2025 Spring Symposium
Water@UW-Madison hosted its annual Spring Symposium, The Art of Water Research, on Monday, May 5, 2025, from 2-5 pm. The theme relates to the many definitions of art, including “a branch of learning,” “skill acquired through practice or study,” and “works produced by human creative skill and imagination, appreciated primarily for their beauty or emotional power.”
This event spanned the broad scope of work happening within the Water@UW-Madison network, highlighting the commonalities in process, thought, and beauty of results across disciplines. Presenters who wished to go beyond traditional talk formats to convey the art of their process (how they do water research) and the art of their results (where is the beauty in their work) were encouraged.
We aimed for the event to inspire creativity, reveal new perspectives or interpretations of results, and promote an appreciation of the beauty in both water and water research. Through keynotes, lightning presentations, and structured networking time, this event brought together members of the Water@UW-Madison community and beyond, providing opportunities to draw inspiration from the creative approaches each of us bring to our science and art. Around 100 people attended. Annually, this event strives to amplify and highlight the voices of early-career faculty and new affiliates.
Reflecting on Community-Based Water Research: Lessons Learned from Water@UW-Madison Seed Grant Program
The Water@UW-Madison and Morgridge Center for Public Service’s Community-Based Water Research Grant Program supports community-driven water work conducted in partnership with UW-Madison faculty, staff and graduate students. Since 2022, the program has funded 17 unique and inspiring projects that forge collaborative pathways to meeting water-related challenges and promoting sustainable solutions.
In March of 2024, seven faculty and staff project leaders joined to share their insights into the work and the lessons they learned along the way. We learned about best practices and challenges in conducting participatory research. Research teams presented summaries of their work, and staff from Water@UW-Madison and the Morgridge Center for Public Service facilitated a cross-cutting discussions among panelists and the audience asked questions.
2024 Water@UW-Madison Fall Art & Science Poster Session
On a balmy fall day in early November, 2024, 135 attendees gathered at the Wisconsin Institute for Discovery for an engaging, energetic, and fun poster session – one that covered a broad selection of the fascinating water research occurring on the UW-Madison campus. The event provided an incredible opportunity for new faculty to make important early-career connections, and for graduate and undergraduate students to engage across disciplines on water sustainability, conservation, health, access and analysis. Water@UW-Madison is an organization that provides the network, community, and infrastructure our multi-disciplinary scholars need to advance their work.
2024 Freshwater@UW Summer Research Symposium
48 Summer research students hosted a flash talk and poster session to share findings from a summer of mentored research. Water@UW-Madison and the Department of Atmospheric and Oceanic Sciences welcomed a crowd of over 200 to the event. The buzz in the room was energizing--conversations about emerging contaminants, urban pond ecology, groundwater quality, climate change, and more.
Students presented 1-minute flash talks, which when combined, illuminated an incredible cross-section of atmospheric, oceanographic, and water research across the state of Wisconsin. For more information on the research opportunities, including how to get involved as a student or mentor, visit the Freshwater@UW program page.
2024 Flow Collaborative Gallery
The Flow Project explores and celebrates how water shapes and connects our lives, inspiring us to bridge disciplines, identities, and geographies. This year, we ended the Water@UW-Madison Spring Symposium with a 10 year anniversary celebration and Flow 2024 cohort gallery showing.
33 undergraduate artists from across the UW System were paired with Wisconsin-based water professionals. The artists were prompted to create an art piece inspired by their conversations with their water professionals about their water work. Works were on display during the celebration, prompting conversation, questions, and interactions during the event.
While each piece is unique, several themes arose, including: invasive species, indigenous peoples, native species, pollution and more.
Why is water important to you?
Water@UW-Madison 2024 Spring Sympsoium
The Water@UW-Madison’s annual Spring Symposium was an extra-special one this year. Nearly 150 people attended the 10th anniversary celebration, and several commented on what turned out to be an interesting – and balanced- program. Highlights included William “Nąąwącekǧize” Quackenbush’s keynote speech, 12 lightning talks displaying an incredible range of water research happening in Madison.
2023 Art & Science Poster Session
The public trust doctrine ensures navigable waters are held in trust, common highways, forever free. In a sense, Wisconsin waters belong to everyone. Water@UW-Madison belongs to everyone, too. We don’t represent just one department; we flow across disciplines, uniting water researchers and practitioners across institutional boundaries.
The 2023 art & science poster session reflected our cross-disciplinary ethos by showcasing nearly 60 exhibits that explored multiple dimensions of water research. With 113 attendees, the atmosphere buzzed with palpable energy and excitement—conversations and connections organically blossomed throughout the evening.
2023 Fall Welcome Event
40 Water@UW-Madison affiliates, graduate students, and partners gathered at the Fluno Center for an informal networking event. We set up conversation areas around the room to help folks connect over their shared interests. Topics selected by those registered included Groundwater, Water Arts, Climate Change, Surface Water, Education & Outreach, Regulations & Policy, Social Sciences and Drinking Water.
