January 2  Hibernation How Do They Survive the Winter
​Edna Chiang, Ph.D. Candidate, UW  Madison, Microbiology
Edna Chiang is a Ph.D. Candidate in the Microbiology Doctoral Training       Program at UW-Madison. Raised in Michigan, she completed her BS at the University of Michigan in Microbiology and Spanish. As a National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellow and a Wisconsin Idea STEM Fellow, she is passionate about science communication and excited to share her work with Minocqua Science On Tap.
 
Edna works with Dr. Hannah Carey, Professor of Comparative Biosciences, to study the symbiosis between hibernating mammals and their gut microorganisms. Both hibernators and their microbes experience extreme changes in diet and physiology throughout the year, which inspires a variety of exciting questions. How is hibernation different from sleeping? How do hibernators and their gut microbes work together to survive the winter? And what does any of this have to do with space travel? Join us for a night of stimulating discussion to find out!
February 6  Wisconsin Waters and Irrigated Agriculture
Mallika Nocco, Ph.D., UM Twin Cities, Department of Soil, Water and Climate
Mallika A. Nocco, Ph.D. is a David H. Smith Conservation Research Fellow in the Department of Soil, Water, and Climate at the University of Minnesota-Twin Cities. She is a soil-plant-water scientist who focuses on irrigation and crop water use. Her path to science was unusual—she graduated with a literature degree and worked in sales before falling in love with the plants and soil in her garden. She received her M.S. in Soil Science (2012) and Ph.D. in Environment and Natural Resources (2017) from the University of Wisconsin-Madison.
 
The degradation of trout streams, lakes, and wetlands associated with heavy groundwater withdrawals and irrigated agriculture is one of Wisconsin’s greatest environmental challenges. Mallika studies the water and energy cycles in the Wisconsin Central Sands region and works closely with growers to identify and critique conservation solutions. Her research quantifies the impacts of irrigated agriculture on water quantity, quality, and climate. She targets conservation roadblocks at the farm, watershed, and regional scales using field measurements, aerial imagery, and dynamic ecosystem models to connect agricultural management decisions with their environmental outcomes. Join us for a conversation about agriculture, water, and conservation!
April 3 Wisconsin Lakeshores
Patrick Goggin, UWSP, College of Natural Resources and UW-Extension Lakes
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Patrick Goggin works for the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point College of Natural Resources and the University of Wisconsin-Extension Lakes. Patrick works closely with the Wisconsin Lakes Partnership team, collaborating on the development of educational programming and materials for people on lakes. Areas of interest for him include helping lake organizations with their community
 
goals, sharing lake management tools and resources for aquatic ecosystems, and aiding people in gaining a better understanding and appreciation for the native flora of Wisconsin lakeshores.
Patrick will share the story of change on Wisconsin lakeshores and what those changes have meant for lake health and clean water.  He will describe the diversity of life found along lakeshores and what some of the ecosystem services lakeshores provide to the lake system. He will also give examples of what lakeshore property owners and other lake lovers within the watershed can do to help make lake water cleaner and ideas on how to restore habitat.
Funding is provided by a grant from the Brittingham Fund to the University of Wisconsin-Madision.