Catholic Mission

The Environaut

Pictured above, the Environaut is a steel-hulled vessel, approximately 50 ft. long with a 12 ft. beam, 9 ton net weight, 4 ft. 5 in. draft, and powered with a 145 hp diesel engine. It is enhanced with radar, sonar, winched booms, underwater camera, a $40,000 generator, and an enclosed laboratory. 

It is an invaluable resource for Gannon students enabling them to complement classroom learning with practical, hands-on training and field work.

Widely used by undergraduate and graduate students in Gannon’s environmental science program as well as in support of classes in biology, limnology, zoology, and field ecology, the Environaut is used to:

• Investigate chemical, biological, and geological aspects of the lake’s water and substrate
• Research environmental health problems, water chemistry, lake and air pollution, population dynamics, acid rain and eutrophication
• Support research with the Zebra Mussel invasion in Lake Erie

The university’s proximity to Presque Isle Bay and to Lake Erie has made the Environaut truly a natural fit for Gannon.