2023 Spring Symposium
Watershed Connections: Engaging Communities in Water Research
The 2023 Spring Symposium highlighted a fascinating array of projects and experiences about engaging and working alongside communities in water research. A series of presentations, lightning talks, and a panel discussion explored practices, experiences and outcomes of community-based water research.
2022 Fall Art and Poster Session & Reception
2022 Art and Poster Session
Date: November 7th
Time: 4:00 - 6:00 PM
Where: Wisconsin Institute for Discovery
Previous Events
2022 Spring Symposium
With a theme of “Reconnecting Around Water”, the virtual 2022 Spring Symposium brought together a range of thinkers from the natural and social sciences, humanities, arts, public policy, and Wisconsin state agencies.
Posters On Ice
On February 5th, 2022 Water@UW joined the Center for Limnology, Wisconsin Sea Grant, the IceCube Particle Astrophysics Center, and others to share water research at Clean Lakes Alliance Frozen Assets Festival.
Fall Meet-Up
Our fall networking event at the Memorial Union Terrace included informal networking and icebreaker activities with pizza and refreshments catered by the Wisconsin Union.
Further back...
2021 Spring Symposium: Opportunities in a Changing World
An exceptional lineup of presenters shared about their work about state-level action plans on climate change and PFAS, the power of the arts in improving water relations, as well as how state agencies and university researchers are tackling new questions at the intersections of water and COVID-19.
2019 Spring Symposium
Over 200 members of the Wisconsin water community gathered to hear 21 speed talks, 4 lead talks, and special welcome messages by Chancellor Blank and Lt. Gov. Barnes at the 3rd annual Water@UW-Madison Spring Symposium.
2018 Water Image Contest
Winners of the first Water Research Image Contest held Fall 2018 are Titus Seilheimer ("Cleaning the net"), Tommy Shannon ("Small lives, big changes"), and Brooke Weiland ("Militaristic invasive species message frame"). Explore their images and research plus many other water projects on the Water@UW-Madison Story Map.
2018 Weston Roundtable
Water@UW-Madison hosted Dr. Mark LeChevallier, former Vice President and Chief Science Advisor of American Water Works Company, Inc., as the Weston Roundtable speaker and facilitated a separate luncheon for related PIs and graduate students to discuss the current challenges facing drinking water systems.
2018 Science Communication Workshop
Dovetailing with the theme of the Spring Symposium, Water@UW-Madison worked with Holly Walter Kerby and Jessica Courtier of Wisconsin Story Works to offer a science communication workshop on "What Story Can Teach Us About Science Communication".
Keepers of the Waters
Water@UW-Madison hosted a screening of the 1996 Documentary "Keepers of the Waters," produced by the Wisconsin Resources Protection Council, followed by a discussion by film director Al Gedicks, Menominee community organizer Anahkwet, and UW-Madison doctoral candidate Justyn Huckleberry.
2019 Fall Poster Session
Water enthusiasts from across Madison and the around the state came together for a poster session & reception with 44 presenters. Dr. Remucal gave a talk about PFAS and photo contest winners were announced.
2018 Science on Tap: Dan Egan
A standing-room-only crowd turned out for a special edition of Science on Tap Madison with Dan Egan at Working Draft Beer Company on Oct 17, 2018.
2018 Spring Symposium
"Connecting People and Water Scholarship through Better Communication." This year's spring symposium featured Jerry Apps, Sharon Dunwoody, Finn Ryan, and Moira Harrington. In addition, 24 speakers presented 5-minute speed talks on a broad range of water research topics.
2017 Fall Poster Session
The 2nd annual poster session featured 34 water research posters from 10 different departments on campus as well as from organization partners such as the WI Department of Natural Resources and UW-Extension.
liveStream
In collaboration with the Freshwater Collaborative of Wisconsin this event featured a wide range of speakers from across the system and the state, sharing their stories to inspire connections and collaboration to advance research and education, and leverage water expertise to help address water-related challenges and opportunities.
2019 Posters on Ice
Water@UW-Madison braved slush and wet feet to share their water projects with the greater Madison community on a frozen Lake Mendota at the Clean Lakes Alliance's Frozen Assets Festival on Feb 2, 2019.
Water Happy Hours
Members of the Water@UW-Madison Community occasionally meet at the Terrace for Happy Hour Members of the executive committee are happy to meet an mingle with anyone having an interest in Water@UW-Madison! 2019 Happy hours were held in July, November and March.
2018 Fall Poster Session
The 2018 Fall Poster Session on Oct 16, 2018 showcased water research by students, faculty, and scientists from 17 departments and programs across UW-Madison and attracted many community members ahead of the Go Big Read keynote talk with Dan Egan, author of The Death and Life of the Great Lakes.