JASON Web site brings Great Lakes fish to Madison-area schools

UW Sea Grant's JASON Web site offers local students an entertaining look at fish of the Great Lakes.

The UW Sea Grant Institute recently unveiled the Madison JASON IX Web site, which features ten fish that live in the Great Lakes.

Sea Grant created the site for 3,000 Madison-area fourth- through ninth-grade students and teachers participating in this year’s national JASON Project, “Oceans of Earth and Beyond.” National field investigations in Bermuda, Monterey Bay and the East Pacific Rise will focus on kelp forests, marine snow, coral reefs, hydrothermal vent communities and exotic deep-sea creatures. Wisconsin field investigations focus on local aquatic ecosystems, with Madison JASON IX featuring fish that live in the Great Lakes.

Besides the fish facts and colorful fish profiles, the site will feature artwork and projects done by Madison-area JASON students. It also includes an in-depth teacher resources section developed in conjunction with the overall curriculum. Praised as a national model by JASON Project organizers, the Madison JASON Web site was featured on their national site last month. The site attracted almost 1,000 visitors the first week it was online.

Madison JASON is a community partnership project involving UW Sea Grant, EDS Corporation, Promega Corporation, and 12 local public, private, and nonprofit organizations.