CLAYTON, N.Y. — Fifteen teachers from five states are spending the week on Lake Ontario as part of a research program.

The teachers, from elementary to high school, are aboard the Lake Guardian, a research vessel operated by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.

The educators from Illinois, Minnesota, New York, Ohio and Pennsylvania will spend all week on the non-polluting ship that rotates through the Great Lakes on a five-year cycle. The program is part of a New York Sea Grant “teach-the-teachers” project.

They’ll work with scientists from the EPA, the Great Lakes Research Consortium, State University of New York’s College of Environmental Science and Forestry, and Clarkson University. Tasks include collecting water and sediment samples.

Part of the goal is for teachers to develop classroom courses and stewardship projects.