News/Announcements
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- Images from the field: SFS students investigate a spill
- Boat Madness:
- Robot research: Reaching new depths in water technology
- In September, UW-Milwaukee Chancellor Mike Lovell delivered his Plenary Address, a review of the "state of the university" for UWM students, staff and faculty. At the meeting, he debuted the Spotlight on Excellence video of the research on underwater robotics being conducted by School of Freshwater Sciences Assistant Professor Tom Consi. Tom Consi’s passion for robotics started in MIT’s Ocean Engineering Department, but he’s reaching new depths at UWM’s School of Freshwater Sciences.More>>
- Shop talk – The SFS fix-it guys
- One of Barske’s favorite projects was an in situ harbor sampler he made for School of Freshwater Sciences Professor Tim Grundl. “Harbors get notoriously polluted from the shipping and all the comings and goings,” says Barske. “If a scientist wanted to test for heavy metals in the harbor, he would have to collect a core sample – four inches in diameter and a couple of feet long – take it back to the lab, slice it up and analyze it.”Grundl made a sketch of a sampler based on machines he had worked with in the oil industry and took it to Barske. Together they came up with the design for a sampler that could easily be loaded on the School of Freshwater Sciences research vessel Neeskay and lowered to the bottom of the harbor, where it could get real-time results without having to collect and analyze samples in the lab. “Now we can map out a whole harbor in two days, where before it would take a year and lots of money. This machine can do the same job for just a few dollars per poke. It’s a real revolution,” says Barske.
- Biomarkers in Brazil
Koskey is also interested in researching the microbial community profiles of different animals to identify new indicators of waterborne pathogens. They could potentially be used to monitor the level and source of animal fecal contamination in the Rio Jiquiriçá and other water bodies in the region. The McLellan lab has been working on developing host specific markers for different organisms. Reflecting on her work in Jenipapo and Volta do Rio, Koskey says that “It’s really neat to work with these communities and to help them in any way possible. Any opportunity for community education and outreach could prevent so many illnesses and potentially save lives,” she says. “Even if it's just talking to the little boy watching us and explaining to him why bathing in the water in this river caused him to get Shistosomisis months ago.”
- Hooking them young: Creating a pipeline for advanced degrees and careers in freshwater
With four of five returning members, Spring Valley had been working since fall on the science and strategies. Their coach Michele Huppert had the team doing hour-long pre-class practices two mornings a week plus once- or twice-weekly after-school “buzzer practices” and team challenges. The tactic paid off, with Spring Valley winning its first regional title and now focusing on the national competition.If not for Lake Sturgeon Bowl, many students – especially those from small Wisconsin communities – would not have exposure to the field of marine science. But event feedback shows that studying for and competing in the event triggers an interest in the field. According to the annual NOSB survey, 76 percent of last year’s Lake Sturgeon Bowl participants said the event helped them increase their interest in freshwater and ocean science. This same evaluation indicated 59% of students feel they are more likely to pursue a science career as well as found the competition helpful in their other classes.While its name implies a purely oceanographic bent, regional and national NOSB competitions include freshwater topics, as well. And for the first time since its inception, the theme for the 2013 NOSB competition will be freshwater, specifically: “The Great Lakes: A Window into Freshwater Science.” Sutton is excited about the opportunity to host and highlight freshwater topics at the event April 18-21. “For the first time in 16 years, students from across the country are studying the Great Lakes. It’s a great opportunity for them to learn about the vastness and diversity of our inland seas,” she says.This year’s NOSB theme will also allow School of Freshwater Sciences researchers and faculty to showcase their work in the field. Dr. Cuhel and School of Freshwater Sciences associate scientist Dr. Carmen Aguilar have served as NOSB guest experts and Lake Sturgeon Bowl judges and advisors for more than a decade and also treat the second-place team to a research expedition on the school’s research vessel, the Neeskay. “We’ll miss having Spring Valley on board this year,” jokes Dr. Aguilar. The award for the top three to four teams at the NOSB Finals is an experiential trip that provides each NOSB team with a unique hands-on field and laboratory experience in the marine sciences. Past NOSB champions have had the opportunity to visit various marine research locations including Costa Rica, Bermuda, California and Florida. Last year, the team from Marshfield won a trip to Hawaii. Since winning the regional competition, Spring Valley has stepped up its prep, meeting three mornings a week and an hour-and-a-half after school twice a week. “We are making a lot of flash cards, writing a lot of buzzer and team challenge questions, and also planning a [nature documentary] Blue Planet viewing marathon,” says coach Huppert.The competition and the drills leading up to it are all part of the experience that NOSB hopes to create to engage young scientists. For Wisconsin schools like Marshfield and Spring Valley, it’s working. According to Spring Valley coach Huppert, “NOSB is one of the reasons our small school graduates a high percentage of students pursuing further educations in STEM [science, technology, engineering and mathematics].” For now, Spring Valley is focusing on carrying on the Wisconsin legacy.
- AAMHD & Midwest Zebrafish Conference
- The School of Freshwater Sciences hosts the 6th Aquatic Animal Models for Human Disease and Midwest Zebrafish conferences June 30–July 3. More>>
- UWM signs collaborative agreement with Ningbo University in China
- Representatives of the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee (UWM) have entered into an agreement with a Chinese university that will expand educational cooperation and initiate collaborative efforts on freshwater-related research.Read Article >>
- SFS REU program provides hands-on practical experience for undergraduate students
- Students come the UW-Milwaukee School of Freshwater Sciences from all over the country to get hands-on practical experience in the summer Undergraduate Research Program. SFS senior scientist Russell Cuhel talks to Milwaukee’s 88.9 about the REU program here.
