Image created by Andrew Lehoullier
Hotel
A hotel block is reserved at the Fairfield by Marriot Inn and Suites at the rate of $99.00/night. A limited number of rooms are available on a first come, first served basis, or until March 1, 2026. This hotel is approximately a 10 minute drive to Beloit College. Amenities include free parking, continental breakfast, pool and fitness center.
Registration Fees
Early Bird Prices (ends February 16, 2026!)
- Member: $170
- Non - Member: $195
- Short Course (Professional): $25
- Student Member: $50
- Student Non - Member: $60
- Short Course (Student): $10
Regular Prices (after February 16, 2026)
- Member: $195
- Non - Member: $220
- Short Course (Professional): $25
- Student Member: $60
- Student Non - Member: $70
- Short Course (Student): $10
March 9 - 10, 2026
Beloit College, Beloit WI
Fields of Influence: When Chemical Solutions Become Ecological Problems
Short Course
From Awareness to Action: Best practices for risk communication with water contaminants
Monday, March 9, 2026
10:00AM - 12:00 PM
Presented by Lyn van Swol and Bret Shaw
In this workshop, you will learn how to do more effective toxicology outreach by examining the evidence-based principles of effective risk communication. Utilizing a comprehensive three-part study on PFAS—incorporating search habit analytics, psychological surveys and message testing, you will learn how the public processes communication about threats about contaminants in their environment and where current communications often fail to meet the demand for actionable solutions. You will explore the critical balance between "Threat" and "Efficacy," discovering why solution-oriented messaging drives behavioral change in the general population while risk-framed messaging resonates more deeply with specific demographics, such as ethnicity, age and gender. Ultimately, you will gain a practical playbook to restructure public notices and digital content, ensuring that your scientific findings are translated into clear, culturally nuanced, and actionable guidance for the communities you serve.
Workshop Overview:
- Effective Risk Communication Strategies: We will provide an overview of risk communication, social marketing, and persuasion theories relevant to public health communication of water contaminants.
- What We Found: In a comprehensive three-part study, we analyzed online search habits, audited over 100 water-related websites, and tested message effectiveness across diverse demographics with both controlled surveys and social media tests. In the workshop we will cover key findings such as:
- The public prefers the specific term "PFAS" over "forever chemicals" and searches primarily for actionable efficacy information. However, local government and utility websites often lack these practical solutions, failing to meet the public's need for solutions.
- We tested different messages with the public including high-threat vs. high-efficacy messages both in experiments and in social media tests. We found that high efficacy messages increased intention in our experiments and that efficacy framing drove engagement in our social media tests. Messages highlighting solutions (like pitcher filters) significantly increased intent to act.
- One size does not fit all. Our data shows that Latino audiences perceive higher risks regarding PFAS. Unlike the general population, where solution-based messaging drove engagement, Spanish-language audiences engaged most deeply with risk-framed messaging.
- The public prefers the specific term "PFAS" over "forever chemicals" and searches primarily for actionable efficacy information. However, local government and utility websites often lack these practical solutions, failing to meet the public's need for solutions.
- What You Will Learn: This workshop translates data into a playbook for public communication. We will cover:
- How to align your website information and content development strategy with what the public is actually searching for and want to know
- How to create outreach material to prioritize actionable advice over scientific definitions.
- How to balance "Threat" (to establish importance) with "Efficacy" (to trigger action).
- We'll provide opportunities for discussion and activities to translate findings beyond the specific studies on PFAS.
- How to align your website information and content development strategy with what the public is actually searching for and want to know
Lyn van Swol is a professor of Communication Science at UW-Madison. Her research includes how group discussions, language use, and chatbot interactions influence persuasion and decision-making in environmental contexts, with a focus on promoting pro-environmental behavior and the acceptance of advice. Current projects explore the emotional contagion in chatbot conversations, the impact of group norms on climate action, and strategic messaging to mitigate environmental hazards like PFAS.
Volunteer as a Judge
The Midwest SETAC board is looking for volunteers to judge student submissions for the Student Best Paper and Platform Competition. During the annual meeting, the best student submissions are determined by a volunteer panel of environmental scientists and Midwest SETAC members via a provided grading rubric. The awards are to be used for student winners to defray costs to attend and present their poster or platform at the annual National SETAC meeting. If you are interested in being a judge, please contact rebecca.fahney@wi.gov.
Location
Beloit College
Sanger Center for the Sciences
801 Pleasant St, Beloit, WI
Join the Executive Board
Consider joining the Midwest SETAC Executive board! Board members help plan meetings and other activities throughout the year. It is a great way to network and develop your leadership skills. We will have open positions for both standard board members (3 year term) and a student board member (1 year term). Those interested can self nominate or nominate others in person at the Chapter Meeting or by email to Amber White, Chapter President, at ambermwhite16@gmail.com. Feel free to check in with any of the current board members if you are interested or have further questions. The vote takes place at the Chapter Business Meeting on March 10, 2026. More information can be found on our Chapter Governance page.
Other hotel options are listed below. These are within walking distance of the meeting but do not have a hotel block reserved. Inquire with each hotel for room availability, pricing and amenities.
