Event Date/Time
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Minnesota Sea Grant's Great Lakes Transportation Extension Educator Kelsey Prihoda will be teaching a four-part course about modern Great Lakes shipping through Fe University.
This course is ideal for anyone interested in Great Lakes shipping and its impact on daily life. Using storytelling and interactive learning, participants will gain a strong foundation in commercial shipping on the Great Lakes, covering its evolution from the opening of the St. Lawrence Seaway to current opportunities for growth and sustainability.
The mission of Fe University is to provide quality, college-level learning experiences for adults ages 50 and older through diverse short courses and lectures.
When
Tuesdays and Thursdays from 1:00 - 3:00 p.m. CT between March 25 - April 3, 2025.
Location
Online via Zoom.
Registration
Registration is required for this event. Register by March 11 to get a $5 early bird discount off the regular registration price of $45. Class is limited to 25 students.
Course Dates & Details
- March 25, 2025: Session 1 – The Story of the Seaway: Linking the Great Lakes to the Atlantic Ocean (1954 – 1978)
- Importance of locks to commercial navigation.
- Location of locks on the Great Lakes and how they operate.
- Development of the St. Lawrence Seaway and its impact on Great Lakes shipping.
- March 27, 2025: Session 2 – One-Thousand Footers: The Expansion of Great Lakes Freighters (1972 – 1981)
- Evolution of ship sizes since the opening of the St. Lawrence Seaway.
- Types of vessels on the Great Lakes.
- Cargo types and how Great Lakes shipping touches your everyday life.
- April 1, 2025: Session 3 – Unforeseen Consequences: Ballast Water and Aquatic Invasive Species (1959 – 2024)
- Importance of ballast water for vessel and crew safety.
- Unforeseen consequences of using water as ballast.
- Ballast water management strategies and Impact of national and binational policy on ballast-mediated aquatic invasive species.
- April 3, 2025: Session 4 – New Opportunities in Great Lakes Shipping: Containers and Decarbonization (2014 – Present)
- Contrasting efficiency of transportation modes.
- Rebirth of container shipping in the Great Lakes.
- Great Lakes Green Shipping Corridor.
Event Hosts
This course is offered through Fe University.
Contact
Kelsey Prihoda, Minnesota Sea Grant Great Lakes Transportation Extension Educator.
Image credit: A. Shie/MNSG.