Illinois-Indiana Sea Grant

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Illinois-Indiana Sea Grant

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Funded through NOAA, the University of Illinois and Purdue University, IISG brings together scientists, researchers, and educators.

Illinois-Indiana Sea Grant welcomes and encourages posts from friends, followers, and other organizations who share our love of and interest in the Great Lakes. If you have questions related to research, education, outreach, or other Lake Michigan issues, please feel free to post them here or contact us via our website. Illinois-Indiana Sea Grant reserves the right to remove posts that are deemed to be offensive, insulting, or inappropriate, as well as the right to remove any posts that are strictly commercial or promotional in nature.

10/27/2026

This summer, Illinois-Indiana Sea Grant welcomed 12 interns who spent the season gaining hands-on experience across a range of Great Lakes projects. From raising walleye fingerlings and monitoring invasive species to leading rain garden tours and developing youth education programs, each of them brought something unique to the work.

We are so proud of everything this cohort accomplished and grateful they spent their summer with us.

Are you an undergraduate student interested in joining a future cohort? We post internship opportunities on our Great Lakes Undergraduate Internship page each year in early December. Check back then or reach out to Angela Archer for more information.

Read more about this year's interns: https://iiseagrant.org/2026-iisg-interns/

10/21/2026

Happy Halloween from our Chicago buoy, who celebrated a little early this year. 🎃 It decided to go trick or treating this weekend, breaking free and embarking on quite the adventure before being retrieved on Monday.

The buoy is now out of the water for the season, so real-time Chicago data will be on pause until spring. The good news is our Michigan City and Wilmette buoys are still live and on the job.

Want to follow along with live lake data? Visit the link below for current conditions from Michigan City and Wilmette: https://iiseagrant.org/buoys/

National Sea Grant College Program
Purdue Forestry and Natural Resources
University of Illinois Extension

10/20/2026

Invasive species. Population growth. Real Great Lakes data. Engage high school students with a lesson that explores how zebra and quagga mussels transformed Lake Michigan ecosystems.

The lead author of this lesson is Indiana educator, Ashley Cosme, from Crown Point High School (Crown Point Community School Corporation). STEM educator, Jenifer Zywicki, and NOAA Great Lakes Environmental Research Laboratory (NOAA Great Lakes Environmental Research Laboratory) scientist, Dr. Ashley Elgin also authored this lesson.

Learn more: https://cgll.org/resource/lesson-flexing-their-mussels-the-population-power-of-dreissenid-mussels-in-lake-michigan/

Purdue Forestry and Natural Resources
University of Illinois Extension
NOAA Education
National Sea Grant College Program
Environmental Education Association of Indiana - EEAI
Environmental Education Association of Illinois

10/15/2026

Check out our Trash Trunk and Trash Tote loanable kits!

💼Trash Trunk: Best for structured classroom units (includes a comprehensive educator's guide)

🎒Trash Tote: Perfect for quick outreach events and beach cleanups

Find out more about how to get your hands on these kits: https://iiseagrant.org/education/loanable-kits/

Purdue Forestry and Natural Resources
University of Illinois Extension
National Sea Grant College Program
Environmental Education Association of Indiana - EEAI
Environmental Education Association of Illinois
NOAA Marine Debris

10/10/2026

Carolyn Foley, a long-time member of the Illinois-Indiana Sea Grant and Purdue Forestry and Natural Resources staff, passed away on April 22, 2026.

Over nearly two decades, she led IISG's competitive research program, helped build our buoy program, co-hosted our podcast, developed the Sea Grant Scholars program, and mentored countless students and colleagues along the way. But more than any of that, Carolyn was someone who genuinely cared about the people around her and made them better for knowing her.

"Being around Carolyn made you strive to be a better person," said FNR department head Tomas Höök.

In her memory, FNR and IISG along with her family have established the Carolyn Foley Great Lakes Research Award for undergraduate researchers. We hope you will consider contributing.

Read her full story and donate to the award: https://iiseagrant.org/fnr-remembers-carolyn-foley-names-great-lakes-research-award/

National Sea Grant College Program

10/06/2026

What do glaciers, erosion, and shifting shorelines have in common?

They helped create the Great Lakes we know today and continue to shape the landscape around us. Engage students in exploring the powerful natural forces that formed our freshwater seas.

Learn more about Great Lakes Literacy Principle #2: 🔗 https://cgll.org/principle/principle-2/

09/30/2026

Our latest newsletter is here!

🔗https://conta.cc/4h2BQ4q

Check it out and subscribe today to stay connected with:

🏫 Professional learning opportunities
💰 Project funding sources
📅 Upcoming events
🌊 Great Lakes teaching resources

09/25/2026

Interested in what people are saying about Midwest fish, and how aquaculture producers can use those conversations to reach their customers?

Our new publication, Catch a Following: Messaging Strategies for US Midwest-Produced Fishes, turns social media sentiment research into practical messaging strategies for producers, marketers, and others working with bluegill, largemouth bass, walleye, yellow perch, and rainbow trout.

Dive into the research and learn how online conversations can help inform the way you talk about Midwest-produced fish: https://iiseagrant.org/publications/catch-a-following/

National Sea Grant College Program

09/24/2026

Before they could teach their students about watersheds and the Great Lakes, these educators became students themselves.

On July 31 and August 1, more than a dozen educators gathered at the Dunes Learning Center in Chesterton, Indiana, for Earth Systems: A Great Lakes Perspective, a two-day Project WET professional learning workshop hosted in partnership with the Dunes Learning Center, Indiana Department of Natural Resources, the National Great Rivers Research and Education Center, and IISG.

Over two days, participants worked through 15 hands-on water activities, built Great Lakes basins out of Play-Doh, simulated water movement through a watershed, explored Indiana Dunes National Park, and spent time at the shore of Lake Michigan, some for the very first time.

They also had time to talk with one another, share what works in their classrooms, and build the kind of connections that last well beyond a workshop.

Read more about the experience at the link in the comments.

National Sea Grant College Program
University of Illinois Extension
Purdue Forestry and Natural Resources

09/23/2026

there are over 100 drowned river-mouth estuaries in the Great Lakes basin? Discover activities, lessons, and resources from to help learners wade into these unique ecosystems during and beyond.

🔗 in comments

NOAA Education
Purdue Forestry and Natural Resources
University of Illinois Extension
National Sea Grant College Program

Address

195 Marsteller Street
West Lafayette, IN
47907

Website

http://www.iiseagrant.org/

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