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2025 MONet Community Science Meeting
February 4 - 6, 2025

Molecular Observation Network Community Science Meeting

February 4-6, 2025

Environmental Molecular Sciences Laboratory and online

The Environmental Molecular Sciences Laboratory (EMSL) is hosting a three-day Molecular Observation Network (MONet) Community Science Meeting Feb. 4-6, 2025. The meeting will be focused on soil ecosystem science using MONet’s advanced data types and training participants to use these data types.

The meeting includes:

  • Lectures on MONet methods and data types
  • MONet data analysis training
  • Presentations on how MONet advances your research
  • Types of science enabled by MONet
  • Discussion and opportunities to participate on MONet Community Science campaigns

Attend virtually via Zoom. Register for a Zoom link.

Tuesday, February 4, 2025 

EMSL Auditorium and via Zoom

Session 1 | Enabling soil biogeochemistry research at continental scale via MONet data integration

Participants will learn about principles for collecting X-ray computed tomography, organic matter molecular scale data from soils, and metagenome data (strength and limitations)

8:15 a.m. | Instructions & introduction to MONet

8:20 a.m. | MONet vision & proposal types

  • John Bargar | Interim Director | EMSL 
  • Sarah Leichty | Project Manager | EMSL

8:35 a.m. | MONet data: Enabling molecular and microscale mechanistic understanding of soil organic matter processes

  • Emily Graham | Biogeochemical Transformations Integrated Research Platform leader | EMSL

9 a.m. | Introduction to X-ray computing tomography (XCT) imaging

9:25 a.m. | Linking microscale spatial patterns in pore, particulate organic matter, and water distributions to soil microorganisms

  • Alexandra Kravchenko | Professor | Department of Plant, Soil and Microbial Sciences | Michigan State University

BREAK (15 minutes)

10:05 a.m. | Introduction to natural organic matter characterization with ultra-high resolution mass spectrometry

10:30 a.m. | Integrating metabolomic approaches to study ecosystem responses to environmental perturbations

  • Malak Tfaily | Ecosystem Scientist and Joint Appointee | EMSL & the University of Arizona

10:55 a.m. | Introduction to soil metagenomics

11:20 a.m. | Metagenomes for ecosystems

Noon | Working lunch: Flash talks on MONet data & integration

Session 2: MONet data processing tools and applications 

Participants will learn how to access MONet data and what tools to use for analyzing soil physical properties, organic matter molecular composition, metagenomes, and data modeling.

1 p.m. | How to access MONet data

  • Arjun Chakrawal | Postdoctoral Researcher | EMSL
  • Layton Washburn | Tech Student Intern | PNNL

1:20 p.m. | XCT data processing and analysis for insights into soil microstructure

  • Tamas Varga | Materials Scientist | EMSL
  • Billy Petersen | Post Bachelor's Research Associate | EMSL

1:50 p.m. | Fourier-transform Ion Cyclotron Resonance (FTICR) mass spectrometry data processing

BREAK (15 minutes)

2:35 p.m. | Organic matter chemodiversity in models

3:15 p.m. | Metagenomics data analysis

3:55 p.m. | Leveraging gene-to-ecosystem MONet observations to unveil environmental regulation on diverse microbial functions in soil carbon and nutrient cycles

  • Yang Song | Assistant Professor | University of Arizona

4:15 to 4:30 p.m. | Support for in-person training sessions

Adjourn for the day

Wednesday, February 5, 2025

EMSL Auditorium and via Zoom

Session 3 | Fostering collaboration through participation in MONet proposals to advance research

Participants will learn about ongoing and future MONet partnerships and collaboration efforts.

8:30 a.m. | Using mid-infrared spectroscopy to predict soil microbial functions at the continental scale

  • Soni Ghimire | Graduate Student | University of Wisconsin-Madison 

8:45 a.m. | Soil functions to ecosystem

9:10 a.m. | The MONet-NEON partnership: Leveraging ecological data with molecular observations for new insights across scales

9:35 a.m. | AmeriFlux research sites and opportunities

BREAK 

10:15 a.m. | Community science campaigns

10:30 a.m. | Linking PTF with MONet molecular data: Community science campaign pilot

10:55 a.m. | Panel discussion 

11:55 a.m. | Working lunch: MONet contributing posters

Session 4 | MONet data training

In-person only

Through breakout room sessions, participants will learn how to navigate the MONet database, retrieve raw or processed data, analyze molecular data on organic matter, use specialized software and visualization tools, and collaborate with EMSL data team members for data interpretation. The breakout rooms will have two 1.5-hour sessions each, running concurrently from 1:30 to 4:30 pm. Participants will rotate between the sessions.

1:30 to 4:30 p.m. | Breakout room 1: XCT data | EMSL 1075

  • Tamas Varga | Materials Scientist | EMSL
  • Billy Petersen | Post Bachelor's Research Associate | EMSL

1:30 to 4:30 p.m. | Breakout room 2: Tools for modeling | EMSL 1077

Adjourn for the day

Thursday, February 6

In-person only

Session 5: MONet data training (continuation)

8:30 to 11 a.m. | Breakout room 3: FTICR/MS data analysis| EMSL 1075

8:30 to 11 a.m. | Breakout room 4: Metagenome data | EMSL 1077

BREAK 

Concluding remarks and adjourn meeting

11:30 a.m. | Walking tour of EMSL labs (1 hour)

  • MONet soil lab (15 minutes plus five minutes to transition to next lab)
  • Automation lab (15 minutes plus five minutes to transition to next lab)
    • Billy Petersen | Post Bachelor's Research Associate | EMSL
  • XCT lab (15 minutes plus five minutes to transition to next lab)
    • Billy Petersen | Post Bachelor's Research Associate | EMSL