Courtesy Photo NOAA’s Great Lakes Environmental Research Laboratory researcher Steve Ruberg will lead a lecture on Thursday evening about Lake Huron sinkholes and ecosystems at the Great Lakes Maritime Heritage Center in Alpena.

ALPENA — The Great Lakes Maritime Heritage Center will host several free educational programs this month, including a lecture on Thursday.

Thursday, May 9

This next installment in the Sanctuary Lecture Series, from 7 to 9:30 p.m., is called “Looking Beneath the Surface: Using Emerging Technology to Explore Great Lakes Sinkholes and Ecosystems.”

Learn about advanced environmental technology being deployed by NOAA’s Great Lakes Environmental Research Laboratory (GLERL) based in Ann Arbor, to study what goes on beneath the surface of the Great Lakes.

Using innovation in the fields of electronics, mechanics, and software engineering, GLERL researcher Steve Ruberg will discuss how emerging technologies are leading to exciting discoveries in Lake Huron sinkholes and ecosystems.

Ruberg has a master of science degree in systems engineering from Wright State University and a bachelor of science degree in electrical engineering from the University of Kentucky.

Wednesday, May 22

As part of the Sanctuary Cinema Series, “Unsalted: A Great Lakes Experience” is a 56-minute film documenting four decades of lake surfing on the Great Lakes, directed by Vince Deur. The film will be at 7 p.m. at GLMHC.

The film begins with videotape footage Deur recorded in November 1990, when he nearly drowned while surfing Lake Superior near Whitefish Point. Described as “one part obsession, one part addiction,” this film showcases the unending quest for adventure and introduces surfing in the Great Lakes.

Thursday, May 23

Rescheduled from an earlier date, next in the Sanctuary Lecture Series is “The Ongoing Quest for the Wreck of the Griffon,” at 7 p.m., presented by State Archaeologist Dean L. Anderson of the Michigan State Historic Preservation Office.

In September of 1679, LaSalle’s vessel, the Griffon, went missing with a cargo of furs after setting sail from Green Bay in western Lake Michigan.

The wreck of the Griffon is perhaps the most sought-after shipwreck in the Great Lakes. Many claims of discovery have been made over the years. A recent claim has received a great deal of media attention, but archaeological evidence does not support the contention that the wreck has been found.

Doors open at 6:30 p.m. for all three programs. The GLMHC is located at 500 W. Fletcher Street.