Environmental researchers, educators ’speed date’ to build partnerships

At the emcee's signal, participants flock to different tables. They quickly get down to discussing their common interests, intent on discovering whether to meet up again soon. This is speed dating, of a sort. But while participants indeed search for new partners, romantic matches aren't the goal. Over appetizers on a cool fall afternoon at the University of Wisconsin-Madison Arboretum , dozens of scientists and environmental educators are hashing out collaborations that can advance research, build new partnerships, and improve the experiences of hundreds of thousands of visitors to educational sites across South Central Wisconsin. "These nature groups are really the first to be teaching kids about what's happening, and they really want to be up to speed on the latest science in these fields," says Jack Williams , professor of geography at UW-Madison and event organizer along with the Arboretum's education coordinator, Gail Epping Overholt, and Betsy Parker from the organization Nature Net. "A big part of both UW's mission and Nature Net's mission is to help the broader public understand a changing world.