The Freshwater Collaborative has awarded Universities of Wisconsin schools $4.2 million to support water education and research programs across the state. Of that total, UW-Milwaukee received nearly $1 million in grants. Dean Rebecca Klaper was interviewed for the story on Wisconsin Public Radio and says their research is important because freshwater is integral to all Wisconsinites.
“Water really is important for everything about Wisconsin’s way of life, from our public health and our drinking water to fishing and boating and being on the many, many lakes that we have here in Wisconsin to our industry partners who use water directly in their products to cool off power plants to use for agriculture,” Klaper said.
The funding will target already successful programs at universities including undergraduate student freshwater research. It addresses some of Wisconsin’s most pressing water issues — freshwater contamination, data centers and lead pipe replacement.
According to the collaborative, the grants will fund 19 projects that will involve students and staff from all 13 schools in the UW System.