DETROIT—Grand Circus, the Detroit-based IT training academy, and the Great Lakes Observing System, the organization that coordinates Great Lakes data collection, management, and sharing, announced that GLOS’ live environmental data will be integrated into the coding academy’s training programs.

Grand Circus students will now have access to many types of data managed by the Ann Arbor-based binational nonprofit, which collects, manages, and shares key data sets that support science, policy, management, and industry in the Great Lakes.

This partnership comes as the Great Lakes region is experiencing record water temperatures, with some lake surfaces measuring 80 degrees Fahrenheit in July. The protection and sustainability of the Great Lakes is critical to the economic and ecological health of Michigan and other midwestern states, as well as Canada. GLOS has been assembling data in and around the Great Lakes to make datasets available to a multitude of stakeholders, including researchers, government officials, boaters, anglers, homeowners and the general public.

“One of our main goals is to get critical, real-time information into as many hands as possible so people can understand the water and make better decisions,” said Kelli Paige, GLOS CEO, “and we are excited to see what the innovative students at Grand Circus will create.”

Grand Circus bootcamp students will use data managed by GLOS to enrich their final projects. Students will be encouraged to build dashboards, mobile and web applications with these unique and real-time datasets, highlighting their power to inform policy and action to address climate change and other environmental concerns. Students will also meet with the GLOS team to better understand the organization’s mission and data. The first Grand Circus students to interact with GLOS data will begin their bootcamp this month.

“When students have the opportunity to work with actual data to meet a real-world need, they deepen their bootcamp experience,” says Peter Guenther, director of learning at Grand Circus. “We’re so grateful for this partnership with GLOS for the chance to enrich our students’ experience and help them build important professional development skills.”

Grand Circus has been operating in Michigan since 2013 with a focus on training students from all backgrounds and experience levels for high-impact careers in technology. These graduates join a network of more than 1,700 alumni and 350 employers,. Since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, all Grand Circus courses are remote hosted with local instructors.

“Real-world data makes a difference for students. It puts the possibilities of a coding career into context,” says Damien Rocchi, CEO and co-founder of Grand Circus. “As a Michigan-based company, we join with GLOS in recognition that the health of the Great Lakes is paramount to the health of our state, economy, and future. Through this partnership, students will have the opportunity to not only learn and earn a new career but to make a significant difference in their world and their environment through technology.”

More at glos.org and www.grandcircus.co.