Michigan Sea Grant’s bumper crop of 13 undergraduate interns are about to launch their summer projects.
Our summer undergraduate internship program supports students pursuing Great Lakes stewardship or research projects with non-profits, government agencies, or businesses. This program helps springboard students into graduate programs and relevant careers, shaping the next generation of Great Lakes scientists and managers.
This year’s interns are supported, in part, by additional funds from the Michigan Space Grant Consortium and the Daniel J. Kobasic Foundation.
Meet the 2026 cohort
- Simon Conover (St. Clair Community College): Simon is partnering with Friends of the St. Clair River and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to survey endangered freshwater mussels in the Black River — the first such survey since the 1980s.
- Aaron Coon (Michigan Technological University): Aaron will team up with Friends of the Rouge on green stormwater education and outreach in southeast Michigan, including installing and maintaining rain gardens.
- Zoey Crossley (Michigan State University): Zoey is working with Thunder Bay National Marine Sanctuary and the NOAA Great Lakes Environmental Research Laboratory to study freshwater acidification in Lake Huron.
- Oliver Grueber (Saginaw Valley State University): Oliver will partner with Trout Unlimited in Traverse City to set up long-term monitoring equipment along the Boardman River.
- Lauren Hemmeke (Michigan Technological University): Lauren will join the Allegan Conservation District in planning and building a new recreation area in Allegan. Lauren will help map trail routes, design educational signs, and otherwise prepare the site for its new role.
- Ali Iqbal (Wayne State University): Ali will map out the jurisdictions and regulations that limit Great Lakes water pollution alongside the United Nations Regional Centre of Expertise on Education for Sustainable Development.
- Helena Jolliffe (University of Michigan): Helena will support the Michigan Department of Natural Resources “Salmon in the Classroom” program and other outreach programs.
- Zoe Kilbourn (Michigan State University): Zoe will help the Lake St. Clair Cooperative Invasive Species Management Area (CISMA) manage and educate the public about invasive red swamp crayfish, which can outcompete native crayfish for food and can dig burrows that destabilize banks of rivers and streams.
- Brynn Lingaur (University of Michigan): Brynn is working with the Grand Traverse Conservation District and Boardman River Nature Center to develop educational activities for youth and adults about river habitats and watershed health.
- Christian Prinzevski (Grand Valley State University): Christian will join Kalamazoo Valley Trout Unlimited and Southwest Michigan Land Conservancy to assess local coldwater streams for future habitat restoration projects.
- Rylan Teddy (University of Michigan): Rylan will work with the Michigan Department of Natural Resources at the Charlevoix Fisheries Research station to identify the contents of yellow perch stomachs to shed light on Lake Michigan’s changing food web.
- Mari Terczak (Michigan State University): Mari is helping the Saugatuck Dunes Coastal Alliance create a dune-friendly community education program in critical dune habitat around the mouth of the Kalamazoo River.
- Parker Williams (Michigan Technological University): Parker will evaluate ways to communicate with the public about reducing single-use plastics with the Western Upper Peninsula Planning and Development Region.
The interns will give presentations about their projects at an August 2026 symposium. Watch our newsroom and social media feeds this summer as the interns share stories and photos from their work.
Learn more about the Michigan Sea Grant undergraduate internship program. You can help us support current and future interns by donating to the Mike Fraker Student Research Memorial Fund. The fund helps us provide meaningful opportunities for undergraduate interns and graduate student fellows, a key part of building the next generation of Great Lakes scientists and stewards. Learn more about the fund and consider contributing today.
