The Robert B. Annis Water Resources Institute (AWRI) has a mission to integrate research, education, and outreach to enhance and preserve freshwater ecosystems. AWRI’s outreach program has been key to fulfilling that mission. The outreach program delivers unique hands-on investigative experiences to educate citizens about water, with special emphasis on youth. AWRI hosts one of only a handful of programs across the entire Great Lakes region that offers the opportunity to learn about these globally significant bodies of water, by bringing people physically on the water.

For nearly 40 years, AWRI's aquatic science cruises have offered experiential learning about water quality, aquatic food webs, and human impacts on water. During an educational cruise, participants serve as freshwater scientists, collecting data and observations about the water bodies through which they sail. Since 1986, nearly 200,000 people have experienced hands-on science on Lake Michigan and adjoining waters through these programs. Offered onboard GVSU's research and education vessels the D.J. Angus (docked in Grand Haven) and the W.G. Jackson (docked in Muskegon), the program serves school groups as well as other organizations. Both vessels are used for AWRI research projects as well as the outreach program.

Land-based programming is also available in Muskegon for kindergarten and above, furthering student understanding of the connection between land and water through place-based learning. 

For school groups, both land and water experiences are easily integrated with science curricula to meet state standards.

AWRI has also served as the state coordinator and Michigan representative for Project WET (a national water curriculum) for several decades.