UW-Eau Claire receives $207,882 for 淡水协作 projects

The 威斯康星大学欧克莱尔分校 has received $207,882 in 淡水协作 of Wisconsin funding to expand research and training opportunities for high school and undergraduate students to address the state’s biggest water challenges.

FCW已经奖励了近4美元.3 million in funding for 22 projects as part of a statewide initiative, 在州议会和州长的支持下. 托尼•埃弗斯, to tackle Wisconsin’s water challenges and support curriculum development, 本科生研究机会, career development and field training experiences for students interested in studying water-related fields at the 13 UW System universities.

Dr. 莎拉·维塔莱, associate professor of geology and environmental science, is a principal investigator or collaborator on all five projects that involve UW-Eau Claire. The projects are large-scale collaborations that include UW-Eau Claire faculty from the departments of geology and environmental science; geography and anthropology; biology; and public health and environmental studies, 以及威斯康星大学斯托特分校, 西澳大学奥什科什分校和西澳大学河瀑布分校.

“These projects provide opportunities for UW-Eau Claire students and faculty to collaborate with freshwater experts at other UW campuses, for our students to have paid research and internship opportunities all over the state, and to connect with the community in a meaningful way that emphasizes the critical importance of our water resources,维塔莱说.

Vitale says the funding makes the additional learning opportunities possible.

“The 淡水协作 recognizes high school and undergraduate students as the future of the freshwater workforce,维塔莱说. “Their investment in enhancing freshwater education, scholarship and community outreach through these projects adds an invaluable strength to the UW System and freshwater science across Wisconsin as a whole.”

UW-Eau Claire will receive funding for these five projects:

Freshwater field experiences — $113,766:

“The Freshwater Science Across the Curriculum: Linked Outreach and Advanced Educational Activities in Western Wisconsin” is an ongoing project that includes two freshwater science field courses in western Wisconsin: one targeting junior and senior high school students and the other an advanced course designed for upper-level college students. The hands-on learning experiences introduce participants to a wide range of freshwater science topics with specialists from UW-Eau Claire, UW-Stout, 西澳大学河瀑布分校和西澳大学奥什科什分校. Courses are open to students enrolled in high schools across Wisconsin or from any UW System campus.

Training K-12 educators in groundwater science — $51,864:

The project entails a one-day groundwater workshop with K-12 educators in the Eau Claire Area School District and a hands-on classroom experience for each participating educator with UW-Eau Claire faculty and undergraduate students. The workshop will include exploration of groundwater characteristics using physical flow models, field experience on the UW-Eau Claire campus well field and a tour of the Eau Claire Municipal Water Treatment Plant.

Environmental science fair at UW-Eau Claire — $15,652:

The science fair “Water, Water, Everywhere!是一个新问题。, one-day multidisciplinary event for up to 100 regional high school students and accompanying high school teachers and advisors. The fair will include hands-on breakout sessions, 一个面板, a plenary speaker and a traditional program fair for participants to interact with environmental science faculty at UW-Eau Claire.

高中夏令营- 15,200美元;

UW-Eau Claire students participate in the summer camp at UW Oshkosh that offers student training opportunities at a state-certified laboratory for many water-testing parameters as well as a contract R&D laboratory for various community and industry projects. Students from UW campuses work at field research sites or take a field course each summer, which embeds students in communities to study surface, 水井和地下水.

Red Cedar Watershed monitoring project — $11,400:

This is a continuation and expansion of a project examining the Red Cedar Watershed’s blue-green algae blooms due to phosphorus pollution. The project examines the effectiveness of projects implemented to reduce runoff and restore stream channels and buffer areas. 来自威斯康星大学的学生, UW-River瀑布, UW-Eau Claire and UW Oshkosh will work during the summer to survey streams, riparian corridors and wetlands while also monitoring Lakes Tainter and Menomin.

For more information about UW-Eau Claire’s participation in the 淡水协作 of Wisconsin, 博士联系. 莎拉·维塔莱 vitalesa@mjyly.com or 715-836-4300.