{"id":6050,"date":"2021-03-17T14:37:52","date_gmt":"2021-03-17T19:37:52","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.wisconsin.edu\/all-in-wisconsin-new\/?post_type=campus_story&p=6050"},"modified":"2021-03-17T14:37:52","modified_gmt":"2021-03-17T19:37:52","slug":"uw-la-crosse-uw-campuses-aim-to-be-global-leaders-in-freshwater-science","status":"publish","type":"campus_story","link":"https:\/\/www.wisconsin.edu\/all-in-wisconsin\/story\/uw-la-crosse-uw-campuses-aim-to-be-global-leaders-in-freshwater-science\/","title":{"rendered":"UW-La Crosse, UW campuses aim to be global leaders in freshwater science"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"Photo
UW-La Crosse grad student Courtney Baker investigates microplastics in the Mississippi River in this 2019 photo. Through the Freshwater Collaborative, UWL students and faculty will continue to be global leaders in freshwater science and critical aquatic issues.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The future is water.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

As the world turns its attention to climate change,\u00a0<\/span>the availability of\u00a0<\/span>clean water and other critical\u00a0<\/span>aquatic\u00a0<\/span>issues, the Freshwater Collaborative of Wisconsin \u2014 a partnership of Wisconsin\u2019s 13 public universities \u2014 promises to become a global leader in freshwater science.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

And with its prime position along the Mississippi River, UW-La Crosse figures to play a\u00a0<\/span>pivotal<\/span>\u00a0role.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWe all bring a special spice to this collaboration, and ours is our location,\u201d notes Roger Haro, a freshwater science specialist and associate dean of the College of Science and Health. \u201cWe\u2019re the only UW campus that is right next to the Mississippi River, and our region, historically, has been an epicenter for river science.\u201d<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The collaborative, started in 2017, connects UW campuses with industry partners, local communities, policymakers and advocacy groups. Its mission is to train the next generation of water professionals, expand Wisconsin\u2019s stake in the freshwater economy through job creation, and strengthen the existing water programs at UW campuses.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

And there is no better time than the present.<\/span><\/p>\n

Water is the fastest-growing sector of the global economy, and will be worth approximately $800 billion by 2035, experts say. According to the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization, 78% of jobs worldwide are dependent on water.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cIf we look at ever-growing aspects of our economy \u2014 climate change, fisheries, etc. \u2014 these fields need more and more water professionals,\u201d explains Marissa Jablonski, executive director of the collaborative.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Over the next five years, Jablonski hopes Wisconsin will have:<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n