UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — The 2026 Penn State Water Conference has announced a last call for abstracts and registration for its upcoming two-day interdisciplinary event. The conference will take place March 26-27 at the Nittany Lion Inn. The deadline to submit an abstract and to register for the conference is Friday, Feb. 27.
Bringing together faculty, staff, postdoctoral researchers, graduate and undergraduate students and water professionals from a wide range of disciplines, the conference provides a forum to explore pressing water challenges and innovative, evidence-based solutions. Participants from all institutions and backgrounds are invited to attend, engage in discussion, and present their research through oral and poster presentations.
Presented by the Penn State Association of Water Students in collaboration with the Pennsylvania Water Resources Research Center, the Institute of Energy and the Environment and other partners, the conference will feature a keynote address by Crystal Ng of the University of Minnesota. Ng is a hydrologist and hydrogeologist whose research integrates atmospheric processes, vegetation, soils, microbes and geochemistry to better understand how Earth systems respond to environmental change. Her work combines field observations with hydrologic and biogeochemical modeling and increasingly includes community-engaged research in glacier-fed tropical watersheds.
The program will also feature panel discussions, oral presentations and poster sessions addressing water-related challenges in areas such as climate, ecology, public health, built environment and sustainability. Interactive sessions with Penn State Extension staff and discussions focused on community-engaged water research and education will provide additional opportunities for collaboration.
The conference offers participants the opportunity to share their work, build interdisciplinary connections and link research to real-world water challenges in Pennsylvania and beyond.