Environmental Research and Innovation Center

Due to the UW Oshkosh campus closure today, the ERIC Lab will be closed. If the mater is urgent please email the main email or call the main phone number to leave a message. We will be checking both throughout the day. We apologize for the inconvenience.

Congratulations to our student employee Cole L who presented at the Posters in the Rotunda yesterday. Cole was part of the Freshwater Collaborative of Wisconsin group representing the great students scholarship throughout the UW. Guests at the Freshwater Collaborative of Wisconsin posters included Governor Evers, UW President Rothman and even some parents.

Congratulations to all the students and faculty that participated in this event. UW-Oshkosh

Registration is open for the Freshwater High Experience at UW-Oshkosh. During this three-day camp, high school students:

💦 Conduct hands-on research
💦 Pilot water drones
💦 Explore waterways on a pontoon boat
💦 Learn about freshwater college majors and careers
💦 Enjoy fun evening activities in the residence halls.

Aside from a $25 participation fee, all costs are covered by the Freshwater Collaborative of Wisconsin. The experience includes two nights of lodging, meals, activities, and all learning costs. Limited to 20 participants.

Registration at https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSftwA887xG0WT4VsRp4-1-XxF7QoHevdExO3nkMbu119yotNA/viewform

Well, there is snow on the ground and a chill in the air but we are back at it for Spring 2026. It is an exciting time for the ERIC as we not only welcome in a new semester, but we also welcome Brianna as our newest Research Scientist and staff member. Brianna will have her hands full as we also have a new group of Research Assistants beginning with lots to learn. They all have a few months to get up to speed as we look forward to a working on a number of exciting projects with our collaborators around Wisconsin in 2026! Welcome all!

Council of the Great Lakes RegionFreshwater Collaborative of WisconsinUW-OshkoshCrossroads at Big Creek

It is always great to be at the annual Great Lakes Beach Association (GLBA) meeting, but this year was extra special – 25 years of GLBA! It was a pleasure to bring students and staff to participate in this meeting that has some of the world’s best researchers in water issues. They have come from Florida, Hawaii, Georgia, Washington, and all Great Lakes states to celebrate two and a half decades of success and progress! For our students and staff, they had the opportunity meet the people from local agencies, state government, and federal research labs that set the standard for good science. These people are not only great at science, but they are people of integrity, honor, and honesty.

Congratulations to UW Oshkosh (ERIC employees) students Will Liebbrand and Cole Lodholz who are going home with a tied second place award for best student research poster during the annual student poster competition. This is well deserved against many great entries from universities around the US. The awards are sponsored by Dr. Richard Whitman, a truly good human being who has had a positive influence in my career. Cole’s poster was titled “Monitoring Microcystin Concentrations of Inland Lakes and Great Lakes in Wisconsin” and Will’s was titled “Portable Bathymetric Modeling of Inland Lakes”. Congrats gentlemen! UW-OshkoshFreshwater Collaborative of WisconsinGreg Kleinheinz

Back in Door County for the annual fall community well testing event. Great weather, great people, fall colors and almost 360 people participating for fall 2025! Drop off sites in Sister Bay, Sturgeon Bay, snd Brussells. Great community participation and a favorite time of year our students and staff will be busy all weekend working on these samples. Over 1,200 different analyses. UW-OshkoshFreshwater Collaborative of WisconsinDestination Door County

Fall is coming but we can’t stop Mister Sifter….we can only hope to contain him. While this Bebot may not be at the beach it found ways to educate students at UW Oshkosh about marine debris and the efforts of Meijer and the Council of the Great Lakes Region. Through these efforts working with our students and the Freshwater Collaborative of Wisconsin we are making a real difference.UW-OshkoshGreg Kleinheinz

Our Bebot, Mister Sifter, made an appearance at Titan Fest where were able to demonstrate how that technology coupled with the support of Meijer and the Council of the Great Lakes Region have been working hard to mitigate our marine debris issues in the Great Lakes and make our communities more sustainable. It was a big hit and I think we found some future operators! UW-OshkoshFreshwater Collaborative of Wisconsin

It's that time of year again! The Door County Fall well sampling event is scheduled for October 24 & 25th. See the attached flyer for details or contact us for more information. This is a great opportunity to help gain information about your drinking water and the water of County more broadly. We hope you will consider participating! CountyDoor County Public HealthFreshwater Collaborative of WisconsinDestination Door CountyUW-OshkoshGreg Kleinheinz

It was a great day to celebrate the next step in water resource management in Door County, WI. It was a pleasure to be part of the 'grand opening' of more electronic beach signs in the County of Door. In conjunction with Destination Door County County Parks and Door County Public Health Department, it was great to see another tool added to help keep residents, visitors, and business informed of current beach conditions around the county. Through the use of these signs our students can relay laboratory data immediately to the public at a beach. UW-Oshkosh, Freshwater Collaborative of Wisconsin

During our High School on-campus freshwater camp, sponsored byFreshwater Collaborative of Wisconsin, a number of high school students got a chance to meet ‘Mister Sifter’ (Bebot sponsored by Meijer) and learn how we mitigate trash inputs to the Great Lakes. They also got to try their hand at operating him through an upland obstacle course! I hope we see some of these students on the beach in the future! Council of the Great Lakes RegionUW-OshkoshGreg KleinheinzMeijer