Please join us! ESA 2025 Special Sessions on Soil Biodiversity in Honor of Dr. Diana Wall
Please join us for two sessions on Monday, August 11 at ESA 2025 celebrating the future of soil biodiversity research and honoring the legacy of Diana Wall. Details in attached flyer and below!
SS19: The Future of Soil Biodiversity: Reflections on the Impact and Legacy of Diana H. Wall
Speakers + Panel Discussion
Moderated by Dr. Osvaldo Sala
Date/Time: Monday, August 11, 1:30-3:00 PM
Location: Hilton Holiday 2
Session Overview:
This session highlights cutting-edge research in soil biodiversity and ecology, with speakers who were shaped by and worked alongside Diana Wall. The session will conclude with a panel discussion on Diana’s enduring impact on the field and the future of soil biodiversity research.
Speakers:
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Dr. Mark Bradford (Yale): Living in a world where soil biodiversity does not matter for ecosystem function
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Dr. Christine Sprunger (MSU): Integrating nematodes into the soil health framework in honor of Diana Wall
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Dr. Byron Adams (BYU): Diana Wall: Adding Soil to Polar Ecology
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Dr. Leena Vilonen (GSBI/CSU): Honoring Diana Wall and her tireless dedication to the life below our feet
SS22: Charting the Future of Soil Biodiversity – Inspired by Diana H. Wall
5-minute lightning talks + Interactive networking mixer
Date/Time: Monday, August 11, 3:30 - 5:00 PM
Location: Hilton Holiday 2
Session Overview:
This high-energy session features eight 5-minute flash talks on innovative research in soil biodiversity by early career researchers, followed by an interactive discussion/mixer for attendees and speakers to connect and continue the conversation on the future of soil biodiversity.
Intro: Dr. Ashley Shaw Adams (Appalachian State)
Flash Talks:
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Jennifer Harris (Penn State): BONCAT-FACS as a next-generation tool pinpointing who, what, and where in soil
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Amanda Wong (UC Davis): Microplastics in Agroecosystems: Investigating the impact of plastic pollution in California
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Rachel Shepherd (Syracuse): Soil protists: key regulators of belowground ecosystems
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Abigail Borgmeier (BYU): Entangled Futures: Advancing Above–Belowground Ecology Together
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Robin Andrews (AK-Fairbanks): Getting to the root of things: soil microarthropod feeding choices in interior Alaskan boreal forests
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Dr. Max Ferlauto (MD State Entomologist): Protecting belowground overwintering habitat for aboveground insects
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Annie Meeder (UC-Boulder): Root Symbionts in a Climate-Stressed World
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Dr. Violeta Matus-Acuña (Wisconsin): The Soil Food Web Under Pressure: Trophic Cascades and Ecosystem Function in Managed Landscapes
Mixer:
Join us for conversation, connections, and interactive activities with the soil biodiversity community.
Organizers:
Andre Franco, Byron Adams, Jeb Barrett, Lydia Zeglin, Stephanie Kilvin, Ashley Adams
For more information, contact: Ashley at adamsea1@appstate.edu