There’s a whole other world living and growing alongside Chicago’s busy streets in Lake Michigan. Illinois-Indiana Sea Grant (IISG) and Illinois Natural History Survey (INHS) have teamed up to help acquaint local residents with this world as a part of the Museum of Science and Industry’s “Science Saturdays.”

“We hope to expose the public to some of the organisms living in the lake, how we sample them, what types of questions we are trying to answer, and what the answers mean for the management of the lake,” said IISG aquatic invasives specialist Pat Charlebois.

The tour—directed towards those aged seven and up—will be held on Saturday, July 18, from 9 a.m.-12 p.m. It will take place at North Point Marina in Winthrop Harbor, Illinois, where researchers from the Lake Michigan Biological Station, an INHS field station, will lead a shore-based exploration of aquatic life in Lake Michigan. Participants will have an opportunity to learn about—and at some stages touch—the invertebrates and offshore and nearshore fishes that inhabit the lake.

Science Saturdays are a part of a yearlong initiative, called Science Chicago, aiming to establish the crucial value of science and math in its residents. The museum initiative “brings together more than 140 of the area’s leading academic, scientific, corporate, and non-profit institutions to host thousands of programs that provide hands-on learning, spur thoughtful debate, and build enthusiasm for the pursuit of cutting-edge science.”

IISG, as a part of its on-going efforts to educate the public about water issues in the region, is organizing the Lake Michigan event. “We thought it would be a great opportunity to showcase the lake and the work that researchers at the Lake Michigan Biological Station are doing to understand more about it,” said Charlebois.

 

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Looking for a fun way to teach about marine debris? Check out Me and Debry, which is a whimsical, 30‑minute, audience‑participation play created for @UWiscSeaGrant. It helps students explore what marine debris is, why it matters, and how we can make a difference in the Great Lakes.The full script (English) and participation scripts (English, Spanish, and Hmong) are free to use, along with marketing materials for performances.Bring learning to life and start a conversation about litter in our waters!Check it out at the link in bio.#TeachingTuesday
Do you work or live along the Great Lakes coasts? Watch our newly released video series collection, containing several short videos that overview the range of coastal protection options in the Great Lakes, including:- Natural processes in the Great Lakes- Hard coastal protection structures and how they interact with/alter natural processes- Nature-based coastal solutions in the Great Lakes, ranging from green to gray approachesFind our two new video series at the link in bio.
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.