I need help using the meeting platform.
Please see our platform FAQ’s for more detailed information about using the Annual Meeting platform.
I need help with the registration form.
Please see our registration FAQ for more detailed information about how to complete your meeting registration.
Will this year’s meeting be virtual?
In the interest of the health and safety of our attendees, ESA will once again have an entirely virtual Annual Meeting this year. With 5 days of live discussion and over 2000 presentations available on demand, this year’s virtual meeting offers an opportunity for you to join colleagues and leaders from across the field and around the world.
What time will the meeting start and end each day?
Meeting days will run 7:00 AM to 5:00 PM Pacific Time (10:00 AM to 8:00 PM Eastern Time). You can see the live discussion schedule here. Registered attendees will have access to on demand content at any time starting on Monday, July 26th and ending in July 2022.
What is the deadline to upload my presentation?
What do I need to know to prepare?
The deadline to upload your presentation will be Thursday, July 15th. We plan to make all presentations available on demand beginning Monday, July 26th.
What is the deadline to upload my presentation?
The deadline to upload your presentation will be Thursday, July 15th. We will send more detailed instructions to all presenters in advance to help you prepare your presentation. We plan to make all presentations available on demand beginning Monday, July 26th. Our new meeting platform will need 5 business days to process recordings after upload.
I recently received scheduling information for my session’s discussion. Will my presentation be live?
Your presentation (talk or poster) will be available on demand beginning Monday, July 26th. The live discussion time that has been scheduled is for discussing the presentations, not for giving the presentations.
Will meeting content include closed captioning?
All on demand presentations (talks and posters) will be closed captioned using an automated system. We strongly encourage speakers to review and correct the automatic captioning since it may not accurately convey technical language.
Most of the live content will also be automatically closed captioned, including plenary talks, invited paper sessions, special sessions, workshops, and field trips. Contributed discussions and some social events will not be closed captioned.
Speakers may also upload a transcript as a separate document if they prefer.
Can I share my presentation outside of the meeting?
Yes. Your presentation is your content. Only registered attendees will be able to access your presentation from the meeting website, but you can upload it to another website to share it beyond the meeting.
What kind of financial support is available to support meeting registration costs?
Any meeting attendee may apply for financial support from ESA through our Opportunity Fund Registration Grant and various awards that are administered by our Sections and Chapters. You can learn more about these opportunities and apply for all of them through a single submission form on our website. Applications will be considered on a rolling basis as long as funding is still available. If you are applying for funding, please wait to register for the meeting until after you have received notification about your application status. If you receive financial support, you will be sent special registration instructions. Please note that applicants for most of these opportunities must be ESA members at the time of application, and in almost all instances must be members of the section or chapter sponsoring each respective award. Please visit our website to determine eligibility and application requirements for each award.
Are there other types of funding available?
ESA is offering Dependent Care Grants this year. Please note that this application requires a separate form from the registration grant application.
I applied for a registration grant and have not been notified about whether I will receive funding yet. Should I go ahead and register for the meeting?
Please wait to register for the meeting until you hear back about your application. If your application is approved, you will be given a special code to use when you register.
Will there be an opportunity for students to volunteer at this year’s virtual meeting?
Yes, student volunteers will be helping us keep manage the text chat area during live discussions this year. Interested students should first register for the meeting by the Early Bird deadline, then submit an application. Student volunteers will be selected on a first come first served basis. After completing 10 hour of assignments, student volunteers will receive a refund for their registration fee.
How do I cancel my presentation?
We understand that planning ahead is particularly challenging this year. Please notify ESA Meetings as soon as possible if a presentation needs to be cancelled.
Where is my notification email?
Do you have a submission that you have not received an acceptance notification for within the promised timeframe? First, check your junk mail folder. If you see a notification there, please mark it as “not junk” and whitelist the sender. If you don’t see a notification in your junk mail, please contact meetings@nullesa.org with your abstract or proposal title and ID number for more information. We notify everyone of all decisions, including rejections, so please let us know if emails are not getting through to you.
What should speakers scheduled to give a talk expect this year?
Speakers giving a talk will upload a presentation in advance of the meeting (July 15th deadline). This presentation will be available on demand (available at any time) to all registered attendees starting one week in advance of the meeting, on Monday, July 26th. This will allow registered attendees to watch presentations in advance of scheduled live discussions. Recorded talks are highly encouraged for speakers who can record them; however, we realize some authors may face technical or other constraints that do not allow this. Speakers will have the option to upload their slides or a recording. Speakers will also be able to upload supplemental files such as a handout or a copy of the slides to accompany a recording. Closed captioning will be automatically generated for the audio in any uploaded recording. We strongly encourage speakers to review and correct the automatic captioning since it may not accurately convey technical language. Speakers may also upload a transcript as a separate document if they prefer.
Speakers will also participate in a live virtual discussion scheduled during the meeting. This discussion will include all of the speakers in the session with a moderator to manage the conversation. This discussion will not include presentations, although speakers may share specific slides as needed to help support the discussion.
What should presenters scheduled to give a poster expect this year?
Presenters giving a poster will upload a presentation in advance of the meeting (July 15th deadline). This will include an optional (highly encouraged) short (3-5 minute) audio “lightning” summary of the poster recorded by the presenting author. This poster will be available on demand (available at any time) to all registered attendees starting one week in advance of the meeting, on Monday, July 26th. This will allow registered attendees to browse posters in advance of scheduled live discussions. Audio walkthroughs are highly encouraged for authors who can record them; however, we realize some authors may face technical or other constraints that do not allow this. Closed captioning will be automatically generated for the audio walkthrough. We strongly encourage speakers to review and correct the automatic captioning since it may not accurately convey technical language. Presenters may also upload a transcript as a separate document if they prefer.
Poster presenters should also expect to participate in a live virtual discussion scheduled during the meeting. This discussion will include all poster presenters in the session with a moderator to manage the conversation. This discussion will not include presentations, although presenters may share their poster as needed to help support the discussion.
Is there a student award at the Annual Meeting?
Yes, there are student awards for contributed talks (Buell Award) and contributed posters (Braun Award). These awards recognize outstanding student presentations at the Annual Meeting. Any student who has submitted a contributed abstract for the meeting where they are both the presenting and lead author can apply for this award. Applicants will have their presentation judged during the 2021 Annual Meeting. This year’s submission deadline is Thursday, March 4 at 5:00pm Eastern Time. Applicants should submit their abstract to the meeting first, then submit their application for the student award. Learn more here.
Do I need to sign up in advance for workshops and short courses?
Yes. Advance signups are required for all workshops and short courses. Workshops are free for anyone who has registered for the meeting. Short courses require an additional fee. You do not need to sign up for a workshop if you plan to watch the recording later rather than attend the live session.
Who will have access to materials uploaded for workshops and short courses (slides, prerecorded videos, handouts, recordings of live workshops)?
Files for workshops will be available to all meeting attendees. If you have registered for the ESA meeting, but were not able to sign up for a workshop, you will be able to access any related files later.
Files for short courses will be available only to attendees who signed up for that short course and paid the fee.
Do I need to sign up in advance for field trips? Do they have a fee?
Anyone who is registered for the meeting can attend any field trip without advance signup or fees. These virtual trips will include 60-minute live sessions that highlight areas of ecological interest in the Long Beach area or beyond.
