Scientific Program

Charles A. Simenstad
ERF 2003 Program Co-Chair
simenstd@u.washington.edu

ERF 2003 in Seattle will offer one of the most diverse and extensive scientific programs ever available at an ERF Biennial Conference.  With over 1,140 submitted abstracts, the Program Committee, headed by Charles Simenstad and Steve Bollens, have balanced the conference themes across seven concurrent oral sessions, five interactive poster sessions, and one continuous poster session.  Perennial ERF-favorite topics of nutrient cycling, invasive species, and ecology and management of submerged aquatic vegetation are featured broadly across oral and poster sessions.  In addition our meeting focus on the convergence of ocean, land, and culture is epitomized by unique sessions such as River–Estuary Interactions, Estuarine–Coastal Ocean Exchange, and Ecological and Social Values of Estuarine Habitats. 

Dr. Scott Nixon will deliver a keynote address, Ode to the Odums, to celebrate the life and work of the famous ecologists.  We have also invited a prominent Northwest Native American leader to deliver a keynote address that will provide a sense of place and value to our estuaries through time. 

The conference will continue with a host of special symposia throughout the week, such as Historic and Current Use and Management of Estuarine Habitats by Indigenous and Pre-Industrial People in Pacific Rim Nations; Connectivity in the Life Cycle of Fishes in Temperate and Tropical Estuaries; Advances and Applications in Estuarine Circulation Processes: A Tribute to Donald W. Pritchard; Global Climate Change and Climate Variability Impacts on Estuaries; Dynamics of Estuarine Particles; and Sustainability Science and Estuarine Habitat Restoration.

The program committee has worked hard to ensure that international participants will be strongly represented, with the number of international participants exceeding that of any other ERF Conference!  Estuarine–coastal ecosystems from arctic, temperate, and tropical corners of the world are included and, in some special sessions, contrasted and compared.

Posters

When you think about posters for ERF 2003, think BIG!  We will have on display the largest number of posters (553), displayed in the largest hall (40,000 square feet; 3,716 square meters) for the longest period of time in the history of ERF conferences (Sunday evening through Wednesday).  We are still in the process of finalizing a floor plan that will allow grouping of poster presentations by theme or topic.  In addition, there will be a number of interactive poster sessions (approximately 50 poster presentations).  Both interactive and the (one set-up ONLY!) general poster session will also be strongly thematic and made enticing with food and drink!  Considerable time will be allotted for poster viewing, including a two-hour lunch poster session on Tuesday.

High quality poster presentations are encouraged and we have decided to “sweeten the pot” by pulling together some wonderful prizes for best posters as an added incentive (in addition to the prizes that will be given for student posters). 

The poster committee, headed by Jim Brennan, has finished the poster guidelines for presenters, which are currently available on the ERF website.

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