{"id":9492,"date":"2023-05-02T09:27:08","date_gmt":"2023-05-02T14:27:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.wisconsin.edu\/all-in-wisconsin-new\/?post_type=campus_story&p=9492"},"modified":"2023-09-05T14:21:04","modified_gmt":"2023-09-05T19:21:04","slug":"making-waves-uwl-research-vessel-could-hit-the-water-later-this-year","status":"publish","type":"campus_story","link":"https:\/\/www.wisconsin.edu\/all-in-wisconsin\/story\/making-waves-uwl-research-vessel-could-hit-the-water-later-this-year\/","title":{"rendered":"Making waves: UWL research vessel could hit the water later this year"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n
\"Photo<\/a>
The Research Vessel Prairie Springs \u2014 a 32-foot, state-of-the-art, aluminum vessel supporting UW-La Crosse’s River Studies Center \u2014 is expected to be completed this summer. Construction of the vessel is funded through a nearly $500,000 gift from Prairie Springs: The Paul Fleckenstein Trust to the La Crosse Community Foundation. Pictured is the Cass Street Bridge in La Crosse, Wisconsin, which crosses the Mississippi River. (UWL University Marketing & Communications)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

A research vessel\u00a0that will\u00a0transform aquatic science education\u00a0in\u00a0Wisconsin\u00a0is\u00a0getting closer to hitting the water.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Faculty from the\u00a0UW-La\u00a0Crosse\u00a0River Studies Center<\/a> visited Seattle recently to meet with officials from Munson Boats, the company manufacturing the Research Vessel Prairie Springs \u2014 a 32-foot,\u00a0state-of-the-art, aluminum vessel expected to be completed this summer.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n
\"Photo<\/a>
Strauss<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re thinking not only about safety and how usable it is, but also about the functionality of it \u2014 which features it will be equipped with,\u201d says\u00a0Eric Strauss<\/a>, professor of\u00a0biology<\/a>\u00a0and director of the\u00a0River\u00a0Studies Center. \u201cThat\u2019s\u00a0why\u00a0we\u2019re\u00a0really taking our time during the design phase.\u00a0We want to make sure\u00a0it\u2019s\u00a0something our students will enjoy using for research as well as education.\u201d<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Now,\u00a0new design\u00a0mockups offer a clearer picture of how the vessel will look and function once complete.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Colin Belby<\/a>, professor of\u00a0geography and earth science, and assistant director of the\u00a0River\u00a0Studies Center, says the vessel will be a major boost to the university. He expects it to\u00a0unlock\u00a0new opportunities for\u00a0students,\u00a0and\u00a0faculty, as well as current and future\u00a0state K-12 educators.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThe boats we have now are great, but the new vessel will allow us to get more students out on the water at the same time, with the capacity to do more things,\u201d Belby explains. \u201cWe\u2019ll be able to do different analyses \u2014 water sampling, sonar-based work, mapping features and habitats within the river system \u2014 and bring the program to a new level.\u201d<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n
\"Image<\/a>
A mockup of the Research Vessel Prairie Springs.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The vessel will have twin 225-horsepower motors, allowing for a top speed around 40 mph. Additionally, the vessel\u2019s catamaran hull will have a 20-inch draft, making it well-suited for the shallow backwaters of the Mississippi River.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The scientific features, paired with the performance-based design, will create new and impactful opportunities to explore the river, cementing UWL\u2019s role as a regional leader in aquatic science.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWhen looking at other universities upstream and downstream,\u201d Belby notes, \u201cI\u2019m not aware of anyone with a vessel like this one.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n
\"Photo<\/a>
Belby<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The Research Vessel Prairie Springs will also serve as a cornerstone of UWL\u2019s\u00a0new research partnership<\/a>\u00a0with J.F. Brennan Company, a harbor management and marine construction firm based in La Crosse.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Under the agreement, Brennan will store and\u00a0maintain\u00a0the vessel, while working with UWL to ensure curricula meet evolving industry standards.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cOur business, like any business, is fundamentally based on the ability to recruit, train and retain good people,\u201d says Matt Binsfeld,\u00a0president\u00a0and CEO of Brennan. \u201cIt\u2019s going to be a great opportunity to get the technology that we use into the hands of students.\u201d\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Construction of the vessel is funded through a\u00a0nearly $500,000\u00a0gift from Prairie Springs: The Paul\u00a0Fleckenstein Trust\u00a0to the La Crosse Community Foundation.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Trustees Jay and Carolyn Scott made the gift in honor of Paul\u00a0Fleckenstein, Carolyn\u2019s late brother, who was a\u00a0powerful proponent\u00a0of environmental education and conservation programs.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

This donation, paired with\u00a0a previous\u00a0$2 million gift\u00a0assisting\u00a0in\u00a0the construction of the Prairie Springs Science Center,\u00a0supports\u00a0the Scotts\u2019 vision of UWL as a springboard for future generations of scientists and water professionals.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cPaul established the trust to support research and scholarship in environmental studies and education, wildlife habitat and protection, conservation, and ecological technology,\u201d Carolyn says. \u201cThe research vessel will add another dimension to fulfilling that mission on one of the great waterways in North America.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cAs trustees, we believe Paul would be thrilled to be associated with this initiative.\u00a0He also would be grateful for the partnership with J.F. Brennan and the creation of significant experiential learning opportunities for UWL students, research opportunities for faculty and the opportunity to advance the La Crosse community.\u201d<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Once construction of the vessel is complete, faculty from the\u00a0River\u00a0Studies Center\u00a0will\u00a0return to Seattle for a sea trial and training session.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

A christening and\u00a0maiden voyage\u00a0out of La Crosse could happen as soon as the fall semester.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n

Written by UW-La Crosse University Marketing & Communications<\/p>\n

Link to original story: https:\/\/www.uwlax.edu\/news\/posts\/making-waves\/<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

A research vessel\u00a0that will\u00a0transform aquatic science education\u00a0in\u00a0Wisconsin\u00a0is\u00a0getting closer to hitting the water.\u00a0 Faculty from the\u00a0UW-La\u00a0Crosse\u00a0River Studies Center visited Seattle recently to meet with officials from Munson Boats, the company manufacturing the Research Vessel Prairie Springs \u2014 a 32-foot,\u00a0state-of-the-art, aluminum vessel expected to be completed this summer. \u201cWe\u2019re thinking not only about safety and how usable […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":15,"featured_media":9498,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","institution":[104],"story_category":[],"class_list":["post-9492","campus_story","type-campus_story","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","institution-uw-la-crosse"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.wisconsin.edu\/all-in-wisconsin\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/campus_story\/9492","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.wisconsin.edu\/all-in-wisconsin\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/campus_story"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.wisconsin.edu\/all-in-wisconsin\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/campus_story"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.wisconsin.edu\/all-in-wisconsin\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/15"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.wisconsin.edu\/all-in-wisconsin\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=9492"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.wisconsin.edu\/all-in-wisconsin\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/9498"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.wisconsin.edu\/all-in-wisconsin\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=9492"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"institution","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.wisconsin.edu\/all-in-wisconsin\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/institution?post=9492"},{"taxonomy":"story_category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.wisconsin.edu\/all-in-wisconsin\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/story_category?post=9492"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}