Great Lakes Watershed

$1,000 Teacher Grants Offered by the AWWA-MI & MWEA

The American Water Works Association (AWWA), and the Michigan Water Environment Association (MWEA) have been representing the professional water industry for over 80 year and are dedicated to serving as an educational resource for Michigan's science teachers.  Our members include water works personnel, consulting engineers and scientists, regulators, vendors, and manufacturers.

Each year the AWWA & MWEA give two $1,000 grants for water-related projects in Michigan classrooms. The Teacher Grant Applications  are due April 15, 2011.

New Website Features Great Lakes Literacy Principles & Teaching Tools

A new online tool created by Centers for Ocean Sciences Education Excellence (COSEE) Great Lakes and Ohio State University’s Sea Grant Program delivers resources to help educators from around the region better integrate Great Lakes science into their classrooms. Launched this past fall, the Great Lakes Literacy Principles website at greatlakesliteracy.net links teaching resources with each of the eight newly created Great Lakes Literacy Principles.

Started in 2005 and funded by the National Science Foundation and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, COSEE Great Lakes with its network of Great Lakes educators has been successful in fostering scientist-educator collaboration to place the Great Lakes in schools’ curricula. COSEE Great Lakes also has hosted workshops based on land and on a research vessel to allow educators to work alongside scientists and participate in Great Lakes research first-hand. For more information about COSEE Great Lakes, visit coseegreatlakes.net.

IJC offers classroom visits by a Great Lakes scientist!

The International Joint Commission (IJC) works to protect shared water resources between Canada and the Unites States. We recognize that each country is affected by the other's actions in lake and river systems along the border. The two countries cooperate to manage these waters wisely and to protect them for the benefit of today's citizens and future generations. The Great Lakes provide us with freshwater for drinking, fish for eating and beaches for swimming. The health of this huge resource that houses 20% of the world's freshwater supply affects us all.

If you would like a scientist from the IJC's Great Lakes Regional Office to teach your class about issues affecting water quality in the Great Lakes - from alien invasive species to contaminants in our drinking water, please contact John Nevin by email at nevinj@windsor.ijc.org or by phone at (519) 257-6733. Visit the International Joint Commission website for more information about their mission and role in Great Lakes water management.