“It has been a busy week for me at the AIS office. This summer I am primarily working with fishing tournament organizers and anglers to better understand their attitudes and practices in AIS prevention. Last weekend, I attended my first fishing tournament and had a great time. Although the weather was less than ideal at North Point Marina, Clean Boats Crew and I were able to reach out to the salmon and trout anglers in the Geoffrey Morris Memorial Tournament. Sarah and I attended the rules meeting Friday evening to talk about simple steps tournament anglers can take to prevent the spread of AIS. Then on Saturday I went to the weigh-in to speak with anglers one-on-one and hand out educational material. There were around 70 boats participating in the tournament, with multiple anglers per boat. The audience was receptive and I really enjoyed speaking with them about the importance of AIS prevention. I’ll be attending another tournament in Indiana next weekend, and I’m hoping for nice weather and lots of fish so I can reach as many anglers as possible! Overall I’m really enjoying working with this audience over the summer as I’m getting lots of experience with outreach.”
News Newsroom
Recent News
- Meet our Grad Student Scholars: Diana Alejandra Narvaez
- Sea Grant research helps inform communities and their residents about PFAS risks
- Meet our Grad Student Scholars: Tianle Duan
- Sea Grant Chats: Our buoys prove to be a popular resource
- Chicago Comic Con proves a great venue for sharing Lake Michigan science
IISG Instagram
What if lake waves could power your electronics? 🌊⚡
IISG Scholar Diana Alejandra Narvaez is working on exactly that. This Purdue PhD student is developing a flexible, soft material device that harvests energy from freshwater wave motion, with the goal of powering aquatic electronics without batteries or external sources.
The path there has involved a lot of redesigns, and we’re excited to see what’s ahead!
Learn more about Diana’s work plus more information on how to become an IISG grad student scholar at the link in bio.
🔗 Learn about IISG funding opportunities — link in bio.
Science Sips is a series hosted by Illinois-Indiana Sea Grant, Sketchbook Brewing Company, and Northwestern University’s Center for Water that brings together researchers, scientists, and curious minds over good conversation and cold drinks. Each event features experts sharing their work in an accessible, informal setting. No lab coat required.
At this gathering, Chicago author Dick Lanyon will take us back in time with a look at the history behind the construction of the Calumet and Chicago waterways and how these feats of engineering shape the region we live in today. Austin Happel from Shedd Aquarium will also share the latest research on fish communities in the Chicago River, including what the science is telling us right now about the health of this urban waterway.
Stick around to test your Great Lakes knowledge with a round of trivia!
Details at the link in bio.
What if your students could send something to the bottom of Lake Superior, and get it back?
This spring, 9 classrooms did exactly that. Through IISG’s Shrinking Cup program, students decorated Styrofoam cups, then sent them approximately 290 meters underwater. As water pressure increased with depth, the cups shrank, returning as miniature versions of the originals.
It’s Boyle’s Law in action: as pressure increases, volume decreases. But more than that, it’s science students can hold in their hands, see with their own eyes, and actually remember.
🔗 Visit the link in bio to bring this to your classroom
A flooded street isn`t just a local problem.
When roads flood, the ripple effects reshape how an entire city moves, and IISG grad student scholar, Tianle Duan, is building the tools to track it in real time.
Using remote sensing, aerial imagery, and AI, this Purdue PhD student maps flood impacts on road networks so first responders and city officials can act faster and smarter.
🔗 Learn more about Tianle’s research at the link in bio.
