Submit Proposals for Botany 2020 Symposia Now

Dear ASPT members:

It's time to start thinking about symposia and colloquia for Botany 2020, July 18-22 in Anchorage, Alaska. The participating societies will be the American Bryological and Lichenological Society, American Fern Society, American Society of Plant Taxonomists, Botanical Society of America, International Association for Plant Taxonomy, and Society for Herbarium Curators.

The theme of this year's conference is "Plants at the Extremes" and we would encourage you to think about this in your proposals. Proposals that incorporate the indigenous people and history of the area, or the impact of climate change on the region, are welcome. Submit your proposal today!

Symposia vs. Colloquia: What's the Difference?

• Symposia are of broad, interdisciplinary, cross-society interest. They are limited to six speakers, and talks are 30 minutes each. The number of symposia is limited to six. Funding for approved symposia is generally $2000-$4000.

• Colloquia are on more narrow topics, perhaps of interest to a particular section or society. Colloquia can include no more than two 30-minute talks. All other talks are 15 minutes. The total number of talks can vary from 8 (with 2 30-minute talks) to 12 (all 15-minute talks). There is no limit on the number of colloquia. Please note that colloquia are intended to draw participants from conference attendees and not to rely on external invited speakers. Consistent with this, funding for colloquia is generally limited, not exceeding more than $200-$300 total.

Proposals for these sessions should include:

1. The name, institution, and email addresses of organizers.

2. The title of the symposium/colloquium.

3. An abstract/synopsis (400 words). This should describe the topic/content only. Please note that this will be used as the abstract in the program.

4. A brief explanation (150 words) of why this topic is appropriate for a Botany conference symposium

5. A list of speakers, including institutional affiliations, topics, and an indication of which have committed to participate:
   a. For symposia, six speakers and two alternates
   b. For colloquia, up to 12 speakers
   Please note that when preparing proposals, organizers are expected to take into account gender, seniority, nationality, and other attributes traditionally underrepresented in conference symposia. We encourage proposals whose topics concern newly emerging fields, are synthetic, or that differ from those that have been included in recent Botany meetings.

6. A budget estimate with justification. Symposium funds are intended to be used to defray costs for participants who otherwise would not be able to attend the conference. See note above about colloquium funding.

7. Proposals should be submitted to: https://2020.botanyconference.org/

Symposium selection process:

1. Proposals are due October 23, 2019. Please note this is a HARD deadline. There will be no extensions!!

2. Proposals will be sent to the presidents of societies.

3. Participating societies will each endorse a maximum of six symposia (one vote per society). At this stage, this does not include a commitment of funds.

4. Societies will inform the BSA program director which six proposals they endorse.

5. The BSA program director will add up votes and send the tallies to the program directors of all participating societies for final discussion and approval.

We look forward to reviewing your submission! If you have any questions, feel free to contact me.

Thanks so much,

Harvey Ballard, ASPT Program Director ( ballardh AT ohio DOT edu )