Building Community at the MW CASC’s First Annual Gathering

Student stands in front of her project poster

The Midwest Climate Adaptation Science Center held our Annual Gathering on August 25-26, 2022. The event was hosted at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, a member institution of the MW CASC consortium. As this was our first Annual Gathering, and the first time many members of our community had met in-person, the overarching goal of the event was to strengthen relationships and our shared identity as the MW CASC.  

During the opening session, MW CASC Consortium Director Jessica Hellmann explained the reasoning behind the event structure: 

“We decided on purpose to call this an Annual Gathering, not an annual meeting… We want to gather as a community. The Annual Gathering is intended to be a touchpoint of the members and participants and friends and family of the Midwest CASC, so that we can come together and share ideas and work and be inspired for the next year of important contributions that we all make to adaptation science.” 

We were joined by more than 90 members of the MW CASC community, including researchers, students, and partners. The event agenda was designed to facilitate sharing research, shaping our shared identity around our mission and values, and building relationships. We also offered training and professional development opportunities for attendees. Attendees had formal and informal opportunities for socializing, including dinner meetups, early morning walks and runs, and a field trip. 

Agenda highlights included: 

  • Lightning talks from project PIs
  • A student poster session 
  • Interactive sessions with the MW CASC Consortium Leadership Team and staff  
  • Panel discussions on partnerships and adaptation challenges and opportunities 
  • A training and networking session for students and early career researchers 
Researchers talking outdoors

During the field trip – a 2-mile guided walk through the University of Wisconsin-Madison’s Lakeshore Nature Preserve – participants learned how 1500+ years of interactions between humans and nature have shaped nearly every aspect of the local landscape. The walk included discussions of forest regeneration on former agricultural land, re-establishment of native prairie, Native American history and effigy mounds, wildlife management, natural resource management decisions, and even a buried rhinoceros. 

We’re proud to call the first MW CASC Annual Gathering a success – the vast majority of respondents to a post-event survey reported satisfaction with the event and agreement that we achieved the objectives for our time together. We’re excited to build on what we learned from this event and the relationships we established throughout the year – and to come together again in 2023 at a new location in our region!