On:
In: 2024 Robert and Carroll Heideman Award for Excellence in Public Service and Outreach, David Hart, Wisconsin Idea
Group of three people standing in a room.

David Hart (center) talks with Sea Grant Fisheries Specialist Titus Seilheimer and Congresswoman Gwen Moore.

David Hart has been named the winner of the 2024 Robert and Carroll Heideman Award for Excellence in Public Service and Outreach for the University of Wisconsin-Madison. The award will be officially conferred during an award ceremony the evening of April 24. 

Hart is the assistant director for extension and is also a specialist in geographic information science, urban planning and coastal managements skills.  

“I’ve had a lifelong fascination with maps and nature. I remember when I realized that fascination could lead to a career. I love applying geographic information science to better understand the Great Lakes and finding those moments when it becomes clear that something you’ve done has had an impact to make things better,” Hart said.

His embodiment of the Wisconsin Idea, the tenet that the boundaries of the university are the boundaries of the state and the expertise of the campus is used for the benefit of the state’s residents, led him to the honor.

 “I work at an organization with great people advancing an important mission to enhance the conservation and health of Great Lakes resources and the well-being of Great Lakes communities,” he said. “I feel the award is a reflection of those people and that mission and I’m humbled and honored of the recognition that comes with it.”

Large group of people standing on a beach with a lake in the background and a high bluff to the right.

David Hart (facing camera and third from the right) convenes field trips and invites speakers, such as this one, where a geoscientist is discussing the effects of Lake Michigan on surrounding beaches and bluffs. This convening of local officials and scientists is one of the hallmarks of Hart’s work to expand the Wisconsin Idea.

This award is given to an individual who reflects the public service mission of the university. That public service was highlighted by those who wrote to support his nomination. One state-level official said, “He led development of the Wisconsin Coastal Atlas and the Wisconsin Coastal Guide, both of which remain important online tools for viewing and exploring information about the Great Lakes. Professional planners and resource managers regularly use the Coastal Atlas to explore and analyze coastal issues, share coastal data and inform decision-making about sustainable use of the Great Lakes. Consistent with the Wisconsin Idea, this tool makes the knowledge and expertise of the university available to a wide range of users.”

The writer continued, “David’s efforts to network Wisconsin’s Coastal Atlas with similar tools via the internet has allowed stakeholders to investigate the effects of complex issues—like climate change and invasive species—more rigorously and on more appropriate scales. Similarly, the Wisconsin Coastal Guide helps recreationalists and tourists find coastal information leading to deeper experiences with our Great Lakes.”

In addition to Hart’s own geospatial technology work, he oversees the efforts of 13 outreach specialists. The specialists both solicit thoughts about local needs, seeking to find solutions and offer resources, as well as share their knowledge and the findings born of Sea Grant research. The team of specialists are leaders in fisheries, coastal engineering, tourism, climate change, coastal community challenges, food fish outreach, aquaculture, social science, emerging contaminants, aquatic invasive species, education and workforce development.

One of Hart’s colleagues who fills a similar role with Michigan Sea Grant said, “David consistently demonstrates his competency and willingness to work effectively with others for the common good. And, when misunderstandings inevitably happen, David humbly invites others into conversations that need to repair any misunderstandings and identify how to move forward together, including when it involves modifying procedures, creating best practices, or reprioritizing current tasks to create an optimal, collaborative working environment that values and includes all perspectives.”

With award-winning work behind him, Hart stressed he will continue efforts to advance the Wisconsin Idea. “I’m currently collaborating with planners, cartographers and environmental educators to address coastal natural hazards, enhance public access to the coast, use story maps to share Great Lakes natural and cultural heritage and apply a process called geodesign that links scenario planning and impact simulation to promote green stormwater infrastructure.”

The post Hart wins prestigious outreach award in honor of service to Wisconsin first appeared on Wisconsin Sea Grant.

Original Article

News Releases | Wisconsin Sea Grant

News Releases | Wisconsin Sea Grant

https://www.seagrant.wisc.edu/news/hart-wins-prestigious-outreach-award-in-honor-of-service-to-wisconsin/

Moira Harrington

On:
In: Brian Koenig, Center of Excellence in PFAS Environmental Science, Christy Remucal, David Hart, Jill Jentes Banicki, Madison Board of Park Commissioners, Moira Harrington, Olbrich Botanical Gardens, Wisconsin Sea Grant Communications

Moira Harrington studies a young fish temporarily collected from Green Bay on Lake Michigan. Image Credit: Marie Zhuikov, Wisconsin Sea Grant

Moira Harrington, Wisconsin Sea Grant assistant director for communications, recently announced plans to retire, effective June 14. Rather than tiptoe into the waters of retirement gradually, Harrington will dive right in, making the decision only three months beforehand.

