Erin Wilcox takes water sample on Bay Guardian research vessel, September 21, 2016. PC: Fox 11 Online
GREEN BAY, WI (WTAQ-WLUK) — Hundreds of thousands of dollars in funding will help UW-Green Bay address Wisconsin’s biggest water challenges.
On Monday, the university announced it has received a grant from Freshwater Collaborative worth just under $659,000. The money will be used for immersive research projects and to provide training opportunities for the next generation of water scientists, including high schoolers and undergraduate students.
“This new funding will support student-engaged research and educational programs to better understand two pressing water quality challenges in northeastern Wisconsin: nutrient runoff and agricultural water and management,” said Emily Tyner, director of Freshwater Strategy for UW-Green Bay.
With these funds, faculty, staff and students will improve our understanding of how land-based nutrients and chemicals impact waterways, provide tools for local educators to teach about water quality threats and prepare students for statewide water-focused careers.
This funding is part of a statewide initiative backed by the State Legislature and Gov. Tony Evers “to tackle Wisconsin’s Grand Water Challenges and support recruitment, hands-on curriculum, undergraduate research opportunities, career development and field training experiences for students interested in water-related careers.”
From studying riverbed sediments as an important source of phosphorus in Wisconsin waterways, to freshwater-focused field tours, to wild rice seeding and educator workshops for K-12 students and teachers around the Bay of Green Bay, officials say the grant money will go a long way.
Here’s a breakdown of the student-involved projects UW-Green Bay is involved in:
- $391,266 – UW-Green Bay pre-college student experience in freshwater, 2025-2031, offers middle and high school students — and their teachers — immersive learning in water science to spark interest in freshwater careers.
- $66,984 – Quantifying the impact of spatial and temporal variation in hyporheic zone fluxes on phosphorus transport and release in Wisconsin streams and rivers, continued. (Joint UW-Green Bay and UW-Madison)
- $31,906 – Leveraging the strength of the Wisconsin Agriculture-Water Nexus Network for transformative student experiences. (Joint UW-Green Bay, UW-Platteville, UW-Stevens Point and UW-River Falls)
- $34,205 – Next steps to creating connected Freshwater Collaborative programming at UW-River Falls. (Joint UW-Green Bay and UW-River Falls.)
- $134,484 – Students and water in Wisconsin’s peatland plant communities. (Joint UW-Green Bay and UW-Madison)
“The Freshwater Collaborative has helped campuses develop innovative statewide courses, programs and research collaborations over the past five years,” said Marissa Jablonski, executive director for the Freshwater Collaborative of Wisconsin. “With this latest round of funding, we are committing to ongoing investment in those programs that will best recruit and train the next generation of water professionals to address the needs of Wisconsin.”
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