Freshwater Collaborative of Wisconsin

Austin Draper's career path shows that strong mentorship and hands-on opportunities lead to dream jobs. Austin was one of the first undergraduates to receive research funding from the Freshwater Collaborative.

His journey included
💦 aquatic toxicology research at University of Wisconsin-Whitewater.
💦 a graduate degree in coastal sciences from the University of Southern Mississippi
💦 a research fellowshipwith the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers
💦 Landing a job as a physical scientist at the U.S. Naval Oceanographic Office in Mississippi!

Read more about his career path in the Spotlight Stories of our website. https://freshwater.wisconsin.edu/undergrad-researcher-becomes-navy-scientist/

Great photos from a great summer course! So much hands-on learning for students.

We're excited to host a plenary session at the North American Congress for Conservation Biology.

Join us in Milwaukee on Monday, July 13 at 9 a.m.

Our panelists will share how their research and outreach programs connect faculty, staff and students with K-12 students and educators, nonprofits, government agencies and local communities:

Big thanks to Greg Kleinheinz, UW-Oshkosh; Jessica Orlofske, University of Wisconsin-Parkside; Liz Sutton, UWM School of Freshwater Sciences; Matt TenEyck, University of Wisconsin Superior and Emily H. Tyner, UW-Green Bay!

Head to the Events section of our website for more info!

Did researchers find a new species of lobster? Nope.

It's just a few students in Survival Suits during last week's Expedition to Great Lake Michigan course in Milwaukee!

Sailors affectionately call them Gumby suits because they make you look and feel like Gumby. The reality is that they keep you warm and floating if the ship goes down!

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!