This is my last Illinois-Indiana Sea Grant (IISG) Director’s Blog post before I sign off as the program’s director. On July 14, I’m moving over to become the Head of Purdue’s Department of Forestry and Natural Resources (FNR).

I’m very happy to share that IISG’s assistant director, Dr. Stuart Carlton, will be taking over as director at that time. Stuart has a long record with Sea Grant, not only as part of Illinois-Indiana, but also with Florida and Texas. I’m excited to see how Stuart, along with the rest of the great IISG team, will advance the program in new and exciting ways.

Personally, I’m excited about the new position with FNR, but it is bittersweet to leave my role with IISG. It is worth noting that because IISG sits administratively within Purdue’s Dept of FNR, I won’t be completely disconnected from the program. However, I will no longer work as directly to support this important program as I have over the last 14 years.

I joined IISG in 2011 when former director Brian Miller asked Carolyn Foley and me to help guide IISG’s competitive research program. When Brian retired in 2018, I moved into the director role (and Carolyn became the sole research coordinator).

I’m proud of the many things we have been able to accomplish during this time. We have worked to expand the breadth of communities that IISG’s research, education, and outreach programs support. We have introduced and grown programming across a variety of topics, including aquaculture, real-time buoys, water safety, and coastal resilience. Our K-12, undergraduate, and graduate programs are stronger than ever. Finally, we have grown our competitive research program to address a variety of emerging issues, and more recently, developed a graduate student scholars program to support early-career researchers.

In early May, we held a six-year external review, and this was a very fulfilling opportunity to reflect on the many milestones that the IISG team and our great partners have achieved during that time.

Of course, IISG will continue with its important work, and with the summer season upon us, we have program updates to share with you.

First, it’s Lake Michigan’s turn to be the focus for both research and education. Through the Cooperative Science and Monitoring Initiative (CSMI), every year scientists from agencies and universities bring their attention to one of the Great Lakes to address research gaps and other priorities. IISG helps communicate science priorities and CSMI research results to resource managers and the public.

In tandem, this summer, 15 educators from Great Lakes states will spend seven days aboard EPA’s Lake Guardian research vessel to work directly with scientists engaging in Lake Michigan research, learn about Great Lakes issues, curriculums, and activities, and network with other educators. IISG and Wisconsin Sea Grant are hosting the Shipboard Science Immersion through the Center for Great Lakes Literacy.

Our aquatic invasive species team recently installed and opened for business boat cleaning stations at two northeastern Illinois locations—Chain-O-Lakes State Park and North Point Marina. These stations provide recreationalists with supplies and tools to wash their boats after a day on the water. Accidentally transporting organisms that are attached to boats and other equipment from one waterbody to another is a significant pathway for spreading invasive species.

And we can’t talk about summer without highlighting water safety. In addition to our buoys that provide continuous water and weather conditions, we have resources that include sensible tips for you and your family to enjoy a safer day at the beach. They can be found on the Lake Michigan Water Safety website and as part of the Stay Safe, Have Fun video series.

Finally, here are several upcoming IISG events:

• Join fellow 5–12 grade educators in the Indiana Dunes National Park on August 8-9 for a hands-on, overnight workshop titled Earth Systems: A Great Lakes Perspective, which will emphasize the important role of water in Earth’s systems with a special focus on the Great Lakes.
• Also, on August 9, IISG’s Invasive Crayfish Collaborative will provide educational resources at Rusty Rodeo, an annual event in North Aurora, Illinois, where families wade in the water to collect, identify, and remove invasive rusty crayfish.

Illinois-Indiana Sea Grant (IISG) announces that Stuart Carlton will be the program’s new director as of July 14, 2025. He will replace Tomas Höök who will become the head of Purdue University’s Department of Forestry and Natural Resources. Höök has been with IISG for 14 years, seven of those serving as director.

Carlton has been IISG’s assistant director since 2018—as part of this role, he has provided guidance and support for program personnel and projects as well as led overall coordination and day-to-day management. Before coming to IISG, he spent four years as a healthy coastal ecosystems and social science specialist at Texas Sea Grant and three years as a communications program assistant at Florida Sea Grant.

Carlton is a natural resources social scientist who holds a PhD in interdisciplinary ecology from the University of Florida and a master’s degree in fisheries biology from the University of Georgia. In addition to his role with IISG, he is also a research assistant professor and head of the Coastal and Great Lakes Social Science Lab at Purdue, where he and his students research the relationship between knowledge, values, trust, and behavior in complex or controversial environmental systems.

