Call for Workshop Proposals

2021 ESA Annual Meeting
Virtually Anywhere
August 2 – August 6, 2021

Deadline: 5:00 PM Eastern (2:00 PM Pacific)
Thursday, January 14, 2021

All ESA Annual Meeting proposal and abstract deadlines are 5:00 PM Eastern so that technical support and ESA staff assistance will be immediately available when submitters need it. If you begin your submission very close to the deadline, you are choosing to take a risk, and we will not make an exception if you don’t complete your submission in time. The form automatically closes at 5:00 EST / 2:00 PST whether you have completed your submission or not.

* Proposals that are incomplete or received after the deadline will not be considered.

ESA meetings, open to ESA members and those interested in ecology, are among the most respected meetings of ecologists in the science community. ESA is committed to providing a safe, productive, and welcoming environment. All participants including, but not limited to, attendees, speakers, volunteers, exhibitors, ESA staff, service providers and others are expected to abide by the Code of Conduct for ESA Events. This Code of Conduct applies to all ESA meeting-related events including those sponsored by organizations other than ESA but held in conjunction with ESA events, in public or private facilities. In addition, ESA members and authors of ESA publications must adhere to the Code of Ethics for the Ecological Society of America.

How To Submit

You must submit your proposal using the online submission form. Proposals sent by email will not be considered. Click the link below to begin by selecting which type of proposal you would like to submit. You will be able to return to the proposal to edit it until the submission deadline has passed. Information on how to do so will be included in two automated emails you will receive, first when you begin and then when you complete your submission.

Begin a Session Submission

About the 2021 Annual Meeting

If public health conditions allow, the 2021 Annual Meeting will be a hybrid meeting in Long Beach that combines in-person and virtual elements. If in-person elements are not possible, the meeting will be virtual (with all sessions online).
If ESA is able to hold a hybrid meeting, all presenters will have a remote presentation option.

Proposal submitters are asked to indicate their preference for an in person or virtual session at the time of submission. Organizer preferences will not affect acceptance decisions. This question is specifically asked to help ESA plan for a hybrid meeting scenario. If in-person elements are not possible, the meeting will be entirely virtual, with all accepted sessions held online regardless of the preference indicated in the session proposal. We will keep all session organizers updated as we receive more guidance on best practices from our meeting venue and the state of California. Rest assured that this is only a preference, not a final decision of any kind. If we are able to proceed with a hybrid event, session organizers will have the opportunity to revisit this preference during a later stage of planning.

About Workshops

We invite proposals for workshops for the 2021 ESA Annual Meeting. Workshops offer participants an opportunity to learn new skills through interactive instruction and hands-on training in a short, 90-minute format. These sessions are not appropriate for the presentation of formal research talks. Workshops are more interactive and informal than formal paper sessions, and they can involve extended discussion as well as hands-on training. Workshops may involve one or several leaders/presenters. A strong workshop proposal will make clear what knowledge, skills, tools, or insights participants might expect to gain from the session. You can browse examples of workshops from the 2020 meeting.

Unlike previous years, advance signup will be required for all workshops this year. Workshops will not require a fee. Anyone will be able to add workshops for free to their overall meeting registration. Files for workshops (slides, prerecorded videos, handouts, recordings of live trainings) will be available to all meeting attendees. If an attendee registers for the ESA meeting, but is not able to register for and attend a workshop, they will still be able to access any related files later.

To propose a session for longer than 90 minutes, please see our call for short courses.

2021 Annual Meeting: In-Person vs Virtual Format Preference

Proposal submitters will be asked to indicate their preference for an in person or virtual session at the time of submission. This question is specifically asked to help ESA plan for a hybrid meeting scenario. If in-person elements are not possible, the meeting will be entirely virtual, with all accepted sessions held online regardless of the preference indicated in the session proposal. To help inform your proposal development, this section describes what we think the in-person and virtual formats will involve. We will update this information here and directly contact all workshop organizers as we receive more guidance on best practices from our meeting venue and the state of California. Please rest assured that this is only a preference, not a final decision of any kind. If we are able to proceed with a hybrid event, you will have the opportunity to revisit this preference during a later stage of planning once we have more information.

In-person workshops

Advance signups will be required for in-person workshops to allow us to keep the number of attendees in each workshop in compliance with social distancing guidelines. In-person workshops will be scheduled as 90-minute sessions. We do not know what the scheduling options will be at this point. We will need to build the in-person schedule to accommodate deep cleaning of rooms between sessions and other safety measures that our venue is still in an early stage of developing.

The standard A/V setup is a screen, LCD projector, and laptop (with sound). Some of the rooms we will use for workshops may not have wireless internet access. There is a place in the proposal form to indicate if wireless connectivity is important for your workshop. Any additional equipment, such as flip charts, must be requested in the proposal. Additional equipment may incur costs and can only be provided if the organizer provides funding to cover the costs.

