It’s official: Emma Hauser, Wisconsin Sea Grant’s aquaculture outreach and extension specialist, is extraordinary.
Emma Hauser, aquaculture outreach extraordinaire, helps two kids with a fish dissection.
Hauser, who works at the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point Northern Aquaculture Demonstration Facility, was recently voted Extension/Outreach Extraordinaire by the Aquaculture Information Exchange community. The award celebrates aquaculture professionals who have gone above and beyond to serve those in the industry.
“I love my job, and I learn every day, so I’m very honored and proud to be in this position,” Hauser said at a virtual ceremony announcing the winners.
The award comes as no surprise to those who have worked with Hauser and witnessed her skill and enthusiasm for engaging preschoolers through adults about aquaculture.
“Emma has done an outstanding job with promoting and advancing aquaculture through outreach and extension in Wisconsin and the upper Midwest,” said Tyler Firkus, facilities operation manager at NADF, who nominated her for the honor.
In addition to leading tours of NADF and discussing best practices with fish farmers, Hauser runs a program bringing aquaculture to classrooms across Wisconsin. She also created a guidebook and companion video series about raising walleye for commercial production, worked on a first-of-its-kind aquaculture coloring and sticker book for kids, and is the lead organizer of the annual Wisconsin Aquaculture Conference.
“Her efforts play a large role in establishing a robust workforce development program in the region and ensures aquaculture is well represented in a wide variety of formats for all interested audiences,” said Firkus.
The Aquaculture Information Exchange hosted the awards to celebrate the first anniversary of the online community. Funded by NOAA and USDA and managed by Virginia Sea Grant, the Exchange is a social networking platform that supports communication and collaboration among aquaculture professionals and features discussion boards, training videos, event and job listings, and networking opportunities.
