new "Teach Me About the Great Lakes" podcast episode announcement

Microbes are everywhere on our planet. As the current health crisis has shown, they have the ability to bring everything to a screeching halt. But are they all bad?

Woman speaking with nametag on that says "Rachel Poretsky"

(University of Illinois at Chicago)

In this episode of Teach Me About the Great Lakes, titled “The Really Delicious Carbon,” Illinois-Indiana Sea Grant’s Stuart Carlton and Carolyn Foley talk with Dr. Rachel Poretsky, an assistant professor in biological sciences at the University of Illinois at Chicago. She studies microbial ecology and biogeochemistry, bacterial diversity, and community structure and interactions in natural environments. These studies include microbial research completed with funding from Illinois-Indiana Sea Grant and Michigan Sea Grant. In the podcast, Poretsky explains the role microbes play in aquatic systems—including the Lake Michigan food web—and their incredible ability to adapt to changes in their surroundings.

Microbes are found everywhere, “from the atmosphere to below the sea floor,” said Poretsky. “These are the organisms that I think of as the base of the food web, and they’re really important in all sorts of aquatic environments. They turn the carbon that comes from carbon dioxide in the atmosphere into carbon that’s usable for other [organisms].”

Teach Me About the Great Lakes is a monthly podcast in which Carlton—a social scientist who grew up in the South near the Gulf of Mexico—asks people to explain the biology, ecology and natural history of the Great Lakes. A new episode will be released on the first Monday of each month. The latest episode is embedded below.

Love this episode and want to hear more in the future? Subscribe on Apple Podcasts or Spotify, or use the RSS feed in your favorite podcast player.

If you have questions you want answered about the Great Lakes, reach out to @TeachGreatLakes on Twitter or email Stuart Carlton at jsc@purdue.edu.


Illinois-Indiana Sea Grant is a part of University of Illinois Extension and Purdue Extension.

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🌊 Boost Your Great Lakes Literacy in 3 Easy Ways!1️⃣ Read the Great Lakes Literacy Principles2️⃣ Join a Sea Grant professional learning event3️⃣ Explore Great Lakes educational resources📬 The summer edition of the Center for Great Lakes Literacy newsletter supports all three—and more!Perfect for educators, environmental leaders, and curious minds.👉 Subscribe today and dive into a world of Great Lakes learning: https://conta.cc/3ZtrIKc or the link in bio.
Don’t miss this opportunity to enhance your teaching skills and connect with fellow educators! Join us for a two-day, water-themed workshop on August 8-9, 2025, at the Dunes Learning Center located in Indiana Dunes National Park. Open to all 5-12th grade formal and non-formal educators, this event offers a chance to explore the natural world, network, and receive exclusive access to the newest Project WET Educator’s Guidebook: Water in Earth Systems.The registration deadline is July 18th.Learn more at the link in bio.
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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.Learn more and apply at the link in bio.
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