Symposium

Indian River Lagoon Symposium

The Indian River Lagoon (IRL) Symposium is the result of a multi-institutional, multi-agency effort to provide a forum for discussing Indian River Lagoon science and its application to management of the lagoon. The symposium is open to scientists, decision makers, students, education and outreach professionals, and the interested public. The intent is to facilitate better communication among these groups so that the gaps between research and its application can be narrowed.

The goals of the symposium are to:

Provide a forum to disseminate current knowledge of the IRL and its management

Foster collaborations and discussions among scientists, students, education and outreach professionals, and decision makers

Promote participation of university students and new scientists

Provide results and discussions that can be used to inform policy related to management of the IRL

Increase public awareness of the IRL and its ecological and economic importance

The theme for the 2021 symposium is IRL Research during the Pandemic. Technical sessions consisting of oral and poster presentations will be held virtually on February 18 (12:30 to 5:00 p.m.) and 19 (8:30 a.m. to 1:00 p.m.). Note that this is a departure from our usual format when all technical sessions were completed in one day; we are breaking the day into two halves to reduce “screen fatigue”. Note also, after a couple of hours of break on the second day, we will reconvene for some fun and games (literally); we plan to have an IRL Trivia event, followed by the student awards, starting at 3:30 p.m. Our hope is that we can really highlight the achievements of our students; this year, since no one has to drive home after a long day, we anticipate a nice turn out for this special event.

Registration: Registration includes access to all sessions and is required for all participants. Due to the generosity of our sponsors and virtual nature of the meeting, there will be no registration fees this year. We will be using WebEx as the virtual platform. Registration available here. You will see at the top of the registration form “Register for Indian River Symposium 2021 - Day 1”, but you will be registered for the second day as well (this is a WebEx artifact). Registration will close on Monday, February 15, at 12 noon. Final program and abstracts will be sent to all registered participants on February 16, with any other final announcements and links to the sessions

Steering Committee: A Steering Committee with representatives from academic, governmental, and non-profit organizations defines the goals, basic outline, and structure for the symposium; identifies potential participants; and provides guidance, logistical support, and planning for the symposium. The Steering Committee is instrumental in making the symposium a truly collaborative effort within the diverse IRL research community. The 2020 Steering Committee members are: