Got Nature? Blog

Educators across the Great Lakes region are invited to apply for a rare opportunity to step aboard a working U.S. Environmental Protection Agency research vessel and participate directly in Great Lakes science. Applications are now open for the 2026 R/V Lake Guardian Shipboard Science Immersion, with submissions due February 28, 2026. Formal and non-formal educators working with grades 5–12 in any Great Lakes state are encouraged to apply.

Image from Center for Great Lakes Literacy

This annual program places educators alongside EPA scientists on the Research Vessel Lake Guardian to investigate Lake Superior’s ecosystem through hands-on data collection and collaborative fieldwork. The 2026 immersion runs July 7–13, departing from and returning to Duluth, Minnesota. Participants receive a stipend to support the integration of Great Lakes literacy and experiential learning into their own classrooms or educational programs.

During the week, educators will take part in ongoing research focused on photochemistry and light in the water column, the distribution of key food-web organisms such as Diporeia and Mysis, and zooplankton communities that support larval fish. The experience is designed to strengthen understanding of Great Lakes science while building lasting connections between educators and researchers.

The Shipboard Science Immersion is organized by the Center for Great Lakes Literacy in partnership with the EPA Great Lakes National Program Office and the Great Lakes Sea Grant Network, with support from the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative. Hosts for the 2026 Lake Superior program include Minnesota Sea Grant, Wisconsin Sea Grant, and Illinois-Indiana Sea Grant.

Applicants will need to provide basic professional information, responses to short personal statement questions and a letter of recommendation. Learn more details and application information on the R/V Lake Guardian Shipboard Science Immersion webpage.

More Resources:
Prescription For Safety: How to Dispose of Unwanted Household Medicine, IISG Publications
A Guide to Marketing for Small-Scale Aquaculture Producers, The Education Store, Purdue Extension resource center
A Guide to Small-Scale Fish Processing Using Local Kitchen Facilities, The Education Store
Marine Shrimp Biofloc Systems: Basic Management Practices, The Education Store
Sustainable Aquaculture: What does it mean to you?, The Education Store
The Benefits of Seafood Consumption The Education Store
Walleye Farmed Fish Fact Sheet: A Guide for Seafood Consumers, The Education Store
Fish Muscle Hydrolysate, The Education Store
Fish Cleaning with Purdue Extension County Extension Director, Got Nature? Blog, Purdue Extension – Forestry and Natural Resources
Aquatics & Fisheries, Playlist, Purdue Extension – Forestry and Natural Resources
Eat Midwest Fish, Illinois-Indiana Sea Grant online resource hub
Community Development, Purdue Extension
Climate Change and Sustainable Development, The Education Store
Climate Change: Are you preparing for it?, The Education Store

Illinois-Indiana Sea Grant (IISG)

Diana Evans, Extension & Web Communications Specialist
Purdue University Department of Forestry and Natural Resources