“I’ve never taken an exercise class scheduled in the middle of a workday, but I feel like I need to plunge right in and try it. I retire on a Friday and the next Tuesday, I’m doing a strength-training class,” Harrington said.

As the head of communications, Harrington supervises a staff of five including writers, podcasters, editors, a videographer and graphic designer. She directs the creation of materials that promote science literacy and coordinated media relations. Harrington also assists with external relations. She was a former reporter for newspapers, magazines and a statehouse news service. She also worked for Wisconsin’s statewide public television broadcasting system, public health tobacco education campaigns, and as the state director and press secretary for former U.S. Sen. Russ Feingold of Wisconsin.

Her departure after almost 15 years will leave ripples felt throughout the program, both locally and nationally.

“We’ve been so fortunate to have a comprehensive science communications team,” said David Hart, Wisconsin Sea Grant assistant director for extension. “Moira crafted and guided that team. She contributed to the success of our Sea Grant and Water Resources missions in so many ways that it is hard to keep track. Besides writing and reviewing hundreds of stories, she did all our reporting, organized legislative visits and prepared us for rigorous program reviews. Then there are the smaller, but priceless ways she helped us stay connected like preparing a monthly newsletter sharing the personal side of our staff and co-organizing a bi-weekly travelogue series. I think we are going to reflect on all those little things she did long into the future.”

A common theme in Harrington’s career was working for organizations that contribute to society in a positive way. In terms of Sea Grant, she said, “It touches so many sectors of a community, it touches our culture and sparks research that has applications in people’s lives. It’s our role as communicators to share that information and it’s so rewarding.”

Not long after she began her job with Sea Grant, Harrington took on a leadership role, chairing the Great Lakes Sea Grant Communications Network (2011-2012). Later, she chaired the Networks Advisory Council, which is a committee within the Sea Grant Association, and the National Sea Grant Communications Network (2016-2018). One of her legacies is reinstating a national communications award program. “I think it’s important to recognize our work through a formal process and I hope it continues after I retire,” she said.

Moira Harrington (in the back) and members of her communications team meet with microplastics researchers who were conducting a Sea Grant experiment atop the Limnology Building on the University of Wisconsin-Madison Campus. Pictured in front: Ph.D. Student Ziyan Wu, Professor Mohan Qin, Science Communicator Marie Zhuikov; Second row: Writer Jenna Mertz, Professor Haoran Wei, Video and Podcast Producer Bonnie Willison,  Creative Manager Sarah Congdon; Back row: Moira. Image Credit: Mohan Qin, University of Wisconsin-Madison.

“Moira has done so much for Sea Grant,” said Jill Jentes Banicki, current National Sea Grant Communications Network chair. “With every initiative she oversaw and every communicator, educator and director she worked with, she showed how important telling the Sea Grant story is to a successful and impactful Sea Grant network. We are so grateful to Moira for everything she has done for Sea Grant Communications over the last fourteen years and will miss her beyond words.”

Another legacy attributable to Harrington’s behind-the-scenes work is the creation of the university’s recent Center of Excellence in PFAS Environmental Science. In 2023, she wrote a story based on research by UW-Madison’s Christy Remucal on per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances and how they were moving via groundwater into Lake Michigan.

“I pushed the story a bit more than I sometimes do, and it got picked up in the media in various places,” Harrington said. “The findings have implications for PFAS contamination everywhere because it can be applied to other situations where people are trying to understand a contamination site.”

A few weeks later, Harrington was contacted by the Federal Relations Office on the Madison campus. “They said they’d like to work with a member of the house of representatives or maybe one of the U.S. senators from Wisconsin. They wanted to figure out some way to put additional money specifically into PFAS research. So, I just connected people. I was like, okay, here’s Christy and you guys work together,” Harrington said.

Remucal, who is now the interim director of Wisconsin Sea Grant, wrote a proposal for the center. “Then we both kind of forgot about it,” Harrington said. But about a year later, after a grueling federal budgeting process, the funding came through for the center.

