College of Forestry

2025 Confluence Symposium

Celebrating a legacy of Graduate Student Research

For over two decades, student researchers have come together to share their work and foster academic discussion through two long-standing traditions at Oregon State. The Department of Fisheries, Wildlife, and Conservation Sciences has celebrated 22 years of the Research Advancements in Fisheries, Wildlife, and Ecology conference (RAFWE). Simultaneously, the College of Forestry has hosted the Western Forestry Graduate Research Symposium (WFGRS) since 2013. Three years ago, recognizing the power of interdisciplinary collaboration, we merged these two events into the Confluence Symposium. This partnership reflects our shared commitment to bringing together diverse scientific disciplines and perspectives. Confluence now provides a space for students to present their work, exchange ideas, and strengthen connections across fields ranging from forest management and products to wildlife, ecology, and human dimensions—at scales from genes to landscapes. 

We were honored to host 2025's plenary speakers, Dr. Lori Daniels and Dr. Debbie Colbert. We also hosted oral and poster presentations by undergraduate and graduate students in over 10 departments across 5 colleges on OSU's campus. The College of Forestry—Forest Ecosystems and Society and Forest Engineering, Resources, and Management; the College of Agricultural Sciences—Fisheries, Wildlife, and Conservation Sciences and Animal and Rangeland Sciences; the College of Science’s Integrative Biology Department; and the College of Engineering’s Electrical Engineering and Computer Science Department. 

In the spirit of collaboration and shared discovery, we welcome you to our annual symposium and invite you to celebrate the incredible work of our student researchers.