When faculty at UW-Milwaukee’s School of Freshwater Sciences sought to redesign one of their core courses, a top goal was getting input and participation from industry and governmental partners. They wanted to ensure their freshwater field course would prepare students for the workforce.
Experimentation and Analysis in Freshwater Sciences 513, a field course for undergraduate and graduate students, reflects the importance of multidisciplinary highly applicable research. Freshwater Collaborative of Wisconsin funding supported course enhancements, which include hands-on training with water professionals.
“The strongest part of the redesigned course is that it focuses on a pipeline to jobs,” says Sandra McLellan, a UWM professor who worked on the course update. “Students are not only learning field and lab methods, but they are participating in real-world applications of those techniques with practitioners.”
Partners from US Geological Society (USGS), the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources, Stantec and Watertech of America advised on the new curriculum and are co-teaching field work. For example, in fall 2024, USGS collaborators taught students how to take water samples and took students into nearby streams to capture invertebrates for biological indices and to use electrofishing to examine fish diversity.
Throughout the course, students learn a variety of water quality analysis techniques, microbiology techniques, fish sampling and analysis, water and bacterial sampling, and biotic indices. They also gain the skills to conduct and analyze experiments. More students in majors outside of freshwater sciences are taking the course to better understand the basics of monitoring and analyzing water quality.
Students also gain unique insight into how university researchers form long-term partnerships with government agencies and private sector companies to tackle water-related issues.
“This is a field class, but there are ample opportunities for students to have conversations about what a job is like or how joint research projects work,” McLellan says.
For those who want to work in water-related careers, the networking opportunities provide a leg up in the job market. Not only do they have practical skills after taking the course, but they also have a professional network and knowledge of the kinds of jobs that are available.
Engaging with students also benefits employers. Hayley Olds, a graduate of the School of Freshwater Sciences master’s program and a hydrologist with the USGS, was involved in one of the classes. She taught students biological sampling methods and how to calculate metrics that can determine stream health.
“The USGS connects with future scientists through university courses like Freshwater Sciences 513, where we showcase our diverse research initiatives,” Olds says. “These interactions help spread awareness about the wide range of scientific work conducted at USGS, inspiring the next generation of researchers.”
Experimentation and Analysis in Freshwater Sciences 513 is offered every fall. Prerequisites are junior standing with BIO SCI 152 and CHEM 104 or equivalents, or graduate student standing. The next offering will take place Thursdays, 9:30 a.m.-12:10 p.m. beginning Sept. 2, 2025. UWM students register through PAWS. Non-UWM students can enroll as a special student/guest student. Email Mal Kaul, head of Academic Services for School of Freshwater Sciences, for details.
Written by Heidi Jeter, Freshwater Collaborative.