“I am thrilled to see Dr. Carlton named as the new IISG director,” said Zhao Ma, interim head of Purdue’s Department of Forestry and Natural Resources. “Having known him for many years, I am confident that he will bring a wealth of knowledge and experience from his work across various aspects of the Sea Grant program. Combine all that with his scholarly expertise as a natural resource social scientist, exceptional communication skills, and—most importantly—his infectious positive energy and remarkable ability to connect with others, I know he will lead IISG into a bright and impactful future.”

As assistant director with IISG, Carlton has helped expand its aquaculture program as well as provided guidance in social science efforts in many topic areas. He is the creator and host of Teach Me About the Great Lakes, a podcast in which he learns more about Great Lakes issues by talking with experts and others, bringing the rest of us along on his educational journey.

His research and outreach interests are in the role of stakeholder values, attitudes, and behaviors in controversial environmental systems. Carlton has worked on a variety of issues, ranging from red snapper management to state service foresters’ use of climate information. His research on climate change beliefs has been cited on the Senate floor, covered by national and international media—including The Guardian and The Washington Post—and has been featured as the top post on the front page of Reddit.

Illinois-Indiana Sea Grant (IISG) is hiring a part-time pollution prevention outreach assistant. IISG’s pollution prevention team addresses water quality issues affecting the Great Lakes coasts and the inland waters of Illinois and Indiana, specifically focusing on contaminants of emerging concern like pharmaceuticals, microplastics and marine debris, and PFAS. This outreach assistant will support the pollution prevention team by developing outreach activities and engaging with communities to share that knowledge.

This is a flexible, part-time, hourly, remote position, with the possibility to work up to 28 hours/week at $20/hour. The position is funded until January 30, 2026, with the possibility of continued support.

For more information about the position description, necessary qualifications and application requirements, review the job posting or contact IISG Great Lakes Contaminants Specialist Sarah Zack at szack@illinois.edu. No phone calls, please. Applications will be accepted until the position is filled, but review of resumes will begin on June 13, 2025.

Crayfish can frequently be found in the role of classroom pet, but as with many school critters, they can pose a threat if they are released into local waters—non-native species can prove to be invasive, pushing out native crayfish. A new curriculum brings that lesson directly to students, and teachers too.

Illinois-Indiana Sea Grant introduces Investigating Crayfish and Freshwater Ecosystems, a curriculum that is full of information about the importance of native crayfish, and the dangers posed by invasive ones and about Great Lakes ecosystems. The lessons are designed for grades 6–12 but include adaptations for grades 2–5. They are aligned with Next Generation Science Standards, Common Core State Standards, and the Center for Great Lakes Literacy Principles.

The curriculum is a product of IISG’s Invasive Crayfish Collaborative, an initiative focused on improving collective management and outreach capabilities through new crayfish research and outreach projects. The new curriculum can help educators across the Great Lakes region engage students in thinking critically about crayfish and freshwater ecosystems.

It’s comprised of nine hands-on lessons that engage students in activities in the classroom and then out in the field where they can take part in real-world identification and monitoring of crayfish species. With their new skills and knowledge of crayfish, students can report their sightings with photos to iNaturalist, an app used by a network of naturalists, community scientists, and biologists to share images from the field.

“In my experience of more than 30 years of working with kids, the magic is really there for teaching and learning when you can connect to nature and to real things happening in the community,” said Rick Reynolds who is founder of Engaging Every Student and author of the original version of the curriculum, focused on the crayfish population in the Pacific Northwest.

Working with Natalia Szklaruk, IISG aquatic invasive species educator, they adapted the lessons for the Great Lakes region.

Beyond classwork opportunities, the lessons also prepare educators and their students to participate in the Invasive Crayfish Collaborative’s crayfish study–this community science project is aimed at collecting data to help managers understand the crayfish distribution across the Great Lakes region.

At the recent workshop, these educators are exploring Lesson 4 of the crayfish curriculum, working together to match photo cards with crayfish species descriptions.

In April, IISG held a workshop at the Indiana Dunes National Park where about 20 formal and non-formal educators from Illinois and Indiana came to spend the day learning about and exploring the new curriculum.

“We practiced several lesson plans and activities, including an introductory activity called The Web of Life to learn more about the educators and about how when one species exits, it really causes a ripple effect across the whole web,” said Szklaruk. “Later, the educators engaged in sampling in a nearby creek, which was the day’s high point. They even caught a few small crayfish.”

To learn more about the curriculum or to download it, visit the Invasive Crayfish Collaborative website.

