Students in the Environmental Science Program’s aquatic ecology class at Grace College.

WARSAW — The City of Warsaw Stormwater Utility led a lab for the Environmental Science Program’s aquatic ecology class at Grace College. Through coordination with Dr. Nate Bosch, Director of the Lilly Center for Lakes & Streams and the Environmental Science Program, the lab gave college students the opportunity to visit various sites around the City of Warsaw in which the Stormwater Utility is involved.

Bosch explained, “We are excited that the Lilly Center’s effective partnership with the City of Warsaw Stormwater Utility is expanding to college education programs. This is a great opportunity for college students to learn not only about our waterways, but about local government and the greater community.”

For the past few years, the City of Warsaw Stormwater Utility’s educational programs have been focused on elementary students; however, Ryan Workman, coordinator for the city’s Stormwater Utility, recognized a lack of educational diversity and, as a result, plans to broaden the educational scope of the City of Warsaw’s educational programming. “The partnership formed with the Lilly Center for Lakes & Streams has only been beneficial; so why end the partnerships there?” stated Workman.

The City of Warsaw Stormwater Utility has partnered with the Lilly Center for Lakes & Streams through K-12 education including the Lilly Center’s Classroom Lake Experience, Lakes & Streams Art Contest, and Lake Adventure Day programs. The city has also partnered with the Lilly Center on a variety of community projects, research efforts, and surveying of local waterways.

To broaden its educational scope, the City of Warsaw Stormwater Utility has been pursuing various opportunities with Grace College undergraduate programs. “Providing college students interactions with a local government is immensely valuable,” Workman explained, “By finding multiple outlets at Grace College to incorporate stormwater, young adults and faculty are exposed to the city’s Stormwater Utility.”

Workman anticipates gaining other educational opportunities with other undergraduate programs at Grace College.