The UW-Madison Sea Grant Institute, which focuses on the preservation of the Great Lakes, announced Thursday a $2.8 million donation to fund research in the coming year.
The institute awarded grants to 19 projects on eight different UW System campuses, as well as projects through the Red Cliff Band of Lake Superior Chippewa, Wisconsin Coastal Management Program, UW-Extension and the Wisconsin Historical Society.
Almost 100 researchers, staff and students will be engaged in work funded by the institute, according to the program’s director of research Jennifer Hauxwell. The UW campuses involved are Green Bay, Madison, Milwaukee, Northland, Oshkosh, Stevens Point, Superior and Whitewater.
The research projects aim to impact not only the environment but the Wisconsin economy as well, which Hauxwell emphasized are closely tied to the Great Lakes.
“The world’s largest freshwater system surrounds Wisconsin to the north and east. The lakes fuel our economy and enhance our quality of life,” Hauxwell said in a release. “We are fortunate that some of the best freshwater researchers are right here as well.”
Researchers will study everything from ways to raise tastier fish for dinner to methods of decreasing beach contamination and increasing the time that Wisconsinites can enjoy Great Lake beaches.
"We drew on the expertise of scientific leaders from around the globe and nation who reviewed the proposals to ensure the projects were of a high caliber," Hauxwell said. “We also relied on a council of external advisors from numerous Wisconsin sectors to ensure the inquiries would be relevant to our state’s needs.”