We have not included food and beverage requests in the proposal this year since we are waiting for more information about social distancing requirements. We will update organizers of accepted workshops when we have more information. In the meantime, please be aware that outside funding is required to provide food or beverages for workshops. Unless the workshop organizer provides funding to cover the costs, we cannot provide these for workshops.

Virtual workshops

Advance signups will be required for virtual workshops to allow us to keep the number of attendees in each workshop within a feasible capacity for effective online learning. Virtual workshops will be scheduled as 90-minute sessions. Virtual workshops will include live instruction time (live video) with an option to upload supporting documents and prerecorded presentations.

Career Track

ESA is piloting its first topical track for meeting sessions this year. All sessions included in the career track will be highlighted throughout the program and scheduled to minimize conflicts. Submitters proposing a session about career options, skills and development will be able to indicate that they would like to be included in this track.

Proposal Format

The information listed below must be submitted through the online submission form. It is provided here to assist you in planning your submission. The form may differ slightly from the version listed here. Proposals that are incomplete or received by email will not be considered. You may begin a submission and then return to edit it up until the deadline.

Components of a Workshop Proposal

• Session title
• Session description (appears in the online program only; 250 words max.)
• Summary sentence (appears in the meeting registration form; 50 words max.)
• A lead organizer (Required; name, institution, and email).
• Co-organizers (Optional; name, institution, and email for each).
• Maximum number of participants
• Conflicts: Are there any other proposed sessions that this session should not conflict with?
• Linked sessions: Is there another proposed session or requested social event that this session is linked with?
• Would you like this session to be considered for inclusion in the Career Track? Yes/No.
• Session format preference: If the meeting is hybrid, do you prefer a session in person at the convention center or an all virtual session online? Please note that is the meeting is all virtual, all sessions will be online only.
• For workshops that prefer an in-person format:
  • Room setup: All workshops will be set to comply with social distancing requirements. Unfortunately, we cannot consider session organizer preferences for room setup this year.
  • Equipment: None, wireless internet connection, flip chart and easel, additional A/V equipment (specify with a note).
  • Food and beverage: We will follow up with workshop organizers about food and beverage options once we know more about social distancing measures. We can only provide food and beverages for a workshop if the organizer provides funding to cover the associated costs.

Session and Presentation Rules

Workshops are required to have one organizer who will be the point of contact for correspondence with ESA and will be asked to make decisions regarding the session during planning. Co-organizers may also be listed, but the lead organizer is the point of contact.

To promote diversity of sessions and topics, no person will be permitted to serve as the lead organizer for more than two workshops, short courses, and/or special sessions at the 2021 Annual Meeting. A group of organizers may propose multiple linked sessions. Each session should be submitted separately, and it should be made clear which other proposals it is linked to, as well as its intended order in the sequence of the events.

Note that the One Presentation Rule does not apply to workshops, short courses, and special sessions. Anyone presenting in one of these sessions may also present in a scientific session (a formal talk or poster).

Scheduling

To avoid conflicts with scientific sessions, workshops are not scheduled concurrently with oral or poster sessions. Accepted workshops will be scheduled in 90-minute slots to minimize topic overlap and as meeting space and logistics allow. We do not yet have enough information about social distancing measures and virtual meeting constraints to specify potential scheduling slots. We will follow up with organizers of accepted workshops once we have more information.

Other important information to consider

Acceptance of your proposal does not obligate ESA beyond providing a meeting space and including the workshop in the program. All session organizers and participants must register for the conference at the one day or full week rate. Organizers are responsible for making this clear to anyone they recruit to help with the session. ESA will not reimburse workshop organizers for expenses.

Evaluation Process and Criteria

The Program Committee reviews all proposals for workshops and makes acceptance decisions. Proposals may be from any area of science related to ecology, but those that pertain to the overall theme, “Vital Connections in Ecology” are especially encouraged. We also welcome proposals that explore connections with the social or natural sciences or that are directed to ecological education at any level.

The primary criteria for acceptance include scientific merit, probable interest by meeting attendees, and a clearly written and compelling description. Limits of space and time may make it impossible to accommodate all worthy submissions. The Program Committee has final authority for acceptance and scheduling for any proposed workshop.

If Your Proposal is Accepted

All submitters will be notified of acceptance decisions around mid-February. At that time, organizers will be provided with instructions to begin preparing the session for the online program in the spring

Finalized information for all accepted workshops will be available in the online program when registration opens.

Cancellation Policy

Once a workshop has been accepted and listed online, cancellation imposes a serious burden. Do not submit a proposal if you are uncertain that you will be able to fulfill your obligation to organize and conduct the session. Once a session is accepted by the Program Committee, cancellation by the session organizer may preclude the acceptance of any sessions proposed by the organizer for the 2022 ESA Annual Meeting.