57th Annual Meeting
Mississippi River Research Consortium
Radisson Hotel, La Crosse, Wisconsin
Tuesday-Thursday, April 14-16, 2026
The 57th meeting of the Mississippi River Research Consortium will be held April 14-16, 2025. The meeting will commence with the registration table opening at 4pm Tuesday, April 14th at the Radisson Center Ballroom in La Crosse, WI followed by the Welcome Address and Keynote Speaker at 6pm.
Stay tuned for more details soon on the 2026 Conference & Annual Meeting!
The 56th Annual MRRC Conference was held April 15-17, 2025:
2025 Featured Keynote Speaker
Lise Comte
A tale of river and floodplain protection in an era of rapid environmental change: where are we and where to go from there?
Lise Comte is a Lead Scientist at Conservation Science Partners, a non-profit organization established to support the needs of diverse stakeholders in conservation projects where she pursues her effort to advance the science of freshwater conservation and provide improved frameworks to understand biodiversity responses to global changes. She earned her PhD from the University of Toulouse in France before moving to the U.S. She was previously a faculty member at Illinois State University.
Lise Comte is a Lead Scientist at Conservation Science Partners, a non-profit organization established to support the needs of diverse stakeholders in conservation projects where she pursues her effort to advance the science of freshwater conservation and provide improved frameworks to understand biodiversity responses to global changes. She earned her PhD from the University of Toulouse in France before moving to the U.S. She was previously a faculty member at Illinois State University.
2025 Guest Presenter
Steven Marking
A Visit From Will Dilg: Steven Marking plays environmental leader Will Dilg, sharing the story of grass roots activism that led to the protection of America’s first Fish and Wildlife Refuge. Steven Marking, graduate of Viterbo University and the Peabody Institute at John’s Hopkins in Baltimore brings four decades of performance experience and a lifetime of conservation work to his latest production, A Visit From Will Dilg. The 50 minute show which will be presented to MRRC Members on Wednesday, April 16 at 7:30pm after the evening banquet, reveals how our modern conservation movement started, and how one man led the battle to stop wetland reclamation. The call to action reminds us all to speak up for fish and wildlife, and for the restoration of their habitat.
2025 Registration
Location: The meeting will be held at the Radisson Hotel Lobby and Meeting Rooms, 200 Second Street South, 200 Harborview Plaza, La Crosse, WI, 54601. The Radisson Hotel is located in the heart of historic downtown La Crosse and overlooks the scenic Mississippi River. Enjoy a picturesque stroll along the Mississippi River in Riverside Park, just steps from the hotel, or plan a scenic trip up the river with La Crosse Queen Cruises. You can also walk to downtown restaurants, specialty shops and the city's vibrant nightlife scene. Featured in the hotel are a restaurant, lounge, and indoor pool/whirlpool.
Lodging: A block of rooms has been reserved at the Radisson Hotel, 200 Second Street South, 200 Harborview Plaza, La Crosse, WI, 54601, for the nights of April 15-17, 2025, at a state government rate of $96.00 for single occupancy or $116.00 for double occupancy per night plus taxes (13.5%) if reservations are made by March 29, 2025. The Radisson Hotel telephone number is 608-784-6680. Please mention that you are with the Mississippi River Research Consortium.
Lodging: A block of rooms has been reserved at the Radisson Hotel, 200 Second Street South, 200 Harborview Plaza, La Crosse, WI, 54601, for the nights of April 15-17, 2025, at a state government rate of $96.00 for single occupancy or $116.00 for double occupancy per night plus taxes (13.5%) if reservations are made by March 29, 2025. The Radisson Hotel telephone number is 608-784-6680. Please mention that you are with the Mississippi River Research Consortium.
All participants in the conference must register via the registration link and pay the appropriate registration fee. Submitting an abstract for an oral or poster presentation does not register you for the conference. For information or inquiries on the full Meeting Program, please contact the Board of Directors at: [email protected].