“I didn’t do the research and I didn’t get the funds from the federal government, but my ability to tell the story of that sparked a bigger thing that’s now resulting in almost a million dollars coming to support even more PFAS research. That feels good,” Harrington said.

A University of Wisconsin-Green Bay student (left) describes restoration efforts undertaken in the Wequiock Creek Natural Area in Wisconsin to Moira and Sea Grant Editor Elizabeth White (right). Image credit: Marie Zhuikov, Wisconsin Sea Grant

Some of her favorite projects involved creating biennial reports for the public and other communications products. Harrington credited her staff, one of the largest Sea Grant communications teams in the country, for their contributions. “It’s been a true honor working with the communications staff here. Everybody brings such a talent set. I love how we come together as a team to create meaningful and useful products. It’s been incredibly stimulating to have an idea and know that I can turn to a colleague in communications and they’ll make it happen. That’s just really fun.”

Harrington expects her retirement will involve four Bs: Brian, Baby, Bees and Books. Brian Koenig is her husband, who has plans for his own retirement and will no doubt enjoy having Harrington around more. One of their daughters had a child in April, so the Baby part is regarding their first grandbaby. Bees is about beekeeping. Harrington learned how to keep honeybees a few years ago. She’s maintained one hive and is getting a second (or more) in retirement. The fourth B is for Books. Harrington has been in the same book club for 24 years and plans to spend more time reading.

Beyond that, she will immerse herself more fully into her current volunteer work, which includes chairing the city of Madison Board of Park Commissioners and serving on the board for Olbrich Botanical Gardens in Madison.

Harrington leaves behind a solid team and significant list of accomplishments. At least one team member was heard musing, “We’ll do our best to stay afloat without her.”

The post Sea Grant communications director plunges into retirement first appeared on Wisconsin Sea Grant.

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News Releases | Wisconsin Sea Grant

News Releases | Wisconsin Sea Grant

https://www.seagrant.wisc.edu/news/sea-grant-communications-director-plunges-into-retirement/

Marie Zhuikov

On:
In: David Hart, Lily Meisel, Undergraduate Research Scholars

By Jenna Mertz 

When first-year UW–Madison student Lily Meisel imagined herself doing research, she pictured white coats and microscopes.

“I’m going to be sitting in a lab,” she said, “working with my Petri dishes, dropping bacteria in them.”

Close up of smiling person leaning against a wall

Lily Meisel is a 2022-23 Undergraduate Research Scholar who pivoted away from Petri dishes to take on a different kind of research–coastal resilience. Submitted photo.

Meisel, a prospective biochemistry and environmental studies major, was curious whether she would like that type of work. To find out, she joined the Undergraduate Research Scholars program, which pairs first- and second-year students with researchers across campus. Meisel was drawn to a Wisconsin Sea Grant project about planning for and preventing Great Lakes bluff erosion, a topic unfamiliar to her.

“I think the thing that attracted me to this project the most was that I didn’t know much about it,” she said.

The project, led by Wisconsin Sea Grant coastal GIS specialist David Hart, explores how “adaptation pathways”—a planning tool used to prepare for and respond to the impacts of climate change—could address bluff erosion and other coastal hazards in the Great Lakes. Unlike traditional planning approaches, adaptation pathways are flexible and built around uncertainty. They allow decision makers to map multiple solutions to a problem and pivot to alternatives when those solutions no longer work or become too expensive.

Hart first learned about adaptation pathways from a Sea Grant colleague using the tool to address sea level rise at Dauphin Island, Alabama. “I hadn’t seen this approach applied in the Great Lakes and thought Lily could explore how it had been used to address coastal hazards in a changing climate around the world,” said Hart.

Meisel’s goal was to identify where and how adaptation pathways have been used, if they were successful, and how they could be applied locally. So she got to work—not by culturing bacteria, but by scouring published research for mention of the topic.

“It’s kind of like a treasure hunt,” she said.

Meisel noted it was difficult to find examples of communities that have used adaptation pathways for long-term climate change planning because the approach is relatively new. She focused her analysis on four communities—Lakes Entrance, Australia; Auckland, New Zealand; Dauphin Island, Alabama; and Santa Cruz, California—and plans to showcase her findings via a multimedia, interactive platform known as a StoryMap.

While Meisel thinks more research is still needed to demonstrate their success in helping communities adapt to climate change in the long term, adaptation pathways have proven an effective method for gauging public opinion, which could be useful for weighing different solutions to bluff erosion.

