2021 Spring SEERS Meeting (virtual)
Meeting attendees should have received an email with instructions for accessing meeting content on the password-protected page linked above. If you did not, please contact secretary@seers.org.
The 2021 Spring Meeting will be held April 22-23 using Zoom. The Guana Tolomato Matanzas National Estuarine Research Reserve (GTM NERR) Coastal Training Program staff will assist with virtual meeting logistics.
2021 Spring Meeting Schedule at a Glance
| Time | Thursday, April 22 | Friday, April 23 |
|---|---|---|
| 9:00 am | Welcome and Announcements Enrique Reyes, SEERS President | Welcome |
| 9:15 am | Day 2 Session 1 | |
| 9:30 am | Intro to NERRS Special Session and Keynote Speaker | |
| 9:45 am | Keynote Denise Sanger, SC DNR Marine Resources Research Institute |
|
| 10:30 am | Break | |
| 10:45 am | NERRS Special Session 1 | Break |
| 11:00 am | Career Panel | |
| 12:00 pm | Lunch | Lunch |
| 1:00 pm | NERRS Special Session 2 | Day 2 Session 2 |
| 2:15 pm | Break | |
| 2:30 pm | Break | Business Meeting |
| 2:45 pm | Poster Session | |
| 3:30 pm | * end meeting * | |
| 3:45 pm | SEERS Board Meeting Wrap-up | |
| 4:30 pm | * end session * | * end board meeting * |
Special Session: Thursday, April 22
National Estuarine Research Reserve System
The National Estuarine Research Reserve System (NERRS) includes 29 reserves dedicated to scientific research that informs and improves coastal management through our network of partnerships that use information generated in these reserves to address local, regional, and national conservation needs. Through this network of place-based estuarine research, including monitoring of water quality, sediment dynamics, linked to biological indicators such as submerged aquatic vegetation, emergent marsh, estuarine fishes and marsh birds, we are able to better understand ecosystem function in a system of protected estuaries and apply those results to identify and address critical resource management questions. The NERRS is unique in its approach to scientific research and monitoring in that the information obtained through local, place-based projects is rapidly disseminated to inform stewardship of coastal habitats and resources, to develop K-12 educational opportunities, and to train local and regional community decision-makers and natural resource professionals. This session provides opportunities for researchers associated with the NERRS and anyone conducting studies in this place-based system to present their projects including the questions asked and answered, the coastal management problems addressed, and the mechanisms used to disseminate the information. We are soliciting oral presentations and posters on projects that have used NERRS monitoring or research data to better understand ecosystem function in ways that lead to improvements in coastal management. We are also interested in end-user driven projects that have used NERRS monitoring or research data to address critical problems in nearby coastal communities. Projects that translated NERRS monitoring or research data for use in K-12 environmental education or local trainings are also encouraged to submit.
Deadlines
- Wednesday, Mar. 31: last day for grant award applications
- Monday, Apr. 5: EXTENDED! last day for abstract submission and early registration
- Tuesday, Apr. 20: EXTENDED! last day for late registrations without abstracts
Registration Rates
Make sure your membership is up-to-date to receive the best registration rates! See instructions for multiple registrations and third-party payers. Classroom registration code and instructions will be provided by arrangement with the SEERS Secretary secretary@seers.org. Registration is not refundable.
| professional member | $ 20.00 |
| professional non-member | $ 30.00 |
| student member | $ 10.00 |
| student non-member | $ 15.00 |
| class attendee (per person, no abstracts) | $ 5.00 |
Pictures
For this virtual meeting, SEERS encourages attendees and especially presenters to upload a headshot (.jpg or .png, 300 x 300 pixels) with your registration.
Presenters may also upload a picture related to your presentation as a .jpg or .png. This could be a picture of the project process, a map, a chart, or any image that represents your project.
Judging Student Presentations
Student presentations are eligible for judging. We will have four overall winners in the following categories:
- Best Graduate Student Oral Presentation
- Best Graduate Student Poster Presentation
- Best Undergraduate Student Oral Presentation
- Best Undergraduate Student Poster Presentation
We need judges who are willing to evaluate student presentations! Please consider volunteering for this important task when you register.
Abstract Submission
Abstracts are submitted during the registration process. Abstracts for oral or poster presentations should highlight scientific research, education, or outreach in the field of estuarine science and are limited to 250 words. Submissions for the special sessions described above are particularly encouraged. SEERS generally accepts all submitted abstracts that meet these guidelines, so do not wait for abstract acceptance before registering for the meeting. If you have any questions about whether your topic meets these guidelines, please contact the program chair well ahead of the submission deadline.
Abstracts are submitted as file uploads for this meeting, so before you register, please prepare a .doc or .docx file in the following format:
- Presentation Title
- Author1, Affiliation1; Author2, Affiliation2; etc.
- (Please denote graduate students with *, undergraduates with **, and underline presenting author.)
- Body of abstract, limited to 250 words.
Each abstract may be submitted only once for presentation at the conference, i.e., an abstract with multiple authors must have one designated presenter.
Student Grant Awards
During the time of COVID, we are not doing much traveling. In lieu of travel awards for the Spring 2021 meeting, SEERS is offering up to five grant awards of $150 each to qualifying students attending the Spring 2021 SEERS virtual meeting. See the Student Grant Awards page for details and an application form. Apply by March 31!