A two-day symposium, “Microbiomes from Different Habitats: Soil, Water and Gut,” will gather experts Oct. 16-17 at the Embassy Suites Hotel in downtown Lincoln.

Registration is free but closes Oct.1. Speakers include The Atlantic’s Ed Yong, and a special session includes an interactive workshop on how scientists can succeed in media interviews.

The conference is part of the Nebraska Research and Innovation Conference annual series, conducted by Nebraska EPSCoR and funded by the National Science Foundation. In 2016, a five-year, $20 million NSF project established the Center for Root and Rhizobiome Innovation — a collaboration to research crop productivity focused on plants’ root microbiome. CRRI scientists from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, University of Nebraska at Kearney, University of Nebraska Medical Center and Doane University aim to grow scientific knowledge that will better feed the world’s growing population.

Students and faculty interested in attending the 2018 NRIC event should register here. The deadline for discount hotel room reservations at the group rate is Sept. 24.

Attendees may also present a relevant poster in the event’s poster session on the afternoon of Oct. 16. Posters must be registered no later than Oct. 1.