Abstracts being accepted for scientific conference on Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem

BOZEMAN — Abstracts for presentations for the 15th annual Biennial Scientific Conference on the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem are now being accepted. The conference will run May 3-6 at the Mammoth Hot Springs Hotel in Yellowstone National Park.

The conference aims to bring together researchers, conservation groups and management partners who have a shared interest in understanding the resources of the region. This year’s theme is “Focus on the Geosciences,” and presentations will draw from the fields of volcanology, geology, geobiology, hydrology, geohazards, glacial geology and geomorphology.

An opening reception will be held at 5 p.m. Sunday, May 3, in the conference center with heavy appetizers and a cash bar, followed by a lecture by Bruce Fouke, a professor of geology and microbiology from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. Fouke has held professorships at Lund University in Sweden and the Illinois Center for Advanced Studies and has adjunct faculty appointments at the Thermal Biology Institute at MSU and the Caribbean Research and Management of Biodiversity Laboratory on Curaçao. The public is encouraged to attend the lecture, but registration is required for the rest of the conference.

The deadline for abstracts is Monday, March 2, and authors of chosen abstracts will be notified by March 16. Students or professionals are welcome to submit abstracts of no more than 400 words with minimal footnotes.

Forty presentations and 15 posters will be accepted. Presentations will be 20 minutes long, and projectors, screens and laptops will be provided. Posters will be displayed throughout the conference site. For more information visit https://www.yellowstonescienceconference.org/submit-an-abstract.

Registration for the conference is $60 per person and will cover coffee and lunch May 4 and 5. Registration is first come, first served with priority given to scientists who are presenting. Total participants will not exceed 120, so early registration is recommended. A limited number of student scholarships will be available to assist with registration and housing. Attendees can register at https://one.bidpal.net/yellowstone2020/welcome.  

The Biennial Scientific Conference on the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem is sponsored by the Thermal Biology Institute and Montana Institute on Ecosystems at MSU as well as Yellowstone Forever with support from partners throughout the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem and in coordination with Yellowstone Volcano Observatory.

For more information, email The Yellowstone Center for Resources at yell_conference@nps.gov.