Person walking along a tall bluff that is highly eroded, with a house perched dangerously above the erosion

Under a changing climate, many changes will come to Great Lakes landscapes, such as eroding bluffs like this one near Lake Superior. Photo: Marie Zhuikov, Wisconsin Sea Grant

Meisel also felt a personal connection to her research. Growing up in Neenah, Wisconsin, a town on the shores of Lake Winnebago, she knows what it is like to live in a community where life revolves around the lake. The practical applications of the research excite her. “I would love to help a community that’s so similar to mine,” she said.

Meisel will present her findings at the Undergraduate Symposium on Friday, April 28, at Union South.

The post Undergraduate researcher evaluates adaptation tool to combat Great Lakes coastal hazards first appeared on Wisconsin Sea Grant.

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Moira Harrington

On:
In: David Hart, Wisconsin Coastal Guide

As 2020 winds down, we asked staff members at Wisconsin Sea Grant what their favorite project was this year. Although work was a bit more challenging than usual due to our altered work circumstances, everyone managed to stay productive, and even find fulfillment.

David Hart. Image credit: Wisconsin Sea Grant

David Hart, assistant director for extension, said that updating the Wisconsin Coastal Guide was his favorite activity this year. The guide is an interactive story map that lets users explore the coastal and natural heritage of Wisconsin’s Great Lakes. The project, funded by the Wisconsin Coastal Management Program, let Hart combine two of his favorite things — making interactive maps and exploring the Great Lakes.

“The guide has so many exciting attractions to discover,” Hart said. “They are organized by tabs at the top of the website. The photo tab leads to scenic photos of all 15 coastal counties taken by nature photographer Bob Hundt. The learn tab features place-based learning activities like clue-driven Great Lakes Quests and maritime history geocaches. The maritime heritage tab lets you explore lighthouses, shipwrecks, fish markets and harbor towns. In the stories tab, you can listen to Voices of the Coast and catch up on Wisconsin Water News podcasts. The recreation tab guides you to 196 beaches and 228 coastal parks, ranging from busy state parks to rustic township parks. The nature tab features state natural areas, wildlife areas and the 37 nature centers near our coasts. The history tab lets you uncover historic sites in the Around the Shores of Lake Superior and Around the Shores of Lake Michigan books by Margaret Beattie Bogue. It also lets you read the 122 historic markers and find 100 museums near our coast. The boating tab locates the 33 certified and pledged clean marinas that are working protect water quality. It also features 112 public boat access sites. With the public access and routes tabs, you can navigate Circle Tour routes, Rustic Roads and Scenic Byways and find the 400+ public access sites along our coasts,” he said.

Be sure to block some time for a deep dive into the guide to get ideas of what to visit on your next trip to the Great Lakes.

The post Sea Grant staff project faves, David Hart first appeared on Wisconsin Sea Grant.

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Blog – Wisconsin Sea Grant

Blog – Wisconsin Sea Grant

https://www.seagrant.wisc.edu/blog/sea-grant-staff-project-faves-david-hart/

Marie Zhuikov

On:
In: brook trout, brown trout, Celeste Gunderson, Climate change, David Hart, Rykia Amos, stormwater, Undergraduate Research Scholars

As participants in the University of Wisconsin-Madison’s Undergraduate Research Scholars (URS) program know, it’s never too soon to gain exposure to the kind of research that goes on at a large university.

The URS program is designed as a two-semester course aimed at first- and second-year students. Participants take a weekly seminar and are paired with a research mentor who guides them as they conduct an original research project. Near the conclusion of the academic year, students present their research at a symposium.

While the COVID-19 pandemic meant that students finished out this spring semester at their permanent homes rather than on campus—and that the typical in-person symposium was replaced by virtual presentations—it still proved to be a valuable experience for two students mentored by Wisconsin Sea Grant Assistant Director for Extension David Hart.

Rykia Amos of Washington, D.C., and Celeste Gunderson of Milwaukee each zeroed in on challenging topics. We checked in with both to hear about their experiences.

Rykia Amos

Topic: A process to prioritize where to plant trees to decrease future stream temperatures to protect brook trout in the Black Earth Creek watershed

Rykia Amos (Submitted photo)

A wildlife ecology major, Amos went into her trout project as someone more focused on mammals. Yet, she said, “I realized I was a lot more interested in looking at fish than I expected.”

