Call for Proposals – Virtual Short Courses

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 are unable to complete your submission in time. The form automatically closes at 5:00 EST / 2:00 PST whether you have completed your submission or not.

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 ESA Meetings Code of Conduct. 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 ESA Code of Ethics.

How to Submit

You must submit your proposal using the online submission form. Proposals sent by email will not be considered.

To submit a proposal, you will need to log in using an ESA member account. If you have been an ESA member or registered for an ESA meeting in recent years, you should already have an ESA member account. Your username and password to log in for the meeting are the same as for your ESA member account. If you have not been an ESA member or registered for an ESA meeting in recent years, you will need to create an ESA member account before you can submit. You do not need to pay membership dues to create an ESA member account or submit for the meeting.

Click the link below to begin by logging in and then 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.

About Virtual Short Courses

We invite proposals for virtual short courses for the 2023 ESA Annual Meeting. Short courses offer participants an opportunity to learn new skills through interactive instruction and hands-on training in a long format (3 or 6 hours). These sessions are not appropriate for the presentation of formal research talks and do not include presentation abstracts. Short courses are more interactive and informal than formal paper sessions, and they can involve extended discussion as well as hands-on training. A strong short course proposal will make clear what knowledge, skills, tools, or insights participants might expect to gain from the session. You can browse examples of short courses from the 2022 meeting.

All virtual short courses require advance registration and an additional fee. Virtual short courses could be cancelled due to low enrollment. This decision will be communicated to the session organizer, so it is critical that we have accurate contact information for the lead organizer. If a short course meets minimum registration, it is expected to proceed. The estimated 3- and 6- hour scheduling options include only instruction time. If there are any breaks, they will be in addition to this time.

To propose a shorter session (90 minutes), please see our call for workshops. To propose an in person short course, please see our call for in person short courses.

Logistical Considerations

Accepted short courses will be scheduled for Sunday, August 6th or Friday, August 11th to minimize topic overlap and as meeting space and logistics allow. 3 hour short courses can be scheduled for either day, and 6 hour short courses can be scheduled for Sunday only. Short courses are not scheduled concurrently with oral or poster sessions.

Each virtual short course will be run as a Zoom meeting managed by ESA staff with closed captioning available. Short course organizers will be able to assign attendees to breakout groups, either randomly or as pre-assigned groups. Virtual short courses will not be recorded.

Career Track

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. You may begin a submission and then return to edit it up until the deadline.

Components of a Proposal

• Session title (75 words max.) A strong session title is short and descriptive.
• One lead organizer (Required; name, institution, and email).
• Any number of co-organizers, including zero (Optional; name, institution, and email for each).
• Session description (400 words max., required). Describe the theme and purpose of this session. The session description should avoid overly specialized language. Any ecologist attending the meeting should be able to understand it. It could include background information, goals, objectives, importance, and interest to the membership of ESA.
• Diversity description (400 words max., required): Describe how this session involves diverse perspectives and voices as elaborated in ESA’s Diversity Statement, beyond or in addition to career stage and disciplinary diversity. The diversity description will only be seen by the committee while making acceptance and scheduling decisions. It will not appear in the meeting program.
• Broader benefits description (400 words max., optional): Describe how this session benefits broader society. For example through education, public policy, communication/public engagement, application to commercial technology, national security or international cooperation. The broader benefits description will only be seen by the committee while making acceptance and scheduling decisions. It will not appear in the meeting program.
• Preferred scheduling option(s): Please select all timeslots that you would prefer (at least one). The 6 hour timeslot on Sunday includes a one hour break in the middle of the 6 hour course for a 7 hour total time.
  • Sunday, August 6th 9:00 AM – 12:00 PM (3 hours)
  • Sunday, August 6th 1:00 – 4:00 PM (3 hours)
  • Sunday, August 6th 9:00 AM – 4:00 PM (6 hours)
  • Friday, August 11th 8:00 – 11:00 AM (3 hours)
• Would you like this session to be considered for inclusion in the Career Track? Yes/No.
• Linked sessions: Are there any other sessions proposed for the meeting that you are aware of that would ideally be scheduled in a specific order relative to this one, or close together in time?
• Conflicting sessions: Are there any other sessions proposed for the meeting that you are aware of that should not be scheduled at the same time as this one?
• Scheduling notes: Is there anything else we need to know about your preferred scheduling? For example, are there specific timeslots to avoid?
• Maximum number of participants: What is the maximum number of participants you could manage for this short course?
• Breakout groups: Will this session use breakout groups? Breakout groups can be randomly assigned or preassigned. (Yes / No / Not Sure)
• Virtual session setup notes: If there are any specific needs for this session beyond a typical Zoom meeting, please describe them here.
• Organizer demographics: The submission form asks a few questions about the session’s lead organizer to help ESA improve our services and monitor our efforts towards diversity, equity, inclusion and justice.  All information will be shared only in the aggregate to help us assess the diversity of our submissions. Proposal reviewers and the committee will not see this information for individual proposals. It is required to answer each question, but you can select “Prefer not to answer”.

Session and Presentation Rules

Short courses 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 2023 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).

Other Important Information to Consider

Acceptance of your proposal does not obligate ESA beyond providing a virtual meeting space and including the short course in the program. All 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 short course organizers for expenses.

Evaluation Process and Criteria

The Program Subcommittee reviews all proposals for short courses and makes acceptance decisions. Proposals may be from any area of science related to ecology, but those that pertain to the overall theme, “ESA for All Ecologists”, 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 Subcommittee has final authority for acceptance and scheduling for any proposed short course.

If Your Proposal is Accepted

All submitters will be notified of acceptance decisions in 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 short courses will be available in the online program when registration opens.

Cancellation Policy

Once a short course 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 2024 ESA Annual Meeting.

Questions?