Pennsylvania Sea Grant is excited to announce that Erin Hricik, Environmental Science and AP Environmental Science educator, grades 11 and 12, at the Sharon City School District in Sharon, PA, will join other educators from across the Great Lakes states, Sea Grant educators representing the Center for Great Lakes Literacy (CGLL), and scientists actively studying the Great Lakes to work aboard the EPA’s Lake Guardian Research Vessel (R/V), to bring Great Lakes knowledge and information back to their classrooms! The expedition is July 7-13, 2026.
Hricik has also taught ecology, oceanography, biology, anatomy and physiology, advanced biology, chemistry, and physics and is currently in charge of Trout in the Classroom, which has students raising trout for release from eggs to fingerlings. She also runs a hydroponics program through the AP Environmental Science class.
Through a partnership with the EPA Great Lakes National Program Office, NOAA, and with funding from the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative, educators will spend a full week alongside scientists aboard the EPA R/V Lake Guardian. Hosts for the Lake Superior expedition are CGLL partners Minnesota Sea Grant,Wisconsin Sea Grant and Illinois-Indiana Sea Grant. Sea Grant programs are supported by the National Sea Grant College Program and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
The Shipboard Science Immersions are designed to promote Great Lakes science while forging lasting relationships between Great Lakes scientists and educators. CGLL is a collaborative effort led by Sea Grant educators throughout the U.S. Great Lakes watershed. CGLL fosters informed and responsible decisions that advance basin-wide stewardship by providing hands-on experiences, educational resources, and networking opportunities promoting Great Lakes literacy among an engaged community of educators, scientists, and youth.
For more information on the 2026 Shipboard Science Immersions visit the Center for Great Lakes Literacy website.
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