2024 Upper Mississippi River Conference Schedule
Tuesday, October 15th, 2024
6:00 – 8:00 p.m. | Meet-Up | Hyatt Place River Room, East Moline, IL
Get acquainted at this pre-conference meet-and-greet while overlooking the Mississippi River. Cash bar available.
Wednesday, October 16th, 2024
7:00 – 8:30 a.m. | Registration, Breakfast and Check-in | Riverfront Hall
8:30 – 9:00 a.m. | Welcome Remarks | Riverfront Hall
- Kathy Wine, Executive Director and Founder, River Action
9:00 – 10:30 a.m. | Keynote Session | Riverfront Hall
"Learning from Indigenous Voices"
- Bill Quackenbush, Tribal Historic Preservation Officer of the Ho-Chunk Nation
- Chloris Lowe Jr., Twice Past President of the Ho-Chunk Nation and CEO of Lowe Consulting
10:30 - 10:45 a.m. | Networking Break
10:45 a.m. – 12:15 p.m. | Break Out Sessions | Riverfront Hall
Breakout 1: "Flooding Fundamentals"
- Janet Meshek, Principal Engineer, Meshek & Associates.
- Speaker TBA
Breakout 2: "How Climate is Changing Industry"
- David Cummins, President, Blue Sky Maritime
- Robert Sinkler, Infrastructure Director, Illinois Regional Port District
12:15 – 1:00 p.m. | Boxed Lunch | Riverfront Hall
1:00 – 4:00 p.m. | Field Tours or Film Program (Choose 1)
Option 1: Nahant Marsh Field Trip ($15)
Option 2: Blue Heron Eco Cruise to Camanche ($15)
Option 3: Film & Panel - 'Moved by Waters' (Free) | Riverfront Hall
4:00 - 6:30 p.m. | Networking Break & Commute to Dinner
6:30 - 8 p.m. | Plated Dinner | Bend Event Center
- Special Dinner Speaker, Dr. Mark Dixon, Biologist, University of South Dakota
Thursday, Oct. 17th, 2024
7:00 – 8:00 a.m. | Registration, Breakfast and Check-in | Riverfront Hall
8:00 – 9:00 a.m. | Master Class | Riverfront Hall
"The Benefits of Interdisciplinary Education"
- Greg Harrington, Professor, Department Chair, University of Wisconsin Madison, Civil & Environmental Engineering
- Ed Freer, Landscape Architect, Urban Designer, Waterfront Planner, Freer Design LLC, Madison, Wisconsin
- Roger Viadero, Founder and Chair of Interdisciplinary Ph.D. Program in Environmental Studies, Western Illinois University
9:00 a.m. | Next Gen Scholars Arrive
9:15 – 10:30 a.m. | Next Gen Summit Panel for All in Attendance
Students | QC Complex Atrium - In Person
Regular Attendees | Riverfront Hall - Streaming
"From Theory & Knowledge to the Workplace"
- Megan Tarasi, Sustainability Analyst, HNI
- Bob Bohannon, Retired Plant Manager, City of Moline
- Janet Meshek, Principal Engineer, Meshek & Assoc.
- Andrew Layer, Programs Manager, Living Lands & Waters
- Dr. David Greenwood-Sanches, Asst. Professor, University of Iowa Political Science
- Lorraine Foelske, Illinois DNR
- Ray Wolf, Retired SOO, National Weather Service
- Holly Edgell, Managing Editor, NPR Midwest Newsroom
10:30 a.m. – 12:30 p.m. | Next Gen Summit Student Water Testing Activity | Mississippi River
- Bob Bohannon, Retired Plant Manager, City of Moline
10:30 a.m. – 12:00 p.m. | Regular Attendees Break Out Sessions | Riverfront Hall
Breakout 1: "The Ebb & Flow of Environmental Education"
- Chris Like, State Leader in Science, Iowa Dept. of Education
- Joe Schwieterman, Professor, DePaul University
Breakout 2: "We Do What Government Can't Do"
- Nate Clark, Executive Director, Farm Rescue
- Kay Runge, Senior Counsel, The Hodge Group
12:00 p.m. – 12:30 p.m. | Transition to Luncheon
12:30 – 1:45 p.m. | Networking Luncheon | Bend Event Center
"Environmental Justice as the Standard"
- Dr. Silvia Secchi, Professor and Sr. Research Fellow, University of Iowa Dept. of Geographical & Sustainability Sciences and Environmental Policy Research Program
1:45 – 2:00 p.m. | Return to WIU
2:00 – 3:15 p.m. | Break Out Sessions | Riverfront Hall
Breakout 1: "Climate Changed: Evolving Science Communication Practices for Public Information"
- Ray Wolf, Retired SOO, National Weather Service
- Everett Hamner, English Professor, WIU
Breakout 2: "Water, the Defining Force"
- Lorraine Foelske, Illinois DNR
- Bob Bohannon, Retired Plant Manager, City of Moline
3:15 – 3:30 p.m. | Break
3:30 – 4:30 p.m. | Closing Plenary Session | Riverfront Hall
- Boyce Upholt, Author of "The Great River"
4:30 p.m. | Adjourn
CLICK HERE to view a PDF version of this year's conference schedule brochure.