The Great Lakes are the largest freshwater ecosystem in the world, containing over 20 percent of Earth’s surface freshwater. This makes the Great Lakes an incredibly unique and critical place for water research, including in the areas of invasive species, microplastics, emerging contaminants, and climate change. The opportunities to learn and devise solutions for water challenges are discussed in this episode with Rebecca Klaper, the Vice Dean of the School of Freshwater Sciences at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee. Rebecca also talks about how the university attracts students from a wide range of backgrounds who then go into a diversity of fields after graduation, highlighting the cross-disciplinary nature of water.