Freshwater Collaborative of Wisconsin

Are you an educator interested in freshwater science? Join us July 15! University of Wisconsin-Green Bay, Oconto County Land Conservation, and UW Extension Lakes will host a Freshwater Educator Paddle on the Oconto River to learn about aquatic plants.

This is a free event. Registration is required by July 1. Use the QR code or visit our website to access the registration link.

What a gorgeous day for field work! Our executive director, Marissa Jablonski, joined students in the lab and field techniques course at University of Wisconsin-River Falls for their morning of learning about water quality testing and taking well depth measurements.

It's a wrap on orientation week for the new Freshwater@UW scholars! They spent three days at University of Wisconsin-Madison and the UWM School of Freshwater Sciences, including lots of water science activities! It's going to be a great summer for freshwater research!

We're so excited about the Finding Work events University of Wisconsin Superior has been hosting this year. Outreach manager Alan Brew wants students and community members to know more about maritime careers. Superior's location on the Great Lakes offers plenty of opportunity for good jobs--and have you seen the university's new boat?

Check out the events so far. More will be coming this fall!

https://freshwater.wisconsin.edu/maritime-careers/

What job skills can you gain from undergraduate research? Plenty if you are in a lab like Tisha King-Heiden's at University of Wisconsin-La Crosse!

Students JoAnn Breier and Carissa Maske shared what they learned from studying PFAS, their effects on embryonic development in zebrafish and how those effects can impact the fish's ability to capture prey.

Skills they learned?
✅ experiment design
✅ how to test a hypothesis
✅ proper animal care protocol
✅ using computer software for statistical analysis
✅ microscopic imaging for data analysis
✅ time management
✅ collaboration
✅ critical thinking/problem solving
✅ presenting research

Check out the Q&A about their research on our website!

Educators interested in learning more about groundwater, here's your chance! Sarah Vitale at the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire is holding a one-day workshop for K-12 educators on June 28.

Participants get a FREE groundwater model for their school! 🌊

Highlights include:
☑️ Learn fundamentals of groundwater flow
☑️ Groundwater flow model exercises
☑️ Water treatment plant tour
☑️ Groundwater field exercises
☑️ Free breakfast and lunch

No need to worry about travel costs! Participants can receive a $200 stipend to offset costs of attending the workshop.

Registration deadline is May 29!

Congratulations to the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, and big thanks to Lynda B. Uihlein who recognizes the importance of freshwater research and education. We look forward to continued collaborations with our colleagues at the School of Freshwater Sciences to provide amazing hands-on experiences to students at UW-Milwaukee and throughout the state!

A $10M gift from philanthropist and environmentalist Lynde B. Uihlein will support freshwater sciences research and education at UWM 👏 One of the largest gifts in UWM history, the endowment will strengthen the UWM School of Freshwater Sciences and UW-Milwaukee Center for Water Policy and help fund research vessels, including the Neeskay and the future Maggi Sue! Read more at the link in the comments ⬇

Congratulations to Elias Jeska who graduates from University of Wisconsin-Stout with an Environmental Science degree this month!

Part of Elias' undergraduate experience included research with Nicole Hayes as a member of the Red Cedar Basin Monitoring Group. He studied cyanobacterial harmful algal blooms in Lake Menomin. He presented his findings at Research in the Rotunda earlier this spring and shared more for our website: https://freshwater.wisconsin.edu/toxins-in-lake-menomin/

Did you miss the live presentation of our latest Great Lakes Freshwater Symposium? The recording is now available.

Thank you to Tressie Kamp from the -Milwaukee Center for Water Policy for presenting the center's recent report into the hidden environmental impacts of AI data centers. The legislative model is a great start and the report shows how much more we need to learn.

Powering Progress or Peril? The Hidden Environmental Costs of AI-Data Centers, 05-07-26 On May 7, 2026, the Freshwater Collaborative of Wisconsin hosted the webinar Powering Progress or Peril? The Hidden Environmental Costs of AI-Data Centers. T...

As an undergraduate at UW-Stevens Point, Ben Zobel got firsthand experience researching how activated carbon can effectively remove PFAS. When he graduates this month, he'll start his career as a process engineer at Shawano Specialty Paper.

He presented the research that helped him prepare for his career at Research in the Rotunda. Read the full story at https://freshwater.wisconsin.edu/activated-carbon-for-pfas-adsorption/