The Michigan Institute for Data Science (MIDAS) and the Institute for Global Change Biology (IGCB) co-organized the mini-symposium Understanding Biodiversity in a Changing Planet on March 21 – 22, 2024. On Day 1, with six invited talks and four lightning talks, the symposium presented a diverse range of studies leveraging innovative data science methods to gain deep insights into the changing biodiversity. On Day 2, a faculty roundtable discussion provoked thoughts on the status and future of the emerging field of biodiversity data science. This event was led by Drs. Peter Reich, Kai Zhu, Yiluan Song, and Hengxing Zou.