IAGLR award winners discuss science collaboration and communication

Posted June 8th, 2021 in Aquatic Invasive Species, Featured, News
Teach Me About the Great Lakes podcast logo, and Hank Vanderploeg in a laboratory inspecting invasive mussels

Great Lakes scientists from all over the basin came together online for the second virtual International Association for Great Lakes Research (IAGLR) conference in May, so the hosts of Teach Me About the Great Lakes took the opportunity to interview the conference’s two top award winners.

In this podcast episode—“Science Is a Team Sport”—Illinois-Indiana Sea Grant’s Stuart Carlton and Carolyn Foley interview Dr. Henry “Hank” Vanderploeg and Margaret Lansing, who were recognized for their accomplishments at the NOAA Great Lakes Environmental Research Laboratory (GLERL). They talk about what makes for good science collaboration and communication.

man wearing blue button up and beige jacket

Hank Vanderploeg

Vanderploeg, a research ecologist and GLERL’s Ecosystem Dynamics Branch Chief, received IAGLR’s Lifetime Achievement Award for his work on invasive invertebrates. He told host Carlton that his interests developed at a conference when he was “asked by the organizers to understand and then predict the consequences of a wave of invasive species that was likely to have a significant impact on the Great Lakes.” Since then, Vanderploeg has come to understand the complicated ecology of invasive species in the Great Lakes, and he warns about new creatures well on their way.

woman wearing a NOAA polo, blazer, and red-rimmed glasses

Margaret Lansing

Lansing, GLERL’s Information Services Branch Chief, received the Jack Vallentyne Science Communication Award for important and sustained efforts to inform and educate the public and policy on Great Lakes issues. For over 30 years, she has created ways for science communication to transcend disciplinary journals and reach the public. In this episode, she shares how her interest in communication developed and why public knowledge about the Great Lakes and science in general is so important.

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 (IISG) is a part of University of Illinois Extension and Purdue Extension.

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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”
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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)

This Halloween, we’re diving into the eerie depths of the Great Lakes.

Each lake has its own spooky story:

🕯️ Lake Superior hides ghost ships beneath its icy waves...
🦴 Lake Michigan whispers tales of vanishing beaches…
🌉Lake Huron hides prehistoric hunting camps on a lake bottom ridge...
🧪 Lake Erie bubbles with algal blooms that glow like potions...
🦠 Lake Ontario was first to host strange creatures like the blood sucking sea lamprey.

Never fear, we have resources to help you make these fascinating topics less frightening at iiseagrant.org/education.

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Open post by ilinseagrant with ID 18068749643060732
This Halloween, we’re diving into the eerie depths of the Great Lakes.Each lake has its own spooky story:🕯️ Lake Superior hides ghost ships beneath its icy waves...🦴 Lake Michigan whispers tales of vanishing beaches…🌉Lake Huron hides prehistoric hunting camps on a lake bottom ridge...🧪 Lake Erie bubbles with algal blooms that glow like potions...🦠 Lake Ontario was first to host strange creatures like the blood sucking sea lamprey. Never fear, we have resources to help you make these fascinating topics less frightening at iiseagrant.org/education.
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