The Great Lakes Research and Education Center

The Great Lakes Research and Education Center (GLREC) is part of a network of Research Learning Centers (RLCs) established by the National Park Service to promote research and scientific understanding in our national parks. Through these efforts, RLCs bring science and education together to preserve and protect areas of national significance, like the Great Lakes.

The GLREC collaborates with partners to increase the effectiveness and communication of scientific research in partner parks in Indiana, Illinois, Michigan, Wisconsin, and Minnesota by:

  • facilitating the use of parks for scientific inquiry
  • promoting science-informed decision-making 
  • communicating the relevance of and providing access to research knowledge
  • promoting science literacy and resource stewardship,
  • integrating science into park resource management, educational outreach programs, and visitor experiences. 

A bright orange and black monarch butterfly clings to a yellow flower and sips nectar..
Be a Citizen Scientist

Citizen scientists collect data at Indiana Dunes as part of the Integrated Monarch Monitoring Program. Photo by Cassidy Muir from Pexels.

A student intern collects and identifies dragonflies to help complete a inventory of dragonflies.
Student Internships

The Great Lakes Research and Education Center supports research and education internships in national parks. Check them out!

Last updated: January 4, 2024