AFS Virtual Spring Conference
| AFS Virtual Spring Conference |
| COVID-19 has caused enormous disruptions to everyday life. Among the many personal and professional challenges we face, one has been the cancellation of several AFS chapter and division meetings. Fisheries scientists, managers, and students have constructed important talks to discuss their work with limited or no venue to disseminate the information. Many professionals and students have shifted their workspaces to home. Thus, an online forum for information exchange between presenters and online attendees will provide AFS members whose meetings have been canceled a virtual platform and audience to present talks. The first session is Thursday, April 16 from 1:00 – 4:00 pm Eastern Daylight Time with a special Plenary presentation by Don Orth titled “Thoughts on Virtual Worlds”. These sessions will continue twice a week – Tuesday and Thursday – from that date until we complete the presentations. This is a distinct and separate event from the 150th AFS Annual Meeting currently planned for August 30-September 3, 2020 in Columbus, Ohio. The number of sessions and how they will be separated will be determined by submissions. GoToWebinar will be used as the platform for presenters to give talks to the online audience. Only presenters whose talks were canceled or those with travel restrictions that did not allow them the opportunity to submit abstracts are eligible to present. There will be a dedicated virtual poster session where presenters can be reached through social media and email on Wednesday, May 6. Posters will be linked to a dedicated poster website. We may invite others in special topic areas or as plenary speakers. If you had a presentation that you were unable to give (oral presentation or poster) due to an AFS meeting cancellation, you can find the preliminary schedule and instructions to register at https://fisheries.org/events-page/virtual-spring-conference/. The abstract deadline is Friday, April 17. Registration is FREE, but you need to create an account and register for specific sessions. All presentations will be pre-recorded and limited to 15 minutes then presenters log-on during their time slot to conduct a live chat Q & A session. If you have any questions, contact Aaron Bunch at [email protected]. Virtual conference attendees: this conference series is open to all, you don’t have to be an AFS member, so let your friends and family know they too can learn about fisheries. |