Paris Collingsworth has joined IISG as the new Great Lakes ecosystem specialist. He is working with the U.S. EPA Great Lakes National Program Office to improve access to and sharing of Great Lakes data and research, develop indicators, and develop products and programs to sustain or improve ecosystem health.

Paris has a background in statistical and computer modeling and comes to IISG from a post doc position at the USGS Great Lakes Science Center where he was involved in building models describing how primary productivity patterns and climatic variables influence fish recruitment across the Great Lakes. He has a PhD in evolution, ecology and organismal biology from Ohio State and an MS in zoology from Southern Illinois University.

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Some partnerships just make sense. Happy Valentine’s Day from IISG! 💕
This February marks a major milestone: 30 years of aquatic invasive species outreach by our team! To celebrate, IISG Director, Stuart Carlton, and Strategic Communication Coordinator, Renie Miles, sat down for a Sea Grant Chat with two key figures in IISG’s AIS history: Pat Charlebois, our assistant director and program leader, who spent over two decades leading our prevention efforts, and Katie O’Reilly, who took over that role in 2022. We discussed the evolution of the invasive species issue in the Great Lakes, the shift toward understanding human behavior, and the creative strategies that make this team so effective. Dive into the full interview at the link in bio.
Introducing the Lake Michigan Explorer! Start exploring the varied factors that impact the Great Lakes with our Explorer Series. This searchable database of external resources can help you find hands-on activities that spark curiosity and inspire action. ✨ What’s inside?Lesson plans, fact sheets, and reading materialsEngaging videos and visualizationsEasy-to-use filters by grade level, topic, and time.Perfect for classrooms and informal learning, this resource empowers students to become stewards of the Great Lakes.🔗 in bio for more.