Tiny Earth In Action
Tiny Earth In Action
The Tiny Earth Summer Symposium 2025, held June 11 and 12, brought together a record-breaking group of student researchers and instructors for two days of science, storytelling, and community. This year’s symposium featured 96 students and 26 instructors from 27 institutions across 11 U.S. states and 2 countries, reflecting the growing reach of the Tiny Earth network.
Fifty-eight student posters showcased research launched in Tiny Earth courses, spanning microbiology, environmental science, and drug discovery. The sessions highlighted the depth of student inquiry and the power of hands-on research in the classroom.
The event also featured two engaging plenary talks. WID Director Jo Handelsman presented A World Without Soil, a look at the global soil crisis and its effects on agriculture, ecosystems, and health. She emphasized the urgent need to protect soil biodiversity, which plays a vital role in antibiotic discovery and microbial resilience.
WID faculty member Claudia Solís-Lemus delivered From Data to Discovery: Unlocking Biological Knowledge Through Statistical Thinking, showing how statistical tools can uncover patterns in complex biological data and lead to new insights in microbial research.
Capping off the event was a panel session that featured participants at various stages of their scientific careers as they shared personal stories about how they found their way into science and what continues to inspire their work.
By sparking excitement in students and giving them a firsthand look at scientific discovery, the symposium reflected the essence of Tiny Earth and its mission to find new antibiotics.
