Illinois-Indiana Sea Grant announces funding for five new research projects

Posted January 13th, 2020 in Aquaculture, Aquatic Invasive Species, Featured, Funded Research, Healthy Waters, News, Stormwater & Green Infrastructure
sand dunes and grass in the forefront, water of Lake Michigan in the background beyond the dunes

As part of its mission to serve the communities of southern Lake Michigan and beyond, Illinois-Indiana Sea Grant (IISG) funds innovative research. Starting next month, five researchers will lead new projects to learn more about green infrastructure, aquatic invasions, aquaculture, contaminants in fish, and shoreline erosion.

Green Infrastructure

Cities with heavy snowfall implement ways to make roads less slick, but this may come at a cost to water quality. Kimberly Van Meter of the University of Illinois at Chicago will study whether applying road salt near green infrastructure installations alters chloride levels in nearby surface and ground waters. She will conduct her research in different locations around the Chicago metropolitan area.

Aquatic Invasions

Many studies have looked at whether electricity or carbon dioxide can stop the spread of invasive Asian carp by creating barriers for the fish, but Reuben Keller of Loyola University Chicago will use funding to learn whether other species can be held back, too. He will focus on non-native invertebrates that make up the lower portions of the food web and have the potential to compete with native species or otherwise alter Great Lakes ecosystems. Learn more about aquatic invasive species.

Aquaculture

Sea Grant programs across the nation are funding aquaculture research with a goal of helping communities develop and maintain a safe and sustainable local seafood supply. Karolina Kwasek of Southern Illinois University Carbondale will develop protocols to improve growth of very young largemouth bass in aquaculture facilities, with a goal of making it easier to raise these and related fish.

Contaminants in Fish

Gary Lamberti of the University of Notre Dame will use funding to test wild caught fish collected from Lake Michigan and its tributaries for PFAS, a contaminant of emerging concern. He and his team will also refine a method for assessing which fish may be most likely to have high concentrations of PFAS in their tissues.

Shoreline Erosion

Finally, Cary Troy of Purdue University will be part of a multi-state, multi-Sea Grant program effort to study physical, hydrodynamic and social issues related to coastal erosion along Lake Michigan shorelines. The full research team will try to address a number of questions related to this timely issue, and will be supported by Illinois-Indiana Sea Grant, Wisconsin Sea Grant and Michigan Sea Grant.

To learn more about work that IISG funds, explore the research project database. If you are a potential principal investigator based in Illinois or Indiana, learn more about IISG funding opportunities. 

Illinois-Indiana Sea Grant is a part of University of Illinois Extension and Purdue Extension.

IISG Instagram

Got a research idea worth a bigger room? The 2026 State of Lake Michigan Meeting is accepting proposals for symposia and workshops, and we want to hear yours!

📅 Nov. 4–6 | Michigan City, IN
⏰ Proposals due June 1 at 1 PM ET

Help shape what the Great Lakes research community discusses this year.

🔗 Submit at the link in bio.

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Open post by ilinseagrant with ID 18204947476345346
Got a research idea worth a bigger room? The 2026 State of Lake Michigan Meeting is accepting proposals for symposia and workshops, and we want to hear yours!📅 Nov. 4–6 | Michigan City, IN⏰ Proposals due June 1 at 1 PM ETHelp shape what the Great Lakes research community discusses this year.🔗 Submit at the link in bio.

To every educator who has brought the Great Lakes into their classroom, thank you. 🍎

Your curiosity is contagious. Your lessons last. And the students who learn to love these waters? They’ll protect them.

Happy Teacher Appreciation Week from all of us at IISG.

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Open post by ilinseagrant with ID 18114413005816537
To every educator who has brought the Great Lakes into their classroom, thank you. 🍎Your curiosity is contagious. Your lessons last. And the students who learn to love these waters? They’ll protect them.Happy Teacher Appreciation Week from all of us at IISG.

Located in Washington, D.C., the Sea Grant Knauss Fellowship provides a unique educational and professional experience to graduate students who have an interest in ocean, coastal and Great Lakes resources, and in the national policy decisions affecting those resources. This is a one-year fellowship open to any student, regardless of citizenship, who is enrolled toward a degree in a graduate or professional program on the day of the deadline.

Students enrolled at an Illinois or Indiana university or college should submit their applications through Illinois-Indiana Sea Grant by emailing Angela Archer at amcbride@purdue.edu. Students in surrounding states without a Sea Grant program should contact the National Sea Grant College Program at oar.sg.fellows@noaa.gov for a referral.

Application deadline: June 3, 2026.

To learn more about the fellowship, visit the link in bio.

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Open post by ilinseagrant with ID 18059750612478364
Located in Washington, D.C., the Sea Grant Knauss Fellowship provides a unique educational and professional experience to graduate students who have an interest in ocean, coastal and Great Lakes resources, and in the national policy decisions affecting those resources. This is a one-year fellowship open to any student, regardless of citizenship, who is enrolled toward a degree in a graduate or professional program on the day of the deadline.Students enrolled at an Illinois or Indiana university or college should submit their applications through Illinois-Indiana Sea Grant by emailing Angela Archer at amcbride@purdue.edu. Students in surrounding states without a Sea Grant program should contact the National Sea Grant College Program at oar.sg.fellows@noaa.gov for a referral. Application deadline: June 3, 2026.To learn more about the fellowship, visit the link in bio.