Ecological Society of America

Structure: Sessions are a half-day long (3 ½ hours). The number of speakers and the length of each talk are determined by the session organizers; talks should be between 15 and 30 minutes long, and can vary between speakers. Each session should include at least one 10 minute break. Generally, symposia should include an introductory segment and/or a synthesis component.

Concept: Symposia should be focused, integrated presentations assessing current understanding regarding a particular research problem, concept, application, or educational theme. Generally, symposia should have broad appeal within the ecological community or involve integration across sub-disciplines. Symposia focused within particular areas of ecology may be considered if these are areas of particularly active research, or if the symposia offer important new insights. Symposia may integrate historical perspectives explicitly, but this should generally be in the context of understanding current research and research questions.

Presentations should offer new results and syntheses; speakers should not simply review previous work and results. No more than 24 symposia can be accepted for an annual meeting.

Structure: Sessions are a half-day long (3 ½ hours). Organizers can invite up to eight speakers to present 15 minute talks, with five minutes in between talks for a question and answer session. Each session includes a 10 minute break. OOS sessions do not have an introductory segment or synthesis component. OOS talks should follow the same guidelines as contributed abstracts in terms of length.

Concept: Organized oral sessions allow a wider range of thematic and conceptual options than symposia. Presentations included in an OOS must be topically coherent, but explicit synthetic overview is not required, and sessions need not have broad disciplinary or cross-disciplinary appeal.

OOS’s are particularly well suited for sets of related case studies, for specialized themes, or for presenting new work that does not yet admit of the synthesis called for in a symposium. Sessions may focus, for example, on a particular conceptual question, management problem, ecological process, or other unifying theme. A strong OOS proposal will provide a broad sampling of research in the topical area. OOS's may generate ideas for subsequent symposia. Up to (but no more than) eight speakers should be invited by session organizers and listed in the proposal; at least two speakers will be added subsequently from the contributed abstracts. There is no limit on the number of OOS’s that may be accepted each year.

Structure: Workshops are flexible in their structure. Workshops are offered the weekend before the scientific program begins, and can run half-day, full day, or two days. Lunch time workshops are offered during the week between 11:30 am – 1:15 pm . Workshop structure is determined by organizers. Workshops typically have maximum enrollments, and may specify prerequisite requirements for participation (they should be open to all meeting attendees, first-come first-served, who meet these prerequisites). Workshops often have a registration fee to cover A/V equipment and preparation.

Concept: Workshops are intended to convey specific knowledge or skills; they are not intended for the presentation of research papers. Workshops are frequently more interactive and informal than sessions within the formal scientific program, and are not scheduled concurrently with symposia, organized oral, contributed oral, or poster sessions. Workshops may involve one or several teachers/presenters, and may include computer-based or other ‘hands-on' training. Weekend workshops may be linked with a scientific field trip. Workshop proposals should make clear what participants might expect to gain. Limits of space and time may make it impossible to accommodate all worthy submissions.

Structure: Special sessions are flexible in their structure. They will be scheduled for 1 ½ to 2 hours either in the evening or Monday when there are no scheduled scientific or plenary sessions. It is generally up to the organizers how they structure their program.

Concept: ESA/SER International meetings include a wide range of events that do not conform to the criteria for the scientific sessions, workshops, or field trips. These ‘special sessions' have included, for example, panel discussions, open discussions, lectures, and film screenings. Special sessions can permit extended dialogue, and may be vehicles for planning future events or organizations. Whatever its format, a special session should have some bearing on ecological science or education, broadly construed. Special sessions are open to all meeting registrants, but they may involve a ticket for a drink or refreshment (this should be clearly indicated in proposal if desired). Proposals may indicate a scheduling preference, but scheduling is ultimately at the discretion of the Program Chair.

Structure: Contributed oral sessions consist of 10 talks organized into sessions based on the author's keyword selection and placement by the Program Chairs and Program Assistant. Talks are 15 minutes long with five minutes for a question and answer period. Contributed oral sessions run Monday from 8-11:30 am , Tuesday through Thursday from 8-11:30 am and 1:30-5 pm , and Friday from 8-11:30 am .

Concept: Contributed oral sessions are collections of submitted abstracts each organized around a common study taxon, ecosystem, subdiscipline, concept/process, or tool/application. Contributed abstracts are reviewed and organized by the Program Chairs and Program Assistant.

Structure: Poster sessions run Monday through Wednesday from 5-6:30 pm and are non-competing.

Concept: Poster sessions are collections of submitted abstracts each organized around a common study taxon, ecosystem, subdiscipline, concept/process, or tool/application. Contributed abstracts are reviewed and organized by the Program Chairs and Program Assistant.

Please contact Michelle Horton (michelle@esa.org) to schedule a session.

Structure: A wide range of section and chapter mixers/business meetings, committee meetings, lunches, etc.; some of these are open to all meeting attendees (with or without tickets or limits on numbers), some are by invitation only. Generally these are arranged and scheduled by staff, subject to appropriate deadlines, and to space/schedule restrictions. These sessions are scheduled so as not to conflict with scientific sessions (early morning, lunch time, evening sessions).

Please contact Michelle Horton (michelle@esa.org) to schedule a session.

Structure: ESA/SER International welcomes mixers and business meetings of groups that are not part of the ESA/SER International 's chapters, sections, or committees as long as 1) their purpose is consistent with the ESA/SER International mission, 2) there is appropriate physical and schedule space, and 3) organizers cover costs of refreshments and other services. Examples of these types of events include things like publishers' events, non-ESA/SER International editorial meetings, meetings of research groups, etc. Any publicity will make clear that these are not ‘ ESA/SER International sponsored'. Approval and scheduling of these events are at the discretion of the Meeting Planner in consultation with the Program Chairs.