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Wisconsin Sea Grant is one of 32 programs based at major universities that are funded through the National Sea Grant College Program, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, U.S. Department of Commerce. The program also receives funding from other federal and state organizations, as well as the private sector.

Based at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, Wisconsin Sea Grant is part of the UW Graduate School’s Aquatic Sciences Center.

The fundamental philosophy of the Sea Grant program is to combine applied and basic research, outreach, education and technology transfer to promote the sustainable use of the country’s Great Lakes and oceans.

Wisconsin Sea Grant’s mission includes three integrated themes:
 * Enhancing the economic well-being of coastal communities;
 * Enhancing healthier coastal and Great Lakes ecosystems through improved air and water quality; and
 * Developing an informed citizenry and qualified professionals.

History of the Program
Wisconsin Sea Grant was founded in 1968, two years after the passage of the National Sea Grant College and Program Act. It was the first in the Great Lakes region.

In October 1972, U.S. Secretary of Commerce Peter G. Peterson designated the University of Wisconsin a Sea Grant College for its "sustained excellence in research, education and public service dedicated to wise use of America's marine resources."

Policy and operational responsibilities for the University of Wisconsin Sea Grant College Program were formally transferred to the University of Wisconsin-Madison on December 1, 1978. At the same time, the Sea Grant Institute was created as an academic unit under the UW-Madison Graduate School.

The institute was assigned the responsibility for administering the Sea Grant College Program for the UW System. Although Wisconsin Sea Grant is headquartered on the state’s flagship campus – the University of Wisconsin-Madison – it includes additional offices on campuses in four of Wisconsin’s major coastal cities: Green Bay, Manitowoc, Milwaukee and Superior. This partnership of federal, state, university and private sectors reflects "The Wisconsin Idea" in action.

The University of Wisconsin Sea Grant Advisory Council, appointed by the chancellor of the UW-Madison campus, provides policy guidance within established institutional goals, approves the overall program plan and budget, and participates in program planning and the selection of subject areas within which project proposals are solicited. The council brings a wide variety of viewpoints to the program; its members represent other units of the university system, state and local government, industry, and the public—which ensures the accountability of the program to users and participants.

In 1992, the University of Wisconsin Sea Grant Committee on Advisory Services was formed to provide additional guidance on the direction of the program's outreach efforts.

Since its inception, Wisconsin Sea Grant has funded more than $120 million in grants that have supported more than 750 research, outreach and education projects on topics such as microcontaminants and water quality, fishery and ecosystem dynamics, and estuarine systems and management. Nearly 600 graduate students have received financial support from the program.

Program Leadership and Specialties
James Hurley is the director of Wisconsin Sea Grant, assuming the post on May 1, 2012. He is a water chemist and has worked extensively on the impact of mercury in northern Wisconsin lakes, the Great Lakes and the Everglades. Hurley chaired several regional and national Sea Grant committees and was a member of the [http://yosemite.epa.gov/sab/sabproduct.nsf/RSSRecentHappeningsBOARD/9f048172004d93bb8525783900503486!OpenDocument&TableRow=2.3#2. U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Science Advisory Board], which developed a risk assessment for U.S. mercury emissions in 2011.

Other staff members specialize in topics such as geographic information systems to mitigate coastal hazards; fisheries and aquaculture, to sustainably use the assets of the Great Lakes; aquatic invasive species, to monitor and mitigate harm from those organisms that enter ecosystems and displace native species; water quality and habitat restoration; and coastal engineering.

Wisconsin’s Water Library is also housed alongside the Wisconsin Sea Grant program. It aids in the marine-science-building mission of Sea Grant. The library supports the work of aquatic researchers and offers its extensive water-related collection to the loan of any state resident. It was the first university library to offer that broad access to any state citizen. There are more than 30,000 journals, books, videos, newsletter, a curriculum collection and a children’s collection.