By Nyesha Stone
The 13 UW system schools have come together to form the Freshwater Collaborative, which is led by UW-Milwaukee and is designed to meet the immediate needs of freshwater access and security. Over a week ago, Governor Tony Evers toured UWM School of Freshwater Sciences to learn about the research being conducted and to hear about what the Collaborative has been up to.
Evers met with UWM experts in the fields of micro-contaminants, genomics, freshwater aquatic species, and aquaculture.
“From our farmers relying on clean water for crops and livestock to our outdoor recreation industry to everyday use, water is essential to our state and our economy, and that’s why the School of Freshwater Sciences and the Freshwater Collaborative are so critically important,” Evers said in a press release.
According to the UWM Report, Freshwater Collaborative will bring together academia and industry. The UWM Report also stated that Evers said the Freshwater Collaborative “will generate the brainpower to solve local, regional and global water issues, while filling a need for workers in one of the world’s fastest growing economic sectors.”
UW-Milwaukee Chancellor Mark Mone is happy to have UWM be apart of the Collaborative and to help fight the water issues facing the state.
“UW-Milwaukee is North America’s only dedicated school of freshwater science. It’s a cornerstone in a movement to make Wisconsin a powerhouse in water research and industry – not just in our state but globally,” said Mone.
The Freshwater Collaborative of Wisconsin will address 10 grand water challenges in Wisconsin and the world, with each challenge being addressed by a number of campuses. According to a press release, the Collaborative “is designed to unleash the collective assets of the UW System and place them into an elite, one-of-a-kind program of training and research, while launching a talent development program in which students fully engage in a diverse, multidisciplinary course of study across UW campuses.”
It is expected that by 2025, the Collaborative will include 1,000 new undergraduate students studying water science; 400 new graduate research students; 100 new faculty, researchers, and water professionals; and a total of 650 new jobs.
For more information on the Freshwater Collaborative, visit https://legis.wisconsin.gov/2019/committees/assembly/STF-WQ/media/1135/uw-milwaukee-freshwater-collaborative.pdf.