The NCB-ESA Program Committee is currently requesting proposals for symposia and workshops for the 2026 Annual Meeting in Des Moines, Iowa.
The theme for the meeting, created by President Kirk Larsen, is “Connect, Inspire, Discover”. Therefore, we are soliciting diverse symposium proposals that showcase your efforts to make connections in research, teaching, extension, or community-oriented projects, to inspire new approaches in your work or new audiences in entomology, and to make discoveries in insect science in the field, lab, classroom and beyond!
We are also soliciting workshops that target professional development, skill building, and communication. Be creative in developing your submissions!
If you have submitted a symposium proposal previously that was not accepted, you are encouraged to give it a refresher and resubmit for the 2026 meeting.
The deadline for symposia & workshop submissions is December 5, 2025. All successful applications will be confirmed and notified by mid-December.
If you would like to discuss a symposium idea prior to submitting a proposal, please contact the Program Chairs, Sally Raymond and Alison Gerken.
Proposals are to be submitted online, and submitters will be required to provide:
- Session Title
- Summary Statement of the Goal or Concept, and Objectives
- This statement will be used by the Program Chairs to evaluate the submission. A strong summary statement should include:
- Topic being addressed
- Scope of topic
- Relevance of topic
- Goal or objectives
- This statement will be used by the Program Chairs to evaluate the submission. A strong summary statement should include:
- Symposium Description (50 words or less)
- Provide a short (3-4 sentences) session overview describing what the attendees will take away from your session. Think marketing and edu-tainment. This will be posted in the online program to aid attendees in selecting the sessions that they wish to attend.
- List of several speakers you plan to invite to participate in your symposium
- Where possible, include the topic you would like each speaker to address (or title of talk), speaker's career-level, area of expertise, and whether the speaker's participation has been confirmed.
- Please note that having confirmed speakers in your symposium proposal will improve your chances of acceptance.
- Comments for Program Organizers (optional)
- Please let us know if you have any special requests for your session. We will do our best to accommodate your requests.
- Total time required
- 2, 3, or 4 hours
- Organizer name(s) and contact information