On February 5, 2026, the UW–Madison Arboretum will host its annual Research Symposium. The symposium will feature six speakers – all recent Arboretum Research Fellows – as well as research posters on a range of topics. The symposium will take place from 10 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. in the Visitor Center auditorium. This event is free and open to the public, no registration required.

The morning session will kick off with three speakers. Dr. Jared Beck, the new Arboretum research ecologist, will give an overview of the research program and highlight new projects focused on oak savanna restoration in the Lost City Forest.

Next, Mengmeng Luo, a PhD candidate in the Department of Soil and Ecosystem Sciences, will share findings from research investigating how carbon compounds produced by fire (pyrogenic carbon) move vertically through the soil over time and influence soil carbon stocks.

Linden Taylor, a PhD candidate in UW–Madison’s Botany Department, will round out the morning session by sharing research that investigates the association between environmental variation and secondary chemicals produced by wild bergamot that influence plant growth, reproduction, and resistance to pathogens and herbivores.

After the first round of speakers, attendees can browse research posters prepared by UW–Madison students who have conducted research at the Arboretum in the past year. Andrea Rodrigues Quiros’s work investigates the distribution and reproductive cycle of non-native Asian earthworms. Claire Foote will share research about jumping worms’ ability to survive in aquatic environments. Dr. George Meindl’s Forest Ecology class will present findings from a 2025 mycoblitz conducted at the Arboretum in collaboration with staff and the Madison Mycological Society. Dr. Cooper Rosin’s capstone class will also present a poster documenting their fall 2025 research characterizing the distribution and abundance of woody invasives such as buckthorn and oriental bittersweet in Noe Woods.

A second round of speakers will follow the poster session. Sam Anderson, a PhD candidate in the UW–Madison Botany Department, will share results from a study examining long-term changes in the plant community at Faville Prairie, an outlying property in Jefferson County that is managed by the Arboretum.

Francisco Campos-Arguedas, a PhD candidate in the Department of Plant and Agroecosystem Sciences, will share *cool* research on strategies some tree species use to cope with harsh winter temperatures and how these strategies might influence how they break dormancy in the spring.

Aundrea Taylor, a master’s student in the Department of Forest and Wildlife Ecology, will conclude the 2026 Arboretum Research Symposium by sharing results from a study investigating how white-tailed deer influence vegetation and soil conditions in Wisconsin forests.

Started in 2001, the research symposium has evolved into a showcase of student research. The event supports the education and development of emerging scientists and serves both professionals and the public by sharing current research from dynamic fields of study.

The Arboretum’s Winter Enrichment Lecture Series provides additional opportunities to learn about research at the Arboretum. On February 12, Aishwarya Veerabahu, the 2024–2025 Leopold Fellow and a PhD candidate in the Department of Botany, will talk about invasive golden oyster mushrooms and their ecological effects. And on February 19, Dr. Jared Beck will present his research investigating how prescribed fire and habitat fragmentation influence prairie plants and insects. There is a fee for Winter Enrichment lectures, and advance registration is required. Please see the Winter Enrichment page to register for these Arboretum research presentations.

Come learn more about the exciting research taking place at the UW–Madison Arboretum – and bring your questions!

– Jared Beck, research ecologist