latitude lakes and oceans. Eventually, I landed a job doing research on ice cover. It turned out that my daily research life is mostly about computer programming for modeling ice and hydrodynamics, sitting in front of computers all day, rather than going out into the field and making exciting observations. This might sound boring, but regional weather and climate research are almost always collaborative efforts among various experts. For example, I talk to observationalists, meteorologists and mathematicians to ensure my modeling accurately represents the physical processes we are interested in. I regularly communicate with people who use ice cover information in the Great Lakes to ensure that the predictions from our models are helpful to them. So, it’s not just about sitting in front of a computer, but about being a driver of important collaborative processes. This makes me excited.

What is your favorite thing to do on the weekend?

I enjoy weekends with my husband and two kids. We go shopping, hiking, biking and to the pool.

What is your favorite CIGLR moment?

I feel so much pleasure when discussing new research ideas with my colleagues, often with expertise different from mine. We are always busy and don’t have enough time to realize all of them; however, these moments give me energy. Exchanging diverse perspectives inspires creativity and drives my passion for our work.

Do you have a favorite Great Lake?

Lake Michigan.

What is the most-used app on your phone?

Maps, since I have no sense of direction.

Cats or dogs?

Tough question…but dogs.

Favorite vacation destination?

Iceland. We visited there a decade ago; it’s a good time to consider going back. And Japan!

What advice would you pass on to future researchers?

Enjoy the process instead of getting caught up in the results.

What is the most recent book you read?

I bought “Wonder” for my fourth grader and it moved me to tears.

What is the most adventurous thing you’ve done?

Driving around Iceland in a car built from junkyard parts. The drive was approximately 2,000 km.

More Stories from the Magazine

Table of Contents
Students work with Professor Joe Trumpey on a conference table surface in the Sculpture Studio at the U-M Stamps School.

Students Turn Fallen Campus Trees Into Public Tables

Storm-damaged trees from across U-M have been turned into new, functional furniture on campus. Students in Professor Joseph Trumpey’s Tree to Table class milled logs and worked with wood taken from trees on campus, including the legendary Tappan Oak.

Faculty and students from the Problem Solving Initiative course in Winter 2024.

U-M Students Develop “Roadmap” to Clean, Equitable Power in Michigan

As Michigan works to achieve its clean energy and energy justice goals outlined in the MI Climate Action Plan, the traditional Investor-Owned Utility (IOU) model for providing electricity is often an obstacle to progress. In collaboration with the Michigan Climate Action Network and Michigan Environmental Justice Coalition, a group of U-M graduate students, including five from SEAS, recently published a comprehensive report about Michigan’s public power options.

Smoke from the Canadian wildfires created hazy skies near the Mackinac Bridge in June 2023.

"The Great Lakes University"

U-M is a major convener of Great Lakes research thanks to its interdisciplinary efforts to address climate change and other problems. SEAS is a microcosm of that work because of its Great Lakes research centers and institutes; collaborations with other U-M units; and expansive partnerships with organizations within Ann Arbor, the region, and spanning the U.S., Canada and other countries. What this means, according to SEAS Dean Jonathan Overpeck, is that U-M is well-positioned to be “The Great Lakes University.”