This May 5-8, Illinois-Indiana Sea Grant (IISG) will be reviewed by a team convened by the National Sea Grand College Program who will assess our work from 2018−2023. These review visits play a central role in evaluating Sea Grant programs in terms of management and organization, performance, engagement, and collaborative activities.

We are looking forward to sharing our stories with the review team and you are invited to participate by emailing your comments about IISG to oar.sg-feedback@noaa.gov by April 27, 2025.

While the review is looking at recent history, in terms of moving forward we have been growing the IISG staff. Not one, but two new coastal resilience specialists have joined the team.

Hillary Glandon, with a background in biology is the program’s new coastal ecosystem and community resilience specialist. She is assessing coastal change and will provide actionable solutions for communities along the Great Lakes shorelines. Hillary’s position at IISG is in partnership with the Illinois Natural History Survey in the University of Illinois’ Prairie Research Institute.

Sarah Peterson is the program’s new coastal engineering and community resilience specialist. Sarah aims to enhance coastal hazard preparedness and resilience in communities along the Indiana and Illinois shores of Lake Michigan through collaboration, applied research, technical guidance, education, and outreach. Peterson recently earned a doctorate in civil and environmental engineering from the University of Wisconsin-Madison.

We also have a new communication coordinator. Natty Morrison is now managing our communication program, including developing content and managing the delivery of communication products and programs. Natty brings over a decade of experience in journalism, marketing, and content strategy from his work with in-house marketing teams and creative agencies. 

With spring upon us, our buoys will soon be back in the nearshore waters of southern Lake Michigan, providing real-time data on lake and weather conditions for recreationists as well as the National Weather Service.

Spring also brings a round of educational opportunities for us to share with residents, educators, and others. Some examples:

• Our aquatic invasive species and education teams are hosting a one-day, in-person professional development workshop at the Indiana Dunes National Park on April 15 to train educators on how to use our new Great Lakes Crayfish Curriculum.
• On April 22, the Red Oak Rain Garden team will be discussing gardening tips and tricks in a talk titled Creating Resilient Landscapes: Rain Gardens at the public library in Champaign, Illinois.
• Sponsored by the Center for Great Lakes Literacy, the Great Lakes Bioblitz will be ongoing from April 22 to May 19 throughout the region. This is an opportunity to take part in observing and recording as many different species as possible in your watershed during this timeframe.

Illinois-Indiana Sea Grant (IISG) will be reviewed on May 5−8, 2025 by a team convened by the National Sea Grant College Program. The review will be conducted virtually and will consider all aspects of IISG’s program including management and organization, performance, engagement, and collaborative activities from 2018 to 2023.

This notice invites you to participate in this review by emailing your comments about IISG to oar.sg-feedback@noaa.gov. Send your thoughts at your earliest convenience—the comment period ends on April 25, 2025. Please include “Illinois-Indiana Sea Grant site review” in the email subject line.

Thank you for assisting us by letting the review team hear from you!

Aquaponics, a method for raising fish and plants together, can provide a hands-on way for students to learn scientific concepts while they are introduced to sustainable agriculture. Illinois-Indiana Sea Grant (IISG) announces a new aquaponics curriculum to help educators make these connections.

“By equipping Great Lakes students with the knowledge and skills needed for careers in sustainable agriculture, we are opening doors to future opportunities and helping to shape the next generation of environmental stewards and innovators,” said Julie Fiorito, IISG Great Lakes K-12 education specialist.

In an aquaponics system, fish are raised in tanks, and the nutrient-rich wastewater is circulated to plants growing hydroponically. The plants take up the water and nutrients, thereby cleaning the water, which is then returned to the fish tanks. Because it is a closed system, water and waste are used efficiently.

For teachers that have an aquaponics system already established or those who are interested in this learning approach, the curriculum—Aquaponics: Farming Fish, Growing Greens—offers 10 lessons that walk students through the ABCs of aquaponics.

“As educators and students work their way through the curriculum, they will learn about water quality and environmental science through the lens of a water-based agricultural system that they can grow their own food with,” said Amy Shambach, IISG aquaculture marketing outreach associate.

Aquaponics offers a hands-on way to learn STEAM—science, technology, engineering, agriculture, and math. The curriculum incorporates activities that involve reading comprehension, data analysis and basic math skills, plus includes lessons, PowerPoints and YouTube links. It is aligned with Next Generation Science Standards.

Aquaponics: Farming Fish, Growing Greens covers aquaponics comprehensively, but it is also designed so that an educator can pull out a single component to reinforce classwork while connecting to the school’s aquaponic activities, although not necessarily.

