Four Illinois and Indiana educators will set sail on Lake Michigan aboard EPA’s research ship

Posted June 13th, 2025 in Featured, Great Lakes Data, K-12 Education, News
EPA vessel Lake Guardian awaits Shipboard Science Immersion educators

Illinois Indiana Sea Grant is pleased to announce that four middle and high school science educators—three from Illinois and one from Indiana—have been invited to join the Shipboard Science Immersion, where they’ll join the Center for Great Lakes Literacy (CGLL) team and Great Lakes scientists to work aboard an EPA research vessel July 7–13, 2025.  

Through a partnership with the EPA Great Lakes National Program Office and NOAA, and with funding from the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative, the educators will spend a full week alongside researchers aboard the EPA R/V Lake Guardian. Afterwards, they will bring Great Lakes science back to their classrooms. 

The Illinois and Indiana-based educators are:

  • Gerard Kovach is a science teacher at Decatur Classical School in Chicago. Kovach, who was recently named Educator of the Year by Friends of the Chicago River, leads middle school students in ongoing ecological research tied to local waterways, including the Chicago River and Lake Michigan.
  • Ryan Johnson is a 7–8 grade science teacher at Jovita Idár Elementary School in Chicago where he incorporates hydroponics, aquaponic and community-based environmental action projects into his curriculum.
  • Amy Truemper is a 7–8 grade science teacher at Bednarcik Junior High School in Oswego, Illinois. Truemper leads her school’s award-winning environmental club, coordinates water quality testing along the Fox River and incorporates programs like Trout in the Classroom and Shedd Aquarium’s stewardship partnerships into her curriculum. 
  • Eric Parr is a 10-12 grade earth and space science teacher at Pike High School in Indianapolis, Indiana. Parr engages students in hands-on water quality testing and ecological studies at the school’s outdoor lab. He also supports astronomy instruction through the school’s planetarium and recently led a NASA-supported solar telescope project during the 2024 eclipse.

Overall, fifteen educators from across the Great Lakes were selected to work aboard the Lake Guardian. The Shipboard Science Immersion promotes Great Lakes sciences while forging lasting relationships between researchers and educators in the region. Hosts for the Lake Michigan expedition are CGLL partners Illinois-Indiana Sea Grant and Wisconsin Sea Grant.

CGLL is a collaborative effort led by Great Lakes Sea Grant program educators. 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 Immersion visit the Center for Great Lakes Literacy website.

 

 

 

 

 

 

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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 Year

The 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

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Open post by ilinseagrant with ID 17913992691239654
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 Extension
‌
When: December 6, 2025, from 1 - 4:00 PM EST
Where: RDM Shrimp, RDM Shrimp, 101 N 850 E, Fowler, IN 47944
Registration 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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Open post by ilinseagrant with ID 18100693840687186
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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