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Aerial drone image of R/V Lake Guardian on Lake Michigan taken from stern perspective. Large A-frame with pully system for lowering and raising equipment is visible on stern fantail deck. Navigation and meteorological sensors extend from the roofs of the hotel deck and pilot house.

2026 Shipboard Science Immersion on Lake Superior

Adult Education High School Middle School
US EPA logo Great Lakes Restoration Initiative (GLRI) logo Great Lakes Sea Grant Network logo National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) logo

Fifteen educators traded their classrooms for a research vessel on Lake Superior this past July.

Fifteen educators from across the Great Lakes spent a will spend July 7-13, 2026, working alongside scientists aboard the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) research vessel (R/V) Lake Guardian as part of the Lake Superior Shipboard Science Immersion.

This Shipboard Science Immersion, a program facilitated by Great Lakes Sea Grant Network educators through a partnership with the US EPA Great Lakes National Program Office, brings educators and scientists together aboard the US EPA R/V Lake Guardian for a full week each year on one of the Great Lakes. The workshop rotates to a different Great Lake every year and is designed to promote Great Lakes sciences while forging lasting relationships between Great Lakes scientists and educators.

The Lake Guardian on one of the Great Lakes

Selected educators included:

  • Brian Hayes, Educator at William Howard Taft High School, Illinois
  • Ayesha Qazi-Lampert, Educator at Northside College Preparatory High School, Illinois
  • Dana Shabica, Educator at Westinghouse College Preparatory High School, Illinois
  • Tabby McLain, Middle School Educator at Eman Schools, Indiana
  • Kelli Catotal, Middle School Educator at Sashabaw Middle School, Michigan
  • Mandi Young, Middle School Educator at The Pathfinder School, Michigan
  • Sam Northey, High School Educator at St Paul Public Schools, Minnesota
  • Lucas Wegehaupt, High School Educator at Area Learning Center (ALC) and Academic Excellence Online (AEO), Minnesota
  • Leah Yoemans, Middle & High School at Oak Hills Elementary, Lakeville Schools ISD194, Minnesota
  • Paola Garcia, Climate & Resiliency Educator & Strategist, New York
  • Kayla Wyse, Agriculture and Natural Resources Extension Educator for Ohio State University
  • Erin Hricik, Educator at Sharon High School, Pennsylvania
  • Nicholas Bonde, Educator at Marshall High School, Wisconsin
  • Ann Perry, Educator at School of Options and Applied Research (SOAR) Charter High School, Wisconsin
  • Luciana Ranelli, Educator Coordinator at Lake Superior National Estuarine Research Reserve, Wisconsin

Program Partners

This opportunity is made possible through a partnership with the EPA Great Lakes National Program Office, NOAA, and with funding from the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative. Hosts for the the 2026 immersion are Illinois-Indiana Sea Grant, Minnesota Sea Grant, and Wisconsin Sea Grant. Sea Grant programs are supported by the National Sea Grant College Program and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

The CGLL facilitators of the 2026 SSI included Heidi Ferris, Environmental Literacy and Workforce Development Extension Educator for Minnesota Sea Grant; Ginny Carlton, Education Outreach Specialist for Wisconsin Sea Grant; and Kristin TePas, Great Lakes Literacy and Workforce Development Specialist for Illinois-Indiana Sea Grant.

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