About State of Lake Michigan Meeting
State of Lake Michigan Meeting
The State of Lake Michigan Meeting, supported in part by Illinois-Indiana Sea Grant, University of Illinois Extension, and Purdue University, will be held November 4–6, 2026, at the Great Hall on Purdue Northwest Westville campus.
This meeting revives the lake‑specific format previously hosted by IAGLR, offering a cost‑effective space where researchers, resource managers, outreach professionals, and partners from across the basin can connect. The focus this year is on strengthening the link between science and management, highlighting work that informs real‑world decision‑making across Lake Michigan’s ecosystems and communities.
Additional details, including registration information and a draft agenda, will be shared in the coming months.
We look forward to seeing you in Westville this fall!
If you would like to keep abreast of conference news, please enter your name and email in the form below.
Recent News
IISG Instagram
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 approaches
Find our two new video series at the link in bio.
Meet IISG grad student scholar, Qianyu Zhao! Qianyu is a PhD student at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, focusing on understanding and reducing nutrient loss pollution. His research combines diverse datasets, watershed modeling, and machine learning to trace the movement of nitrogen and phosphorus at the regional scale. Through IISG, he is working to identify the sources and pathways of nutrient loading and translate that science into actionable guidance for policymakers and land managers protecting water quality across the region.
Learn more about Qianyu’s research 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.
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