As the year ends, top ten lists begin to crop up, putting the year’s events in perspective and celebrating accomplishments. IISG has put together our own list of successes from projects that have come to fruition in recent years, and here is an example: 

IISG presented a seminar on climate change, land use, and human health impacts to the Northern Indiana Regional Planning Commission (NIRPC) Environmental Management Planning Committee. The seminar led to the development of a climate change steering committee, which drafted a resolution on climate change for the NIRPC Board of Trustees. Sea Grant also participated in this process.

The NIRPC Board of Trustees approved the resolution requiring that any future planning and funding efforts that NIRPC puts forth incorporate climate change components, especially green infrastructure. This kind of action provides positive action on climate change issues, both in the near term and in the future planning. It also fosters an impact at the local level, where communities and residents will benefit directly from the improvements.

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Got a research idea worth a bigger room? The 2026 State of Lake Michigan Meeting is accepting proposals for symposia and workshops, and we want to hear yours!📅 Nov. 4–6 | Michigan City, IN⏰ Proposals due June 1 at 1 PM ETHelp shape what the Great Lakes research community discusses this year.🔗 Submit at the link in bio.
To every educator who has brought the Great Lakes into their classroom, thank you. 🍎Your curiosity is contagious. Your lessons last. And the students who learn to love these waters? They’ll protect them.Happy Teacher Appreciation Week from all of us at IISG.
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.