UWM School of Freshwater Sciences

Considering an undergraduate degree in Freshwater Sciences? Our program is interdisciplinary! Depending on your interests and passions, the program and classes can be tailored to your goals post-graduation. Our advisor works with your to take the courses aligned with your desired pathway.

The Aquatic Ecosystems pathway takes a look at lakes, rivers, and wetlands to understand how freshwater ecosystems work—and help protect them for the future.

Learn more about our undergraduate degree: https://bit.ly/4nOLGKe

💧 Water Word of the Month: Upwelling
Ever gone to the beach expecting warm water… only to find Lake Michigan suddenly freezing? 🥶

That’s likely due to upwelling — when wind pushes warm surface water away and colder deep water rises to the top.

It’s one of the reasons Great Lakes conditions can change so quickly during the summer.

Shorelines and beaches are rapidly shifting and eroding as climate change causes ocean levels to rise and Great Lakes water levels to wildly fluctuate. But the most common responses to this erosion, specifically hard shoreline armoring and beach nourishment, raise serious concerns regarding access to public trust resources.

In the Center for Water Policy’s latest research, Water Policy Specialist Emma Ehrlich (2024-2025), Interim Assistant Director Cora Sutherland (2024-2025), and Director Melissa Scanlan investigate the legal protections for public access along the oceans and Great Lakes. This published academic research sheds light on the legal gaps in climate-disrupted shoreline management and highlights the need for Great Lakes states to learn from exemplar states to better protect public access to our beaches.

Quick Facts: What you need to know

🔹 Shoreline armoring can physically restrict public access and diminish our sandy beaches.

🔹 Government-funded beach nourishment often sparks debate over whether public funds are disproportionately benefiting private homeowners.

🔹 Legal gaps exist where courts’ interpretations of public access requirements reveal significant deficiencies and a lack of protective policies across different regions.

Read the research published by Denver Water Law: https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=6863659

🌊 June is National Rivers Month.

From the Milwaukee River to the Menomonee and Kinnickinnic, our rivers connect communities, ecosystems, and ultimately Lake Michigan.

What flows through our rivers shapes the health of the Great Lakes — which is why studying, protecting, and restoring them matters. Every river leads somewhere. 💧

The McLellan lab's work as part of the South Shore Beach relocation was one of the recipients of the Mayor's 2026 Design Awards! Congrats to the McLellan Lab on this well-deserved recognition.

Since 1997, the Mayor’s Design Award has recognized projects that contribute to Milwaukee’s built environment by enhancing public spaces, expanding educational and job opportunities, fostering social connections and setting new standards for development and architecture.

Read more: https://bit.ly/4v7hmNA

🌊☀️ Small Acts, Big Impact: Summer Prep Edition
Beach days are better when the water stays clean.

This summer:
✔ Pack out your trash
✔ Be mindful of storm drains
✔ Think about what washes into the lake

What you do on land doesn’t stay on land—it flows to Lake Michigan.

Congratulations to the Class of 2026! 13 of our students received their diplomas this weekend. 🎓

Last week, some of those students joined us to honor them with some gifts and cake. We wish you all the best on your futures in freshwater! 🌊