Due to an increase in insect-borne diseases in Illinois, Illinois-Indiana Sea Grant (IISG) has been working towards informing natural resource professionals about how they can protect themselves when their jobs take them outdoors. An informational piece from this campaign has won a 2018 APEX Award of Excellence in the category of Best Redesign.

Through workshops and publications, IISG’s aquatic invasive species (AIS) team has been working to bring information about both tick and mosquito-borne disease prevention to a targeted audience. In this effort, a Lake County tick identification card that includes tips for protecting oneself was enhanced and adapted for a Spanish-speaking audience. Pat Charlebois, IISG’s AIS outreach coordinator, oversaw the process, along with Danielle Hilbrich. Graphic designer Joel Davenport created the look of the publication.

Altogether, 255 natural resource professionals attended the workshops, with 35 of those attending a Spanish-language one. If you would like more information about protecting yourself from tick- or mosquito-borne diseases, visit Lake County’s website Fight the Bite.

APEX awards are given each year to recognize outstanding publication work in a variety of fields by Communication Concepts.

 

IISG Instagram

The gales of November may come early, but, as usual, the nominations for the Lakies are right on time along with our official call for nominations! Brought to you by the Teach Me About the Great Lakes podcast, The Lakies (aka "quite possibly not the least prestigious Great Lakes-focused awards ceremony there is”) are back. Our goal isn't to be the Official Arbiters of Quality, but to host a fun celebration of amazing Great Lakes-related research, outreach, and communication in the inimitable Teach Me style.Nomination categories are:-Great Lakes Science Communication of the Year-Great Lakes Outreach Program of the Year-Great Lakes News Event of the Year-Great Lakes Research Finding of the Year-Coolest Thing You Learned Listening to TMATGL in 2025-Science Podcast of the Year (Non-TMATGL edition)-Great Lakes Animal of the Year-Great Lakes Non-Animal of the Year-Great Lakes Sandwich of the Year-Great Lakes Donut of the YearThe Details: -Deadline: Nominations close on December 4th.Process: It's easy (just enter the name/title and a link).-Self-Nominations: Highly encouraged. Don't be shy.We’d love to get a broad swath of work across both the serious and less-serious categories to celebrate. Feel free to pass the link on to interested people: https://bit.ly/Lakies25
Making Sense of Social Media: Presented by Illinois-Indiana Sea Grant & Purdue Extension‌When: December 6, 2025, from 1 - 4:00 PM ESTWhere: RDM Shrimp, RDM Shrimp, 101 N 850 E, Fowler, IN 47944Registration Link in bio.‌Social media can be a great way to market your small business and products, but sometimes it might feel like you are casting a net again and again to find that your net is empty. After all, the point of using social media marketing is to connect with customers. By attending this workshop, you will:-Hear Research Findings-Participate in an Interactive Workshop Session-Learn Real World Application-Tour a Shrimp Farm-Network at the “After Hour Social”‌This program is supported by the North Central Regional Aquaculture Center and put on in partnership with the Indiana Aquaculture Association Inc, RDM Shrimp, and Ohio Sea Grant, The Ohio State University.‌For questions contact Amy Shambach by email (ashambac@purdue.edu) or phone (317-238-0511)
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