Amy Schrank

Blond woman with mountains in the background
Professional Title
Extension Program Leader (2023); Fisheries and Aquaculture Extension Educator

News

Amy Schrank named new MNSG Extension Program Leader (2023)

Biography

I am a fish biologist with more than 15 years of experience teaching and conducting research in Great Lakes aquatic ecosystems. My background includes work on trout movement, stream and lake fish ecology, the effects of dam removal on fishes, and how invasive plants impact fish communities in Great Lakes coastal wetlands. In addition to teaching University courses, I have particularly enjoyed my outreach work taking K-12 teachers and students into the field to learn about our Great Lakes water resources, and working on innovative methods of bringing the field indoors when field trips are not possible.

As an extension educator, I will be focused on collaborating with fisheries and aquaculture researchers and stakeholders around Minnesota to provide research support and a bridge to communicate technical information to stakeholders, managers, and the public. Currently I am collaborating with stakeholders and researchers to understand the potential for an environmentally sustainable aquaculture industry within Minnesota and across the Great Lakes region.

Education

Ph.D. - Zoology and Physiology
University of Wyoming
M.S. - Resource Ecology and Management: Aquatic Ecology
University of Michigan
B.S. - Biology and Spanish
University of Michigan

Outreach Projects

The Center for Great Lakes Literacy (CGLL) helps create a Great Lakes-literate public capable of effectively contributing to the environmental, economic and social sustainability of the Great Lakes

Sea Grant's shipboard science programs transform teachers into motivated Great Lakes educators.

The Great Lakes Aquaculture Collaborative (GLAC) is a three-year (2019-2022) project to create a regionwide group to foster relevant, science-based initiatives that support aquaculture industries.

Winter Dynamics of Invertebrates in Trout Streams of Minnesota and Wisconsin: How Can the Public Connect with and Contribute to Research?

The Minnesota Sea Grant fisheries and aquaculture supply chain project team seeks to identify viable scenarios for the effective processing and distribution of commercial fish and aquaculture produ

The Aquaculture Market Study is a three-year (2020-2023), $250,000 project led by the University of Minnesota Sea Grant program that was crea

The Students Ask Scientists program enables teachers to provide their students in grades five to 12 with an opportunity to ask questions of working scientists.

The goal of this project is to determine if small-scale removal of invasive, hybrid cattails can improve abundance and diversity of plants and fish on Minnesota lakeshores.

The University of Minnesota Sea Grant program is developing producer-scale methods for raising Yellow Perch fish from egg to market size in a

FreshFishFinder.org was developed to meet a need to directly connect fish producers with consumers after the disruption of traditional markets during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The University of Minnesota Sea Grant program and partners are investigating new strategies for producing Golden Shiner fish for Minnesota’s bait industry.