STUDENT RESEARCH SYMPOSIUM November 15, 2025
Student Research Symposium 2025
Saturday, November 15 2025 8:00 am – 4:00 pm
Accepting abstracts for poster and oral presentations through October 24!
We are excited to showcase new academic talent! Uncover insights into the natural world and support the next generation of scholars by attending the Student Research Symposium on November 15th. Undergraduate and graduate students from colleges and universities in our region will present their research with posters and oral presentations. The day includes a keynote from a distinguished speaker and a catered lunch. Come for all or part of the day.
There will be cash prizes up to $300 awarded for the best oral and poster presentations. Plus, all student presenters will receive a FREE Riveredge Membership just for participating!
Student Presenter: Free! Abstracts submission deadline extended to October 24th.
Current Student Non-presenter: Free
Supporter by November 10: $5
Supporter after November 10: $7
Children under 12: Free (must be accompanied by an adult)
All registrations include a catered lunch! Please indicate dietary restrictions/allergies on the registration form.
Call for Student Presenters!
How to submit your abstract:
We invite college students to submit an abstract of a current or recent year’s research project to present in oral or poster form at our Student Research Symposium. Submissions are welcome in the categories of biology, environmental science, chemistry, geology, and other sciences. The abstract submission deadline has been extended to October 24th! There will be cash prizes up to $300 awarded for the best oral and poster presentations. Plus, all presenters will receive a FREE Riveredge Membership just for participating!
Please see below for important presentation information.
Presentation Information for Student Presenters
Poster Presentation
- Posters should be a maximum size of 44″ X 36″
- We will have a tripod easel and poster board set up for you. Posters will be attached to the display boards using binder clips that will be provided.
- Poster set-up will be 8:00 – 8:30 a.m. on Saturday, November 15th, 2025 (the morning of the event).
- Alternativity, students are welcome to drop off their posters to Riveredge Nature Center weekdays between 9 a.m. and 4 p.m. before November, 15th.
- Presenters should be available to discuss their posters at the event during the poster session (time TBD)
Oral Presentation
- Presentations are scheduled for a 15 minute block (10-12 minute presentation with an additional 3-5 minutes for a question-and-answer period).
- Sessions will be moderated and the time limit enforced.
- Computers attached to digital projectors will be equipped with USB ports for flash drives. It is best to have multiple copies of your presentation saved in the cloud and on physical media. All rooms will be equipped with a computer, projector, and screen.
- If additional equipment, including audio, is needed, please indicate this when you submit your abstract.
Keynote Speaker
Marissa Jablonski, PhD
Executive Director, Freshwater Collaborative of Wisconsin
Dr. Marissa Jablonski is the executive director of the Freshwater Collaborative of Wisconsin. She is an accomplished water engineer, environmental advisor, and plastics-reduction expert who has worked in more than 45 countries on Earth. Her way of understanding and engaging in complex interactions between human beings and environmental systems, combined with her skills in storytelling and systems processes, make her a much sought after consultant and public speaker.
Marissa lives her life as part of a global community. She is a founding member and mentor to the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee student chapter of Engineers Without Borders, and advises on the design and implementation of projects in Guatemala. She also serves as International Coordinator of a Guatemalan-led NGO that builds infrastructure with indigenous communities’ to meet the needs of five groups involved in each project.
After earning a PhD in Environmental Engineering and serving as an instructor of Peacebuilding, Engineering, and Physics at numerous institutions in Milwaukee, Wisconsin she moved to Washington, DC to work in policy. During her time as a 2017-19 AAAS Science Technology and Policy Fellow at USAID, she was both a Public Diplomacy Fellow in the Office of American Schools and Hospitals Abroad and also an Environmental Advisor to the Office of Food For Peace. During this time, she was also asked by the US Embassy of Thailand and the Phuket Hotels Association to serve as an Embassy Science Fellow to design and lead a 5-point model to help reduce their single-use plastics by more than 6 million in 2018.
Marissa is an advocate for minorities and women in STEM fields and served as coordinator of NSF’s FORTE program during 2009-2015. During that time, she also designed an internationally recognized project that engaged with informal dye industries in rural India to affordably clean their wastewater. Marissa’s innovative outlook on research, business, and life has won her many awards and praise from groups that include the National Science Foundation, Philanthropic Education Organization, Mondialogo, and the Karnataka State Pollution Control Board.
Proudly sponsored by
Dennis Miller
North Shore Academy
of Gymnastics
Southeastern Wisconsin Trout Unlimited
Interested in sponsoring the 2025 Student Research Symposium? Contact Sharon Cross, Director of Development, at scross@riveredge.us.
questions?
We’re happy to help! Give Riveredge’s Research Manager, Jana Gedymin, a call at 262-375-2715 or email her at jgedymin@riveredge.us.
November 15 @ 8:00 am – 4:00 pm