University of Wisconsin–Madison

Wisconsin Sea Grant staff win multiple awards at 2026 Great Lakes Sea Grant Network Conference

Andrew Savagian
Adam Bechle, Ginny Carlton, Julia Noordyk, and David Hart pose for a group photo on the stage in front of a screen graphic that reads "Great Lakes Sea Grant Network Conference, Anchored Together: Strengthening Our Great Lakes Network."
Wisconsin Sea Grant staff Adam Bechle, Ginny Carlton, and Julia Noordyk accept their Great Lakes Sea Grant Network awards alongside David Hart. (Photo by Titus Seilheimer / Wisconsin Sea Grant)

Wisconsin Sea Grant staff came away from the 2026 Great Lakes Sea Grant Network Conference in May netting two top awards.

Julia Noordyk, water quality and coastal communities outreach specialist, won the Mid-career Individual Achievement Award, recognizing her extensive body of work on coastal issues, including co-creating the Clean Marina Program, supporting flood resilience efforts along the East River in Green Bay, and building coastal partnerships on green infrastructure.

Julia Noordyk and Adam Bechle walk down a sidewalk while speaking with Kathy Blumenfeld and Governor Tony Evers.
In the foreground from left, Julia Noordyk, Wisconsin Sea Grant; Kathy Blumenfeld, Department of Administration; Governor Tony Evers; Adam Bechle, Wisconsin Sea Grant, with additional East River Collaborative partners in the background. (Photo by Bonnie Willison / ASC)

A slew of Sea Grant staff also won the Great Lakes Superior Outreach Programming Award for their work on the coastal engineering project, “People, Places & Practices, From a B-Wet Grant to Shared Resources.”

Awardees include: Adam Bechle, coastal engineering outreach specialist; Ginny Carlton, education outreach specialist; Sarah Congdon, creative manager; Anne Moser, senior special librarian and education coordinator; Elizabeth White, senior editor; Bonnie Willison, video and podcast producer; and Tom Xiong, web developer.

The project was designed to engage middle school students in the Racine Unified School District about coastal engineering and natural coastal processes along the community’s Lake Michigan waterfront.

“We are so proud of all our staff that won awards at the Great Lakes Sea Grant Network Conference,” said UW–Madison Aquatic Sciences Center Director Christy Remucal. “This recognition is a testament to the outstanding education and outreach work they do every day to protect our water resources in Wisconsin and across the Great Lakes Basin.”

The coastal engineering project will also be submitted for the national award competition at Sea Grant Week October 20-22 in Oxford, Mississippi.

Four students stand on a Lake Michigan beach holding weather measuring instruments.
Middle school students take weather measurements along the Lake Michigan shoreline as part of the People, Places & Practices Project. (Photo by Taneka Golden)
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The University of Wisconsin Aquatic Sciences Center administers Wisconsin Sea Grant, the Wisconsin Water Resources Institute, and Water@UW–Madison. The center supports multidisciplinary research, education, and outreach for the protection and sustainable use of Wisconsin’s water resources. Wisconsin Sea Grant is one of 34 Sea Grant programs supported by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration in coastal and Great Lakes states that encourage the wise stewardship of marine resources through research, education, outreach, and technology transfer.