Nile Kemble, Marlo Jeffries and Barry Gillespie, SETAC Fort Worth Co-chairs
Note from the co-chairs: This is the first in a series of articles that will appear in the Globe this year keeping our members up-to-date on important dates, plans and events leading up to the SETAC North America 41st Annual Meeting in Fort Worth, Texas. Look for future updates in the Globe.
The SETAC North America 41st Annual Meeting is now nine months away. This year’s meeting will take place from 15–19 November in Fort Worth, Texas. While this may seem like a long time away, SETAC Fort Worth is already taking shape. The program committee members collectively chose the meeting theme, “2020 SETAC In Focus: Environmental Quality Through Innovative Science,” to provide a topic that was broadly applicable to the state of environmental science being done by SETAC members.
Currently, the program committee is planning the Fort Worth meeting, however, there are several areas where the committee needs your help. We are encouraging all SETAC members to think of sessions and training or education courses they would like to see at this year’s meeting. Submit a session proposal by 19 February or professional training course proposal by 14 April. We look forward to the depth and breadth of sessions that will be submitted.
Important Dates
- 19 February: Session submission deadline
- 1 April: Abstract submission opens
- 14 April: Professional training course submission deadline
- 3 June: Abstract submission deadline
- 1 July: Registration and housing opens
This year’s meeting is a five-day event, featuring a variety of training, networking and learning opportunities. If you are interested in emerging research, regulatory developments and the latest methodologies in environmental toxicology and chemistry, SETAC Fort Worth is the meeting for you! More than 2,500 scientists, assessors, regulators and managers from academia, business and government, representing not only SETAC North America but all SETAC geographic units, are expected to attend and help create a meeting that will provide a unique networking opportunity and a chance for global cross-collaboration long after the closing session.
The co-chairs of the SETAC Fort Worth Program Committee worked diligently to put together a committee that consists of 34 people with representatives from each of the three SETAC sectors (academia, business, government). The meeting co-chairs worked diligently to assemble a committee that balances the North America meeting needs along with meeting SETAC’s efforts for inclusiveness and diversity. This year’s committee consists of 13 members from academia, 12 from industry, six from government, one post-doctoral scholar and four students. Collectively, members of the program committee offer a wide range of scientific expertise and have various levels of previous program committee involvement ensuring an inclusive and scientifically diverse meeting program featuring a combination of tried-and-true SETAC traditions and new innovative ideas.
With SETAC having two geographic unit meetings between now and November, the SETAC Europe 30th Annual Meeting and SETAC 8th World Congress, why choose to come to Fort Worth? The meeting will be held at the Fort Worth Convention Center, located in the heart of Fort Worth! This provides many opportunities to explore all that Fort Worth has to offer when conference attendees are not participating in meetings, sessions, poster socials or plenary talks. Did you know that Fort Worth offers 92 attractions in a 10-mile radius of the downtown meeting venue for your downtime enjoyment? Google “Attractions Near Fort Worth Convention Center” to see some of the opportunities that await! And, with average day time temperatures for Fort Worth during November hovering around 65° F (18° C), Fort Worth provides a very comfortable experience for outside activities and after-hours excursions.
On behalf of the entire Fort Worth program committee, we invite and encourage every SETAC member to attend this meeting. We hope to see all y’all in Fort Worth!
Authors’ contact information: nkemble@usgs.gov, m.jeffries@tcu.edu and Barry.Gillespie@erm.com
