Minnesota Sea Grant (UMN)

Minnesota Sea Grant works to improve communities, the environment, and economies along Lake Superior and Minnesota’s inland waters through the communication and application of sound science. Minnesota Sea Grant is one of 34 federal-university partnerships that exist in every coastal and Great Lakes state, Puerto Rico, and Guam. The nationwide Sea Grant network is part of the federal National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

Sea Grant’s mission is to help provide communities, industry, and resource management agencies with the water science they need through outreach, communication, and research funding. Their focus areas are: healthy coastal ecosystems, sustainable fisheries and aquaculture, resilient communities and economies, and environmental literacy and workforce development. Sea Grant outreach educators and communicators help translate and deliver technical scientific research into application-ready information.

Sea Grant extension educators conduct workshops and trainings to target audiences on topics including rising lake levels, harmful algal blooms, green infrastructure, and teaching Great Lakes science to students.

Minnesota Sea Grant provides financial support for water-related research through a competitive request for proposals every two years and through program development grants that target issues requiring a rapid response, such as testing Duluth-area beaches for the virus that causes COVID-19.

Photo used with permission by Minnesota Sea Grant