At this point, six high schools in Illinois and Indiana are raising fish, and in some cases, plants too, in classrooms, greenhouses, or other school spaces using donated equipment from commercial operations. IISG’s Andrew Coursey worked closely with educators in Illinois and Indiana to help design and set up aquaponics systems and then provided support to help engage students. Coursey has since moved on to another position, but IISG’s school support is ongoing.

You can find more information about the curriculum on the IISG website. A related  resource, Know Your H2O provides the opportunity for educators to borrow water monitoring equipment used by commercial aquaculture producers.

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Illinois-Indiana Sea Grant is one of 34 Sea Grant programs supported by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration in coastal and Great Lakes states that encourage the wise stewardship of our marine resources through research, education, outreach and technology transfer. In partnership with the University of Illinois Extension, and Purdue University Forestry and Natural Resources, Illinois-Indiana Sea Grant brings science together with communities for solutions that work.

Formal and nonformal 5–12th grade educators from Great Lakes states are invited to apply for a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to spend a week aboard a U.S. Environmental Protection Agency research vessel alongside scientists and to bring the Great Lakes back to their classrooms. The workshop, organized by the Center for Great Lakes Literacy (CGLL), is July 7–13, 2025. Deadline for applications is Feb. 10, 2025.

Through a partnership with the EPA Great Lakes National Program Office and NOAA, and funding from the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative, educators will engage in scientific research aboard the ship. Hosts for the Lake Michigan workshop are CGLL partners Illinois-Indiana Sea Grant and Wisconsin Sea Grant.

The annual Shipboard Science Workshops promote Great Lakes science while forging lasting relationships between Great Lakes researchers and educators. CGLL is a collaborative effort led by Sea Grant educators throughout the Great Lakes watershed in the U.S. CGLL fosters informed and responsible decisions that advance basin-wide stewardship by providing hands-on experiences, educational resources, and networking opportunities promoting Great Lakes literacy among an engaged community of educators, scientists, and youth.

For more information on the 2025 Shipboard Science Workshop and application materials visit the Center for Great Lakes Literacy.

We recently shared results from an Illinois-Indiana Sea Grant (IISG)-funded research project that involved extensive data collection and analysis of Chicago beach sand—this project will provide key information to resource managers as they take on the challenges of shifting lake levels.

Robin Mattheus led a team of Illinois State Geological Survey scientists that found that when it comes to rising lake levels, solutions need to be site-specific. Any given beach may have its own dynamic, influenced by the direction it is facing, the design of the surrounding infrastructure, and other factors.

The research also revealed that knowing what’s happening with the sand that sits at the bottom of nearby waters is very important in understanding what changes take place on the beach.

The team’s report, which will provide beach-by-beach information for local managers to address sand issues at their particular site, is a great example of how we fund projects that can have on-the-ground impact.

If you have a project in mind, we will soon announce our latest request for preproposals for two-year research projects focused on southern Lake Michigan and surrounding Illinois and Indiana communities. We plan to fund multiple applied projects that will take place in 2026–27 at up to $200,000 each.

In addition to research that is in line with our strategic plan goals, we are interested in funding projects that tackle some specific issues, for example, helping communities adapt to changing lake levels, analyzing contaminant levels in fish or shellfish, or addressing socio-economic concerns in efforts to restore degraded coastal sites.

A second RFP, which was announced recently, will target the 2025 Lake Michigan Cooperative Science and Monitoring Initiative (CSMI) priorities. CSMI is a program in which every year, scientists converge on one of the five Great Lakes to collaborate in an intensive research effort—2025 is Lake Michigan’s field year.

The research priorities, which were developed by a team of resource managers called the Lake Michigan Partnership, include learning more about the food web, nearshore dynamics, and winter processes. Funded projects will take place in 2025–27 with support of up to $150,000.

In other news, in January, we will make available a new high school curriculum called Aquaponics: Farming Fish, Growing Greens. Aquaponics, a method for raising fish and plants together, can provide a hands-on way for students to learn scientific concepts while they are introduced to sustainable agriculture. This new curriculum can help educators make these connections.

The IISG aquaculture team has been working with high schools in the two states to provide donated equipment and help set up aquaponics systems for some time now. One especially exciting example is the Chicago High School for Agricultural Sciences. With help from IISG’s Andrew Coursey (now in Missouri) and some additional funding, the school upgraded and grew its aquaponics system to be a key component of its Urban Agriculture Laboratory.

Schools that already have aquaponics systems and those that are considering developing aquaponics can benefit from this new curriculum, which systematically provides STEM lessons and activities. To learn more, contact Amy Shambach.

We hope you have a wonderful holiday season and a happy new year.