Mr. Valencic got the idea to bring Great Lakes issues to his class at Wiley Elementary School in Urbana, IL after spending a week aboard the U.S. EPA R/V Lake Guardian this summer for the annual Shipboard and Shoreline Workshop. During the week, he and 14 other formal and non-formal educators worked alongside scientists as they collected data on Lake Ontario. This year, participants collected samples from different locations to monitor water quality, studied species at the bottom of the food web, and learned more about organisms living on the lakebed. Sea Grant officials on board paired hand-on research with curriculum activities to help teachers better incorporate Great Lakes science into their classrooms.
Recent News
- Tomas Höök signing off as Illinois-Indiana Sea Grant director this summer
- Illinois-Indiana Sea Grant welcomes Stuart Carlton as the program’s new director
- Four Illinois and Indiana educators will set sail on Lake Michigan aboard EPA’s research ship
- Join IISG as a new pollution prevention outreach assistant
- Beach season means it’s time for lifesaving Lake Michigan water safety resources
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Shipboard Science Immersion educators are diving into scientific sampling alongside Dr. Paris Collingsworth, processing samples from Green Bay to study how larval fish and zooplankton communities shift from nearshore to offshore in Lake Michigan.
Back in the lab, with @purduefnr graduate student Anna Hill, the educators are sorting benthic samples, identifying the organisms collected. The relatively large quagga mussels are easy to spot!
@epa_greatlakes @nyseagraa2966 @miseagrant @ohioseagrant @uwiscseagrant @paseagrant @ilextension @noaaeducation @seagrant_noaa
#greatlakes #lakemichigan

Shipboard Science Immersion educators stepped off the ship and onto beautiful Beaver Island for a hands-on day at @cmichbiology Biological Field Station, hosted by the amazing Dr. Kevin Pangle!
From seining for fish and towing a plankton net to testing water quality with a multiparameter sonde, educators practiced aquatic science techniques that can translate to shoreside learning within their educational programming. The day wrapped with a scenic dune hike — science and nature at its best!
@epa_greatlakes @noaaeducation @seagrant_noaa

The Shipboard Science Immersion educators worked together to simulate sonar mapping and uncover the secrets of a mystery seabed, just like real underwater archaeologists!
This hands-on lesson mirrors the work of Dr. Ashley Lemke from University of Wisconsin Milwaukee who studies paleo landscapes below Lake Michigan by collecting sonar data from lakebeds. Experiences like these can be shared with youth to spark curiosity and connect them to real-world science in action.
#LakeMichigan #GreatLakes

15 educators from 7 Great Lakes states have boarded the R/V Lake Guardian for a week of science on Lake Michigan!
Day one was all about meeting fellow educators and the science team from the @epa_greatlakes, @uwmilwaukee, and @purduefnr, and getting shipboard safety training.
This hands-on program, supported by the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative, helps bring Great Lakes science into classrooms and builds educator-scientist partnerships.
Follow along as we explore water quality, food webs, and even underwater archaeology!
#GreatLakes #LakeMichigan
