Sea Grant Illinois-Indiana
External Advisory Committee
Illinois-Indiana Sea Grant’s external advisory committee is comprised of industry, conservation, community, and agency leaders representing the bi-state area and broader Great Lakes region. The committee aids in defining IISG’s strategic goals, including providing guidance throughout the strategic planning process. It helps IISG assume a vital role in the science and practice of coastal restoration and management in our region.
External advisory committee members listed below will serve their term from 2025 – 2028. The leaders of the Illinois Coastal Management Program and the Indiana Coastal Management Program are ex-officio members and will remain on the IISG external advisory committee.
- Jennifer Day – Regional Coordinator, NOAA Great Lakes Regional Collaboration Team
- Meg Kelly – Program Director, Illinois Coastal Management Program Office
- Ethan Kimbrel – Deputy Director, Illinois Department of Natural Resources
Chuck Knapp – Vice President, Conservation Research, Shedd Aquarium - Jenny Orsburn – Program Manager, Indiana Lake Michigan Coastal Program
- Vic Santucci – Lake Michigan Program Manager, Illinois Department of Natural Resources
- Mike Searcy – Treasurer, Indiana Aquaculture Association; Owner, White Creek Farms of Indiana LLC
- Jason Taylor – Superintendent, Indiana Dunes National Park
Recent News
- Illinois Indiana Sea Grant announces new coastal ecosystem and community resilience specialist
- Meet our Grad Student Scholars: Haribansha Timalsina
- 2025 Community Engaged Internships available with National Park Service and Urban Rivers
- Meet our Grad Student Scholars: Leah Turner
- New aquaponics curriculum brings STEM and sustainable agriculture to the classroom
IISG Instagram
Our collaboration with @shedd_aquarium was recently featured in a news article by @wttwchicago! The article discusses concerns raised by scientists, including how the St. Paddy’s Day dye in the Chicago River might impact fish and their behavior. It’s a timely conversation about how environmental factors, like dye, can affect our local ecosystems.
Check out the full story to learn more about the ongoing research and its implications for the health of our river and fish at the link in bio.
Image 1: c/o Tzido / iStock
Image 2: c/o Shedd Aquarium
Image 3: Shedd Aquarium
The Great Lakes BioBlitz is pleased to kick off this year’s event with a special webinar. Register today to learn some of the ways citizen science platforms are used to document locations, species diversity, and local phenology in diverse ecosystems.
What: Citizen Science & Research in the Sax-Zim Bog
When: April 9, 2 pm CT
Where: Zoom Webinar
Register at the link in bio.
Don`t miss this opportunity to enhance your teaching skills and connect with fellow educators! Join us for a two-day, water-themed workshop on August 8-9, 2025, at the Dunes Learning Center located in Indiana Dunes National Park.
Open to all 5-12th grade formal and non-formal educators, this event offers a chance to explore the natural world, network, and receive exclusive access to the newest Project WET Educator`s Guidebook: Water in Earth Systems.
Registration is now open! Apply by July 18.
More info at the link in bio.
Meet IISG grad student scholar, Haribansha Timalsina! Haribansha is a third-year Ph.D. student in Agricultural and Biological Engineering in @uofigrainger, under the guidance of Rabin Bhattarai in the Water Quality Lab.
His research focuses on optimizing nature-based practices to mitigate non-point source nutrient pollution to improve water quality in the Great Lakes region and Mississippi River Basin.
The funding from IISG supports broadening the scope of his research work on designing, experimenting, and scaling up the combined strategy for mitigating dual nutrients (nitrogen and phosphorus) from agricultural watersheds.
Learn more about his research at the link in bio.
