Changing Microbiomes: A Symposium Hosted by the Microbiome Center at the Pennsylvania State University

Microbiome change is a critical driver of biogeochemical fluxes, agricultural sustainability, and human health. Around the globe, microbiomes are changing due to natural and human-driven processes. Microbiomes are also a resource, and targeted microbiome modifications can drive desirable functional outputs in natural and managed systems. The first Microbiome Symposium at The Pennsylvania State University is scheduled for May 31 to June 3, 2022, in State College, PA. This Microbiome Symposium will bring together leading researchers at the forefront of the transition from descriptive to functional and process-driven microbiome research. Participants will share observational and experimental insights and the technical and methodological advances that enable those insights (e.g., metagenomics, genome-wide association studies, population genetics, ecological modeling, synthetic communities, tracking of active microbes). Because these methods transcend systems, the symposium will span terrestrial and aquatic contexts and host-associated and free-living microbial communities. Additionally, this symposium aims to support professional development and networking events, activities essential to development of the next generation of microbiome researchers. Further, we expect the symposium to stimulate new research collaborations, inspire publications cutting across disciplines, and speed the adoption of cutting-edge tools. Lastly we expect the symposium to become a biennial event, creating an ongoing, supportive, diverse, inclusive environment for microbiome researchers at all career stages to connect.