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 strives to provide the network, community, and infrastructure our multi-disciplinary scholars need to advance their work.
Water@UW-Madison is truly a cross-disciplinary organization; and we were proud to display a diverse cross section of water work. A broad array of scientific research posters touched on subjects from microplastics to macrophytes, chloride to climate change. Presenters shared their cross-cutting and innovative work, sharing perspectives and solutions for contemporary water challenges. We also delighted in the chance to reflect on a the artistic work within our community, with offerings from painting, video, collage and photographic media. The work touched on the meaning and affect of water and water research — how it can create or contain emotional resonance, how it can immerse and heal, flow and change.
This year, the newly-formed Water@UW-Madison student group organized two additional events to create more buzz and engagement at the poster session. Students and staff joined together to experience a curated “poster walk” that helped create a shared sense of community and support. Graduate students Lizze Emch and Eric Kastelic lead a group from poster to poster. As we considered the ideas as a group, as presenters and listeners leaned in, together. The supportive, but slightly-higher-stakes environment turned into a wonderful opportunity for our presenters and attendees– as we came to know each other better through intellectual exchange while building new insights and ideas that we would stay with us after the event’s conclusion.
In addition, they mounted a really fun poster contest, and we are ecstatic to announce the winners below!
Best in Show
Awarded to the most outstanding poster or artwork that creatively integrates scientific insight and artistic expression to inspire a deeper knowledge or appreciation of water’s role in our world.
Winner: Ruth Olawumi and Darren Henrichs, Developing an In Situ Method for Microplastic Detection and Quantification
Best Cross-Currents
Awarded to the project that brings together unexpected fields to
create a new understanding or approach to water issues.
Winners: Raymond Allen, Gabriel H. LeBlang, Celeste Hockings, Gretchen Gerrish; Zaaga’iganan Kinship Project: Defining Human Relationships to northern Wisconsin Lakes
Ripple Effect Champion
Awarded to the project that best exemplifies community engagement, advocacy, or collective action in water sustainability.
Marian Azeem-Angel & Paul Block; Extreme precipitation and community perceptions on flooding in Madison
Innovation Overflow
Recognizes the project that takes the most creative, original, or surprising approach to tackling water challenges.
Bennett McAfee; Unraveling Temporal Dynamics of Lake Water Quality with Modular Compositional Learning
Congratulations to the poster award winners, and thanks to the other 40 researchers, artists and scientists who presented their work!
