June 11

Conference for Tiny Earth Partner Instructors (TEPIs) only
Bring a laptop and a science-related book of your choice!

Plenary Speakers

Jo Handelsman, PhD
Tiny Earth Founder
Director, Wisconsin Institute for Discovery
University of Wisconsin–Madison

Dr. Jo Handelsman created an undergraduate course called “From Microbes to Molecules” in 2012 while teaching at Yale University with the goals of strengthening STEM education by engaging first-year college students in authentic research, addressing the antibiotic crisis, and sharing her passion for soil microbes. Her vision of crowdsourcing antibiotic discovery transformed from the six-student introductory biology course into an international network of instructors and students across the world collaborating to discover new antibiotics.

Beyond Tiny Earth, Handelsman is the director of the Wisconsin Institute for Discovery and a Vilas Research Professor and Howard Hughes Medical Institute Professor in the Department of Plant Pathology at the University of Wisconsin–Madison. After receiving a PhD in Molecular Biology from UW–Madison in 1984, she joined the UW–Madison faculty where she served for 25 years before moving to Yale University in 2010. From 2014 to 2017, she served as a science advisor to President Barack Obama in her role as Associate Director for Science in the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy. After leaving the White House, Handelsman returned to UW–Madison where she continues to work on national policy in STEM education, microbiology, soil conservation, and forensic science. In 2021 Handelsman published A World Without Soil, a book that presents the science underlying the soil erosion crisis and policy recommendations to avert it. In 2023, Handelsman was elected to the National Academy of Science.

More about Dr. Handelsman

Additional Plenary Speaker TBA

Registration

Student Registration Fee: $30 | Instructor Registration Fee: $60

Registration is required for attendance. 

Instructors with students under the age of 18 who are interested in participating must reach out to tinyearth@wid.wisc.edu by April 20.

UW–Madison campus map » 

Discovery Building map »

More information on parking, campus transportation, and alternative lodging »

Lodging

Lodging requests use a separate form. A limited number of rooms are available. Lodging will be assigned on a first-come, first-served basis. Attendees are encouraged to register and request lodging at their earliest convenience for priority.

Free lodging for up to two (2) nights for students and three (3) nights for instructors at University Housing is included with registration.

• Double/shared dorm for students
• Single dorm for instructors

Additional nights may be purchased with registration for $40/night. Please also indicate any additional nights requested in the Lodging Request form.

Meals

• Lunch is included with registration
• Breakfast is included with lodging
• Dinner will not be provided

What do I need for my submission?
By May 20:

• Presenter name(s) and contact information
• Poster title
• Poster abstract

Reminders:

1. Register for the event (individually)
2. Request lodging (individually)
3. Submit a Student Research Presentation abstract in your registration (one per poster – coordinate with your group members to decide who will submit it)
4. Print and bring your poster to the event!

Student Research Poster Guidelines 

Poster size: Max width x height: 42 x 36 inches

Recommended sections to include on your poster:

• Abstract (the same one you submitted for the event)
  • Summary of your research

• Introduction
  • Background about your project and why it is unique
  • The hypothesis you tested

• Methods
  • A description of your experimental design with treatments and controls

• Results
  • A summary of your data 
  • Any analyses you performed
  • Figures and tables with legends

• Conclusions
  • Explain whether and how your results support or refute your hypothesis
  • What conclusions did you make from your results?
  • How is your experiment and its findings relevant to research and science beyond your Tiny Earth course?

• Acknowledgments
  • How has this project and conducting research impacted you as a student?
  • Thank anyone who supported your research experience

Tiny Earth media and logos »

Guidelines for Student Poster Presentations during the Symposium

• Prepare and practice a short (1-2 minute) verbal overview of your poster for the audience. 
• Bring a physical copy of your poster to the event.
• When you arrive, you will be assigned a session and poster number. (Example: Session I, Poster #3.) Pins and a poster board will be provided.
• Pin your poster to the assigned poster board before the first poster session by 10:45am.
• During your assigned session: Stand at your poster during the entire session. When audience members visit your poster, give your 1-2 minute overview. (If you are in a group, you may want to take turns giving the overview to the audience members who visit your poster.) Invite and answer questions from the audience. 
• During your non-assigned session: Serve as the audience for the students presenting their posters. Walk around the room to hear their overviews and ask questions about their research.
• As always, please be respectful and courteous to your peers and symposium attendees.

Make big connections with a small talk! Present a 7-minute Tapas Talk (5 minute talk + 2 minute Q&A) during TEPI Day on June 11.

What do I need for my submission?

By May 20:

• Presenter name and contact information
• Talk title
• Talk abstract/description

By May 30:

• 3-5 presentation slides (Google slides recommended)

Emphasize the connections of your work – whether it’s connecting disciplines, communities, students, or ideas. Your insights will inspire others and highlight the importance of collaboration in achieving our goals!  

Here are some ideas:

• Curriculum and Instruction:
  • Showcase a new assignment, activity, or course designed. 
  • Share your creative evaluation and assessment ideas that enhance teaching and learning. 
  • Highlight your innovative strategies for achieving diversity in STEM.
• Science and Discovery: 
  • Present your discoveries of antibiotics, chemical structures, or genome sequences. 
  • Discuss your new and effective protocols.
  • Share the power of interdisciplinary research or cross-institutional collaborations.
• Community Engagement: 
  • Celebrate your community outreach or engaged-learning events. 
  • Talk about your partnerships with schools, communities, or citizen scientists. 
  • Share the success of your network activities for TEPIs, students, or communities.
• Network Expansion and Training: 
  • Introduce new resources for TEPIs. 
  • Highlight international, regional, or institutional network activities. 
  • Share emerging ideas and grant opportunities that can help expand our network.