Is a career in water sciences right for you? Participating in a hands-on freshwater high school program offers opportunities to learn about Wisconsin’s water ecosystems and how to study them. Gain insight into potential career paths. Discover what it’s like to be a college student at a Universities of Wisconsin school.
Freshwater Science Field Experience, June 21-25, 2026
Explore western Wisconsin’s lakes, streams, and groundwater – some of our region’s most vital natural resources – through this immersive summer field experience. Work alongside faculty and students from UW-Stout, UW-Eau Claire, and UW-River Falls as you conduct meaningful freshwater research and gain real insight into environmental science in action. Along the way, discover college majors and career paths that can transform your passion for the environment into a lifelong purpose. Chaperoned lodging is provided at UW-Stout.
This camp is available to any high school juniors and seniors. A maximum of 24 spots are available. All participants are eligible for a full-tuition scholarship thanks to funding from the Freshwater Collaborative of Wisconsin.
Register for Freshwater Science Field Experience under the Science & Health category at https://www.uwstout.edu/outreach-engagement/youth-camps-programs/high-school-steam-summer-camps. You will pay a $6 application fee. Submit this form to receive the full-tuition camp scholarship.
Freshwater High School Experience, July 13-15, 2026
Dive into freshwater sciences at UW Oshkosh’s three-day camp for high school students. Conduct hands-on research, pilot water drones, explore waterways on a pontoon boat, learn about freshwater college majors and careers, and enjoy fun evening activities in the residence halls. Aside from a $25 participation fee, all costs are covered by the Freshwater Collaborative of Wisconsin. The experience includes two nights of lodging, meals, activities, and all learning costs. Limited to 20 participants.
UW-Green Bay High School Freshwater Summer Scholars Program
Students accepted to the High School Freshwater Summer Scholars program engage in freshwater-centered research and have enhanced opportunities to explore water science careers and research through field trips and presentations. They are matched through an application and interview process with a UW-Green Bay mentor. Students will be invited to present a poster of their work at the annual Lakeshore Water Summit, held on the Manitowoc campus in October. Open to students enrolled in high school, including graduating seniors.
Students selected for the program will receive a stipend of $1,750, paid in two installments, to participate in 120 hours of active research over the course of the program.
Applications due April 13, 2026. Learn more and apply.
- Paid, hands-on freshwater research and project experience for high school students, including students graduating Spring 2026
- Bi-weekly field trips to meet water professionals and see a range of freshwater jobs
- Placements across northeast Wisconsin, including Green Bay, Manitowoc, and Appleton
- No research experience necessary
If you have any questions, please contact Samantha Betancur at betancus@uwgb.edu
My River Adventures (MRA)
Explore careers in STEM and learn from UW-La Cross faculty in this multi-day camp for incoming 9-12 grade students. Students will use the UW-La Crosse campus as their home base while they enjoy a week of instructional sessions and visits to rivers in the Driftless region for hands-on fieldwork and lab activities in collaboration with UW-La Crosse faculty, local educators and community members. Learn more about UW-La Crosse’s pre-college programs.
Early College Credit Program: Elements of Water, FRSHWTR 101
Freshwater is the most important natural resource on Earth, and understanding it is essential to our future! High school students enrolled in the Early College Credit Program (ECCP) can get a taste of what it’s like to study freshwater sciences in FRSHWTR 101: Elements of Water at UW-Milwaukee. In this course, students explore the critical role water plays across biological, ecological, physical, climate, and economics systems, and what happens when the natural water cycle is disrupted. The course is offered three times per year — fall, spring, and summer — and meets the Natural Science General Education Requirement at UW-Milwaukee.
Students accepted in ECCP at UWM don’t have to do anything else; they can enroll through the program.