The Mississippi River Research Consortium is soliciting abstracts for platform and poster presentations on any subject dealing with the biota and environment, both terrestrial and aquatic, in and along the Mississippi River and its major tributaries.
Oral platform presentations: Speakers will be allotted 20 minutes for each presentation, which includes 5 minutes for questions and discussion. Use of Microsoft PowerPoint is required for platform presentations.
Poster presentations: Posters should be no larger than 3 x 4 ft (H x W). Text, tables, and figures should be readable from 4 ft. Poster boards, easels, and attachments/clips will be provided.
All abstract submissions are due by Monday, February 26, 2025. Abstracts are limited to 400 words.
Awards: Judging for the Best Paper and Best Poster Awards will take place for student presentations only (oral and poster). If you are willing to serve as a judge, please indicate during your registration.
Oral platform presentations: Speakers will be allotted 20 minutes for each presentation, which includes 5 minutes for questions and discussion. Use of Microsoft PowerPoint is required for platform presentations.
Poster presentations: Posters should be no larger than 3 x 4 ft (H x W). Text, tables, and figures should be readable from 4 ft. Poster boards, easels, and attachments/clips will be provided.
All abstract submissions are due by Monday, February 26, 2025. Abstracts are limited to 400 words.
Awards: Judging for the Best Paper and Best Poster Awards will take place for student presentations only (oral and poster). If you are willing to serve as a judge, please indicate during your registration.
Student Travel Scholarship: The Mississippi River Research Consortium (MRRC) is a private, non-profit organization supported by its members and by cooperating agencies, institutions, and corporations. Membership is open to all interested parties. MRRC members are scientists, river managers, teachers, students, and individuals from government agencies, academia, private business and the general public who want to encourage both basic and applied research on the water and land resources of the Mississippi River and its watershed. The purpose of this scholarship is to provide financial support to eligible students to travel and present their research at the annual meeting of the Mississippi River Research Consortium.
Qualifications: Students in their junior or senior undergraduate level or graduate program that have a minimum GPA of 3.0 and are presenting an oral or poster presentation at the 2025 MRRC conference are eligible to apply.
Award: For the 2025 MRRC conference there will be a maximum of six awards presented worth $200 each.
Deadline: Applications must be submitted through the MRRC website application by clicking the button above by March 1, 2025.
Award Selection: All submissions will be reviewed, and winners selected by the MRRC Board of Directors. Award winners will be notified by the end of March 2025.
Application Requirements: The following information is needed to successfully complete the online application process.
Contact information, academic advisor, academic level of study, major/graduate program, cumulative GPA, major GPA, two references and their contact information, and MRRC 2025 oral/or poster presentation title and abstract (≤ 400 words).
Essay Requirements (≤ 750 words): Upload an essay addressing the following criteria:
Questions: The MRRC Board of Directors at [email protected]
Qualifications: Students in their junior or senior undergraduate level or graduate program that have a minimum GPA of 3.0 and are presenting an oral or poster presentation at the 2025 MRRC conference are eligible to apply.
Award: For the 2025 MRRC conference there will be a maximum of six awards presented worth $200 each.
Deadline: Applications must be submitted through the MRRC website application by clicking the button above by March 1, 2025.
Award Selection: All submissions will be reviewed, and winners selected by the MRRC Board of Directors. Award winners will be notified by the end of March 2025.
Application Requirements: The following information is needed to successfully complete the online application process.
Contact information, academic advisor, academic level of study, major/graduate program, cumulative GPA, major GPA, two references and their contact information, and MRRC 2025 oral/or poster presentation title and abstract (≤ 400 words).
Essay Requirements (≤ 750 words): Upload an essay addressing the following criteria:
- Your interest in basic and applied research on water and land resources of the Mississippi River and its watershed
- Your work/educational experience in the natural, physical, economic, or social sciences focusing on its relevancy to large river management and/or science (Include relevant employment, research experience, and/or volunteer work)
- Your academic and/or career goals are and how this award would further those goals
Questions: The MRRC Board of Directors at [email protected]
