MILWAUKEE – The University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee (UWM) celebrates the opening of the expanded home of its School of Freshwater Sciences (SFS) on Milwaukee’s inner harbor Friday and Saturday, Sept. 12 and 13.
The event, which is a fund-raiser on Friday and a free, community open house on Saturday, features aquatic science demonstrations, entertainment and tours of the $53-million expansion of the SFS, the only graduate-level school of its kind in the nation.
Saturday’s activities will be from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. at 600 E. Greenfield Ave.
The facilities offer students, faculty and scientists state-of-the-art teaching and research equipment and bring together a rare combination of capabilities, from microbiology and robotics, to aquaculture (fish farming) and toxicology.
The new building features bio-secure and quarantine facilities for studying aquatic species; a pathogen-testing facility; and the Great Lakes Genomics Center, which is the first DNA sequencing lab in the country dedicated to freshwater issues.
The school’s expertise has played an important role in Milwaukee’s growing reputation as a world water hub, says David Garman, SFS dean.