Trout fishing is a popular activity that also carries significant economic value in Wisconsin. Yet climate change projections and warming streams are worrisome. Said Amos, “They’re (brook trout) a very vulnerable species because most of them currently live in cold-water conditions.”

If the climate continues to warm as current scientific projections say, what will that mean for fish like the brook trout and brown trout?

Amos focused on the role played by tree cover and whether that can help mitigate warming temperatures in certain stream segments, to the benefit of the fish. “Data shows that tree planting is a cost-efficient and effective way to help temperatures decrease,” said Amos.

She used data from a U.S. Geological Survey program called FishVis to populate a spreadsheet of stream segments in the Black Earth Creek watershed, located west of Madison. She looked at both present conditions and projected conditions for the period 2046-2065.

Important variables that she considered were where the stream was projected to change from a colder to warmer temperature regime and where brook trout populations were being replaced by brown trout, which can tolerate warmer temperatures. She concluded by assessing the existing tree canopy and developing a formula to prioritize the variables.

At semester’s end, Amos presented her research first to Hart and Sea Grant Fisheries Specialist Titus Seilheimer. She then gave a separate presentation to Matt Mitro, a research scientist with the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources. Mitro had given input earlier in the semester, suggesting to Amos that she compare brook and brown trout.

Even though she’d prefer to focus on hands-on fieldwork in the future, Amos said, the computer modeling she undertook for her research gave her a window into a real-life challenge posed by climate change in our region. This work has relevance for the protection of ecosystems as well as the recreational fishing that many Wisconsinites love.

Said Hart, “I think there’s a lot of promise for this prioritization of the areas where you could plant tree cover and it would make a difference to decrease stream temperatures. As far as methods went, it was a great proof of concept.”

Going forward, this work could be expanded upon by adding more variables to the modeling, such as land ownership (which could impact the feasibility of tree planting). Hart has begun to look into a tool for constructing 3D tree canopy models from LiDAR (Light Detection and Ranging) data and thinking about how that could come into play. “I wouldn’t have thought of this if I hadn’t worked with Rykia on this project,” he said.

Celeste Gunderson

Topic: Geodesign to guide green infrastructure practices for stormwater management in a changing climate

Celeste Gunderson (Submitted photo)

Gunderson, a resident of Milwaukee’s east side, examined an issue that is literally close to home for her: the impacts of climate change on residents of Great Lakes communities, and how increased precipitation events and severe weather affect lives and property.

It’s an issue her family faced in 2008, when Milwaukee endured widespread flooding caused by heavy precipitation. “It had a lot of effects on the foundation of our house,” said Gunderson, “and we had to get construction done… We’ve already felt the effects of increased precipitation and severe weather events.”

Gunderson is double majoring in environmental studies and people-environment geography. She explored mitigation strategies using a tool called GeoPlanner for ArcGIS, a geographic information systems product that allows users to create and analyze various planning scenarios.

With guidance from Hart and graduate project assistant Kayla Wandsnider, said Gunderson, “We looked at how geodesign—which is a process using GIS technology to look at different planning scenarios—could be used to then guide green infrastructure practices for stormwater management” in the part of the UW-Madison campus that drains to Willow Creek, specifically with an increase in precipitation.

She gave her stakeholder presentation to UW-Madison’s Rhonda James, a senior landscape architect, and Aaron Williams, an assistant planner and zoning coordinator. Both are with the campus Division of Facilities Planning and Management.

Gunderson will continue working on this topic over the summer as a Wisconsin Sea Grant intern.

Said Hart, “Celeste will be a real help. She made a great connection with Kayla, and together they will be able to bounce ideas off of each other and it will also magnify Kayla’s work” as a graduate student with a double focus on urban and regional planning and water resources management. “I think that the methods developed out of this [project] will be really useful for coastal communities.”

Continuing to focus on this area will also be gratifying for the Milwaukeean. Concluded Gunderson, “Sometimes you learn the science behind climate change, and this project explores the direct impacts and ways we’re going to have to adapt in the future… It felt very relevant and important, and that made it a very fulfilling experience.”

Original Article

News Releases – Wisconsin Sea Grant

News Releases – Wisconsin Sea Grant

https://www.seagrant.wisc.edu/news/undergraduate-research-scholars-tackle-issues-relevant-to-great-lakes-communities/

Jennifer Smith