DULUTH and ST. PAUL, Minn. – Three Minnesota educators will spend July 7-13, 2026, working alongside scientists aboard the United States Environmental Protection Agency research vessel Lake Guardian as part of the Lake Superior Shipboard Science Immersion.
The immersion program is led by Sea Grant’s Center for Great Lakes Literacy, a network of Sea Grant educators throughout the Great Lakes region. The center fosters informed and responsible decisions that advance basinwide stewardship by providing hands-on experiences, educational resources, and networking opportunities promoting Great Lakes literacy among an engaged community of educators, scientists and youth.
“Shipboard Science Immersion gives educators direct science experience with the Great Lakes that they can bring back to their students,” said project co-coordinator and Minnesota Sea Grant Environmental Literacy and Workforce Development Extension Educator Heidi Ferris. “By working alongside scientists, educators can gain firsthand insight into Lake Superior science, investigation methods and stewardship.”
The Minnesota educators selected are:
- Lucas Wegehaupt, an educator from the Duluth School District’s Area Learning Center and Academic Excellence Online, teaches biology, Earth and space, computer science and anatomy for grades 9-12.
- Sam Northey, an educator from St. Paul Online High School, teaches chemistry and environmental science.
- Leah Yoemans, an educator from Oak Hills Elementary and Lakeville Online Academy, teaches science, technology, engineering, and mathematics for grades K-5 at Oak Hills and grades 6-8 at Lakeville.
The 2026 Lake Superior Shipboard Science Immersion is hosted by Sea Grant’s Center for Great Lakes Literacy partners Minnesota Sea Grant, Wisconsin Sea Grant and Illinois-Indiana Sea Grant, with support from the National Sea Grant College Program and NOAA through a partnership among NOAA, the EPA Great Lakes National Program Office and funding from the EPA Great Lakes Restoration Initiative.
For more information, visit the Center for Great Lakes Literacy.
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION:
Minnesota Sea Grant is a system program of the University of Minnesota and one of 34 federal-university Sea Grant partnerships across the country, supported by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, in the Great Lakes and coastal states, that encourage the wise stewardship of our marine resources through research, outreach, communication, education and technology transfer.
CONTACT:
- Heidi Ferris, Environmental Literacy and Workforce Development Extension Educator, Minnesota Sea Grant, University of Minnesota and University of Minnesota Duluth, [email protected].
- Marie Thoms, Associate Program Director, Communications Director, Minnesota Sea Grant, University of Minnesota and University of Minnesota Duluth, [email protected].
Image credit: Michael Milligan/Courtesy of Kristin Tepas/Illinois-Indiana Sea Grant