- SFS associate dean and atmospheric scientist Dr. Paul Roebber studies the impact of climate change on water levels in the Great Lakes
- Associate Dean for Academics for the School of Freshwater Sciences talks to Susan Bence at WUWM's Lake Effect about the warming trends in the deepest of the Great Lakes, Lake Michigan and Lake Superior.Listen here
- School of Freshwater Sciences assistant professor wins international economics award
- UW-Milwaukee School of Freshwater Sciences assistant professor Dr. Itziar Lazkano received the Fondazione Eni Enrico Mattei Award on August 28. The FEEM Award is given annually to economists under the age of 30 who are addressing key European and global economic issues.More>>
- REU Final Poster Presentation
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- From Malawi to Milwaukee
- Leaving home to join an international research program is never easy. But for Maxon Ngochera, being accepted to the University of Wisconsin—Milwaukee School of Freshwater Sciences PhD program meant again leaving his wife and three daughters nearly 13,000 miles behind in the African country of Malawi. More>>
- Environmental Impacts of Everyday Items
- Wash the makeup from your face after a hard day’s work. Take your prescription and use the bathroom. Throw your dirty clothes into the wash. Do the routine, daily things you need to do to take care of yourself. Each one of these activities is a necessary part of living in today’s modern societies.More>>
- Friend of Water: Christopher Magruder
- “I am one of the few guys that can say I walked out to the lighthouse in the harbor,” says Christopher Magruder, who braved dangerous ice and open water to reach a weather station operated by the Milwaukee Metropolitan Sewerage District (MMSD) in the early 1980s.More>>
- Jenny Kehl, Lynde B. Uihlein Chair of Water Policy, Talks Water Issues with Wisconsin Public Radio
- The availability and quality of our water will continue to be a major issue for the Great Lakes and the country. Jenny Kehl, the Lynde B. Uihlein Chair of Water Policy and director of the Center for Water Policy at the UWM School of Freshwater Sciences, speaks with Wisconsin Public Radio's Kathleen Dunn (the conversation with Jenny begins at the 13:24 mark).Listen to the Interview as an MP3 >>
- Jenny R. Kehl named director of UWM’s Center for Water Policy
- Jenny R. Kehl has been named the Lynde B. Uihlein Endowed Chair in Water Policy and the director of the Center for Water Policy in the School of Freshwater Sciences at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee (UWM). She begins July 2.Read the full story >>
- VIDEO: The Future of Water is at SFS
- The UWM School of Freshwater Sciences (SFS) is the first graduate school in the nation dedicated solely to the study of freshwater. It’s also the largest academic research institution on the Great Lakes.From urban aquaculture and identifying emerging contaminants to creating new centers for Great Lakes genomics and water policy, we’re going inside SFS (and beneath the waves of Lake Michigan) to show you why the future of water lies in the hands of the UWM School of Freshwater Sciences.
- SFS to Lead Five-Campus STEM Initiative with a Focus on Water
- In partnership with the UW System and the Washington D.C. based Business-Higher Education Forum, UW-Milwaukee's School of Freshwater Sciences will lead a five-campus effort to develop STEM initiatives with a focus on water research and technology.Read the story at JSOnline >>
- Mike Pagel is the School of Freshwater Sciences First Graduate!
On May 20th, 2012, Mike Pagel became the first graduate of the School of Freshwater Sciences (SFS) at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee. He earned a Master of Science degree in Freshwater Sciences and Technology through the program’s professional track.More>>
- Friend of Water: Danni Gendelman
- Danni Gendelman is a Friend of Water. She has loved water her whole life, and says her happiest moments have always been in, on or near water.More>>
- A More Sustainable Approach to Water Supply
- The way that we use groundwater is unsustainable. Continuously pumping a pristine resource, using it once, and then dumping it in surface water is not a wise use of a resource. So why do we use our groundwater as a “throwaway” item rather than using it in a sustainable way?
- SFS Awards Growing Power's Will Allen Honorary Doctorate
- Will Allen, founder and CEO of Milwaukee-based Growing Power, received an honorary doctorate degree from the School of Freshwater Sciences and delivered a speech at UWM's Fall 2012 Commencement ceremony.Watch Will Allen's Speech >>
- David E.J. Garman: Waukesha Needs Innovative Thinking
- Instead of looking at a 19th-century solution for its water problems, the City of Waukesha should look to Singapore's model of innovation and technology-driven answers.Read Dean Garman's Op-Ed at JSOnline >>
- School of Freshwater Sciences plans Great Lakes Genomics Center
- For scientists trying to unmask indicators of human pathogens in waterways or determine the health effects of chemical contaminants on aquatic life, the answers are found in genes. And the Great Lakes Genomics Center, planned for Milwaukee's harbor, will bring with it the ability to find those genetic answers in Milwaukee's rivers and Lake Michigan faster than ever.Read the story at JSOnline >>
- Turbulant Technology: Making Waves in Underwater Research
- Funded by the National Science Foundation, UWM faculty members Qian Liao (Engineering and Applied Science) and Harvey Bootsma (Freshwater Sciences) are providing innovative and valuable applications for Particle Image Velocimetry (PIV) technology across environmental and geographical sciences.Read the feature published by International Innovation >>
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