IronWorks Hotel
500 Pleasant St, Beloit, WI 53511
(608) 362- 5500
Goodwin Hotel
500 Public Ave, Beloit, WI 53511
(608) 473-1400
Midwest SETAC 33Rd Annual Scientific Meeting
Mike Miller has studied Wisconsin streams in his role as Streams Ecologist at WDNR for three decades. He has authored or co-authored multiple publications including the book Field Guide to Wisconsin Streams: Plants, Fishes, Invertebrates, Amphibians, and Reptiles. When he's not thinking, writing, talking, studying, or teaching about stream ecology and watershed management, he can often be found getting outwitted by animals with pea-sized brains while fly fishing for trout in the Driftless Area Ecoregion.
Photo credit: UW-Madison
Photo credit: UW-Madison
Plenary
When Chemical Solutions Become Ecological Problems
Presented by Mike Miller, Wisconsin DNR Streams Ecologist
The Green Revolution that began in the 1950s transformed agriculture by introducing high-yield crop varieties and modern farming methods, including the use of irrigation, pesticides, fertilizers, and genetically modified plants. While agrochemicals, such as pesticides, have significantly increased crop yields, chemical usage has nearly doubled since the 1990s, often with little or no proven financial benefit for farmers from greater pesticide use. More importantly, there are tremendous environmental costs from the vast amounts of toxic farm chemicals now contaminating aquatic and terrestrial environments.
In the mid-1990s, Monsanto introduced the practice of applying pesticides to crop seeds before planting. The widespread use of seed dressings, especially neonicotinoids (neonics), has significantly increased overall pesticide application, particularly for corn, soybeans, and other grains. University of Wisconsin agronomists estimate that before seed-applied pesticides were common, about 5% of Wisconsin’s corn acreage was treated with neonics, and use on soybeans was nearly nonexistent. This suggests a manufactured demand driven by pesticide manufacturers’ and vendors' profit motives rather than actual pest control needs. Multiple rigorous university field studies done in the U.S. and Canada estimate that ag producers lose money approximately 95% of the time when seed-applied neonics are used for corn or soybean production. Today, nearly all corn seed and over 50% of soybean seed planted in the Midwest is treated with neonics and other pesticides. This preemptive pesticide use has led to excessive and unnecessary overuse —often without farmers knowing or managing the chemicals involved.
The regulation, use, economic benefits, and costs of neonics illustrate many of the environmental concerns linked to agrochemicals. I am not a chemist or toxicologist, but I will share what I have learned as an aquatic ecologist concerned about how weak regulatory oversight and limited understanding of the environmental effects of agrochemicals have on streams and rivers in the Upper Midwest, as well as terrestrial and aquatic resources worldwide. Based on my decades of experience working in state government and with federal agencies, I am not confident that these organizations will voluntarily lead the effort to improve the management and regulation of agrochemicals. I urge chemists and toxicologists to expand efforts to deepen our collective knowledge, educate the public on the serious environmental consequences of negligent agrochemical use, and become more vocal advocates for smarter, more responsible use of these chemicals.
Your registration includes:
- Lunch on both Monday and Tuesday
- Networking poster session including appetizers and beverages
- Coffee, tea and snacks during breaks
- All meeting oral and poster sessions and roundtables
important dates
January 12, 2026: Registration and abstract submission opens
February 9, 2025: Deadline for abstract submission and Student Travel Award applications (Extended from January 30!)
If you encounter difficulties submitting the student travel application please contact caryt@beloit.edu
February 12, 2026: Abstract acceptance notifications (Extended from February 9)
February 16, 2026: Early bird registration deadline
March 1, 2026: Legends Student Research Scholarship Award application deadline
March 1, 2026: Hotel block expires
Student Resources
Calling all students! Midwest SETAC offers several great options for financial support and awards to attend the Midwest Chapter meeting and the National SETAC Meeting.
Student Travel Award: Midwest SETAC grants several travel awards each year to encourage student participation and to help defray the cost of attending the annual Midwest Chapter Meeting. All students, including local students, are encouraged to apply. Applications are due February 9.
Best Student Poster and Platform Competition: Sponsored by our partners 3M and SC Johnson, this competition provides students with an opportunity to share their research with a wider, national audience. Students apply for the competition when submitting their abstracts. During the Midwest Chapter Meeting, the best student poster and platforms are determined by a volunteer panel of environmental scientists and Midwest SETAC members. The student winners are provided financial support to attend and present their poster or platform at the annual fall North America (NA) SETAC meeting. All students are encouraged to participate!
Legends Research Scholarship: In honor of a member of the chapter, Midwest SETAC offers this $500 scholarship to a student who has demonstrated the ability to perform original research in the field of either environmental toxicology or chemistry. All students are encouraged to apply, please review the requirements and consider submitting an application.
Bret Shaw is an Environmental Communication Specialist with the Wisconsin Division of Extension and a professor in the Department of Life Sciences Communication at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. His work focuses on strategic communication campaigns for natural resource management, with current research exploring the use of marketing tools to enhance programming in water quality, invasive species prevention, and sustainable agriculture practices.