BOTANY 2005 represents the annual meeting of four professional societies, including the Botanical Society of America (BSA), the American Society of Plant Taxonomists (ASPT), the American Bryological and Lichenological Society (ABLS), and the American Fern Society (AFS). The conference will be held in Austin, Texas from August 13-17, 2005. In addition to the annual scientific program, which will run from Sunday through Wednesday, August 14-17, BOTANY 2005 will include an expanded format. The fourth annual Forum focusing on botanical education and outreach will be held on Saturday, August 13, and it will be linked to the annual scientific meeting on Sunday, August 14, via workshops and field trips.

All who are interested in plant biology are invited and encouraged to attend and present some aspect of their scholarly and/or educational work at BOTANY 2005. Six presentation options are available, and each presentation requires an abstract. The deadline for abstract submissions is April 1, 2005 (the abstract submission process will open January 5, 2005). All abstracts and the final program will be available online at the BOTANY 2005 web site prior to the conference, and hard copies will be distributed on-site to all conference registrants.

PRESENTATION TYPES

CONTRIBUTED PRESENTATIONS

Oral Paper – Oral papers, or podium presentations, will be 15 minutes in length (inclusive of questions). Papers will be grouped into topical sessions and included within the program of the disciplinary section or society chosen by the submitting author.

Poster – Posters should fit onto bulletin boards 4’ high by 6’ wide. Materials may be secured to bulletin boards with push-pins, which will be provided. All posters will be on display for the duration of the conference, with a single, conference-wide poster session held on Tuesday, August 16. Posters will be grouped by topic and included within the program of the disciplinary section or society chosen by the submitting author.

Discussion Session – Discussion Sessions provide the opportunity to moderate sessions focused on timely, controversial, or perennial topics in a relatively informal, discussion-oriented setting during the Scientific Meeting. Discussion Sessions are typically scheduled for 1 to 1.5 hours.

Education Forum Session – Forum Sessions will address educational and outreach issues. These sessions provide the opportunity to moderate interactive panel, roundtable, or breakout discussions focusing on a range of topics in a relatively informal, discussion-oriented setting during the Education Forum. Informational-type presentations are also possible. Forum Sessions will be 1 hour in length, and individual sessions will be grouped within a topical theme, or ‘thread,’ chosen by the submitting author.

INVITED PRESENTATIONS

Symposium or Colloquium Presentation – Invited symposium and colloquium presentations are arranged in advance and coordinated by the symposium and colloquium organizers, societies, and/or societal sections. Symposium presentations will be 30 minutes in length (inclusive of questions), and colloquium presentations will be 15 minutes in length (inclusive of questions).

Special Lecture – Special Lectures are arranged in advance by the disciplinary sections and participating societies, and these are typically 45 minutes to 1 hour in length.

SUBMISSION OF ABSTRACTS (DEADLINE: APRIL 7, 2005)

Submission of abstracts for all presentation types should be conducted online at the BOTANY 2005 abstract submission site. For each abstract, the submitting author will be asked to submit the following information:

• names, institutions, e-mail addresses, and postal addresses for each author
• abstract title
• abstract narrative (limited to 300 words)
• keywords or key-phrases (limited to 6)
• AV needs
• related web links (optional)
• uploaded files (optional)
• whether the abstract should be considered for an award
• whether the submitting author is willing to preside over an oral paper session

Electronic copies of the abstract submission will be sent by e-mail to the submitting author, the Program Chair of the disciplinary Section/Society selected, and the BSA Program Director. The submission site will open in January 5, 2005, and the deadline for receiving abstracts is April 1, 2005.

The same individual should not be the first author on more than three abstracts.

AUDIO-VISUAL INFORMATION

Computer-based PowerPoint presentations will be the standard presentation option. The BOTANY 2005 web site will provide specific information in May 2005 about which version(s) of PowerPoint and which types of media (e.g., CDs, Zip, etc.) will be supported. In addition to computer-based presentations, 35 mm slide projectors and overhead transparency projectors will be available as no-cost options. However, these will not be standard presentation options in each session room, and submitting authors will need to request these when the abstract is submitted online. Additional audio-visual and technology needs (e.g., video cassette players and monitors, a second 35 mm slide projector, etc.) will be available for a fee. These options will need to be requested when the abstract is submitted online, and either the submitting author, sponsoring section/society, or symposium/colloquium organizer will be responsible for the costs and will need to approve them.

REGISTRATION, HOUSING, & EVENTS

Preliminary registration and housing costs will be posted on the BOTANY 2005 web site in January 2005. A complete Registration Brochure for BOTANY 2005 will be mailed to members of all four participating societies in April 2005. The Brochure will also be available online at the BOTANY 2005 web site, and it will contain detailed information about registration, housing, social events, field trips, workshops, tours, and all costs.

QUESTIONS

Questions about the scientific or educational program for BOTANY 2005 should be directed to the appropriate sectional or societal Program Chair listed on the conference web site, or to the BSA Program Director:

Jeffrey M. Osborn, Division of Science, Truman State University, 100 E. Normal Street, Kirksville, Missouri 63501-4221, USA. Tele: 660.785.4017, Fax: 660. 785.4045
E-mail: josborn@truman.edu.

Questions about registration, housing, social events, field trips, workshops, tours, and any other aspect of the conference should be directed to the BSA Meetings Manager:

Johanne Stogran, BSA Meetings Office, 2813 Blossom Avenue, Columbus, Ohio 43231, USA. Tele: 614.899.9356, Fax: 614.895.7866
E-mail: johanne@botany.org.

Download the Call for Abstracts (138k pdf)