WISCIENCE
Wisconsin Institute for Science Education and Community Engagement
Potted plants grow on an indoor plant wall in a public space.

BioCommons

Welcome to STEM Learners!

A home base for STEM scholars at UW–Madison, located at Steenbock Library, 550 Babcock Drive.

Find your unique path, get inspired, find answers, cross boundaries, and build community.

Reserve a space

Help Us Rename the BioCommons!

We are renaming the space because it serves students in all of STEM, not just biology.

Your feedback will help us choose the name that best reflects us and our campus community.

Take the survey

Creating Connections in STEM

STEM disciplines are spread all across campus, and it’s not always easy to connect with the people and opportunities that can make a difference in your education. The BioCommons offers a gathering space on the lower level of Steenbock Library that helps make it easier to navigate and find your place in the STEM-landscape.

You can find:

  • events that get you involved beyond the classroom, exploring careers, and connecting with peers
  • peer leaders who’ve been there and can give you the real story
  • advising and other services (without having to make multiple trips across campus)
  • information about opportunities and tips for taking advantage of them

It’s a place to go when you’re not sure where to start.

 

A Cross-Campus Collaboration

The BioCommons is a collaboration initiated by WISCIENCE and Steenbock Library, with initial funding provided by the Howard Hughes Medical Institute. Units across campus that serve students in STEM can:

  • bring services and events to a central location with which students are already familiar
  • connect with colleagues and form networks for exchange of information, coordination of efforts, and collaborative solutions
  • take advantage of publicity support, a student newsletter, a website, and literature displays

If you want to connect with STEM students, the BioCommons is for you. You just might find something to make your job a little easier.

The BioCommons is a learning commons on the lower level of Steenbock Library for students interested in STEM. It is open during library hours.  All students are invited to enjoy the space when events are not underway!

The BioCommons is the result of a partnership between Steenbock Library and WISCIENCE.

Students, staff and faculty are welcome to reserve space in the BioCommons.

The BioCommons spaces consist of a large events/workshop/meeting area (110A) that can seat up to 46 people and offers projection and built-in speakers; 3 private rooms that seat up to 2 people and have large screen monitors; 3 glass cubicles that seat up to 2 people each and have glass boards; and a lounge area with a fish tank that seats about 6 people.  See the floor plan with room numbers to match a space with your needs.

Reserve a space

Events

More events

The BioCommons Collaboration

The BioCommons is located at UW-Madison’s Steenbock Memorial Library, 550 Babcock Drive in Madison, Wisconsin. The community space and its associated online resources are a joint Educational Innovation initiative of WISCIENCE and Steenbock Library. The BioCommons is a home base where undergraduates interested in the STEM can find information, events, opportunities, and services tailored to their unique needs and get help navigating the wide array of STEM options at UW-Madison. Undergraduates from across campus are invited to make the BioCommons theirs—create events, start projects, share ideas, or just hang out with the plants and fish and play a game with friends. Everyone is welcome to join the collaboration and help broaden access to opportunities and build a cross-campus community to support STEM students and those who work with them. 

Steenbock Memorial Library (lower level)
550 Babcock Dr.
Madison, WI 53706

Email: connect@wiscience.wisc.edu