Current Projects

News Room

Earthwatch 
Web site

Publications

Awards

Publications Policy

Advisory Committee

Strategic Plan

Contacts

Communications Office: a history of success

The University of Wisconsin Sea Grant Communications Office is the oldest and one of the largest in the Great Lakes region. Since its start in 1968, the Communications Office has produced more than 700 reports and distributed more than 762,700 copies of these and other Sea Grant publications.

Since 1972, the communications staff has produced the award-winning "Earthwatch" public service radio program in cooperation with the Institute for Environmental Studies at UW-Madison.

The University of Wisconsin Sea Grant Communications Office has a tradition of award-winning quality in research news reporting, science writing, visual design, public and media relations, film production, radio programming and, yes, World Wide Web sites.

CONTINUING PROJECT: Communications Office and Program Coordination (C/C-1)

Stephen Wittman
Sea Grant Institute
UW-Madison

top of page

Tuning in on science

"Earthwatch" uses the popular medium of radio to give the public concise, objective and timely information about science and the environment, especially in regard to the Great Lakes and the nation s marine resources. The program also raises public awareness about Sea Grant and its activities in Wisconsin and around the nation. "Earthwatch" has been cited repeatedly for excellence and received its most prestigious award at the 1992 "Earth Summit" in Rio de Janeiro, where the United Nations Environment Programme named "Earthwatch" to its "Global 500 Roll of Honour."

Sea Grant and the University of Wisconsin- Madison Institute for Environmental Studies jointly produce 10 two-minute "Earthwatch" programs every two weeks. These programs are distributed free of charge to more than 160 broadcast outlets in 16 states, including the eight Great Lakes states and the Canadian province of Ontario. "Earthwatch" is broadcast more than 660 times a week over these outlets: If this free public service airtime were purchased at commercial rates, it would cost more than $1 million a year a payback of more than 22:1 on the federal Sea Grant investment.

CONTINUING PROJECT: "Earthwatch" Public Service Radio Program (C/C-2)

Richard Hoops
Sea Grant Institute
UW-Madison

top of page

Sharing Wisconsin’s Underwater Treasures

The Great Lakes are home to thousands of well-preserved shipwrecks that hold recreational, historical and archeological significance. A Michigan Sea Grant study found that shipwreck diving can provide a million-dollar boost to the tourism economies of nearby coastal communities. For eight years, Wisconsin State Underwater Archeologist David Cooper built an inventory of the state’s Great Lakes shipwrecks and other submerged archeological treasures. This information is now being shared with the world in entertaining, educational and interactive ways on the "Wisconsin’s Great Lakes Shipwrecks" website. This information is also being made available to recreational divers, educators, archeologists, students and the public via waterproof dive guides.

This effort is being continued and expanded during 2000-02 in a new project designed to improve the effectiveness and scope of the Wisconsin shipwrecks Web site, and to expand the audience for this information by making it more suitable for use by educators and museums. Plans include adding several levels of detail and interactive three-dimensional panoramas of the wreck sites,  and developing a CD-ROM-based interactive exhibit for use in museums and visitor centers.

NEW PROJECT: "History beneath the Waves: Learning from Wisconsin's Shipwrecks"  (C/C-5)

Jefferson Gray
Underwater Archeology Program
State Historical Society of Wisconsin

John Karl  
Sea Grant Institute
UW-Madison