NWSA Annual Meeting 2025

2025 Annual Meeting

The 2025 Annual Meeting will take place in Eugene, Oregon, from March 17th - 20th, 2025. The meeting will be held on the main campus of the University of Oregon, with presentations in the state-of-the-art Erb Memorial Union, and social events at the Museum of Natural and Cultural History. This will be a joint meeting with the Northwest Lichenologists, providing an even broader range of regional scientific expertise.

The Annual Meeting of the NWSA is a chance for amateur and professional scientists from across the Greater Northwest to present and view the latest research from across the region, to catch up with and meet new colleagues, to enjoy plenary talks, panel discussions, and a local fieldtrip. For NWSA members, the annual meeting is an opportunity to participate in the governance of the Association. And it's just a good time!

We think the annual meeting of the NWSA stands out from other professional gatherings:

• As a small event, the annual meeting allows participants to attend most or all of the talks, and to meet most of your fellow attendees.
• The atmosphere is friendly, relaxed, and encouraging. It's a great place for students to build their presentation skills and confidence.
• Presentations at NWSA address topics from across the natural resource space, and sometimes beyond. Attending the annual meeting is a great way to gain exposure to areas of science that most of us typically don't have time for in our regular work.
• This is a chance to attend presentations and enjoy conversation with experts from the Northwest Lichenologists.
• We aim to make the conference affordable, relative to other conferences, and have particularly low student rates.

So, join us in Eugene this March for an engaging and rewarding event.

We will add more information to this webpage as the event approaches, so check back regularly. If you have an urgent question and can't find answers here, please email the event organizer, Dr. James Lamping (jlamping@uoregon.edu) or the website manager (contact.nwsa.webmaster@gmail.com).

We are currently developing the event schedule, so please check here regularly for updates. Event highlights listed below provide a general idea of the program - please note that the order and timing of events remains subject to changes as we finalize plans.

• 13:00 - 16:00: NWSA Annual Board Meeting
• 17:00 - 19:30: Opening social event, University of Oregon Museum of Natural and Cultural History

• 08:30: Opening ceremony
• 09:00: Plenary 1 - Dr. Katharine Cashman: "The Onset and Impacts of the c.7700 ybp eruption of Mount Mazama (Crater Lake), OR”
• 10:00: Special Session 1 - Eastern Oregon Agricultural Research Center
• 10:00 - 12:00: Presentations (open sessions).
• 12:00: Northwest Lichenologists field trip 1
• 13:00: Plenary 2 - Dr. David G. Lewis
• 14:00: Special Session 2 - Native Natural Resource Management
• 14:00 - 17:00: Presentations (open sessions)
• 17:00 - 19:00: Poster session

• 09:00: Plenary 3 - Dr. Jerry Franklin: "Reflections on Forest Science and Policy in the Past and Future"

• 10:00 - 12:00: NWSA presentations (open sessions)

• 10:00 - 12:00: Northwest Lichenologists session 1

• TBD: Special Session 3 - Dendrochronology in the Pacific Northwest

• TBD: Presentations (open sessions)

• TBD: Northwest Lichenologists session 2

Thursday March 20th

• Finn Rock Reach restoration project - McKenzie River Trust
• HJ Andrews Experimental Forest

Northwest Lichenologists field trip 2

Registration for the 2025 Annual Meeting is now open! Tickets will remain on sale until March 14th, with early registration pricing available until February 28th. To register, please visit our meeting page on EventBrite by clicking on the button above.

Registration costs and types are listed below. All costs include refreshments at the opening social (Monday, March 17th) and Poster Session (Tuesday, March 18th), and participation on the McKenzie River field trip (Thursday, March 20th).

Early registration will close on February 28th, so register as soon as you are able! 

We are now accepting abstracts for poster and oral presentations!

We welcome presentations on any subject matter covered by the Northwest Scientific Association, for research pertaining to the Greater Northwest region. Abstracts should describe the research objectives, and results or outcomes. Please limit abstract length to 250 words.

The submission deadline is February 21^st. We aim to announce acceptance decisions in early March.

The Student Travel Grant provides funding of up to $1,000 to support students attend and present their research at the 2025 NWSA Annual Meeting.

• Currently enrolled in an undergraduate or graduate (Masters or PhD) program,
• An NWSA student member (student membership cost of $20/year) at the time of application submission,
• Conducting research on one or more subjects within NWSA's broad areas of interest, and projects must be focused on the greater Northwest of North America, and
• Prepared to present results from their research (not just background/methods) in poster of oral format at the NWSA Annual Meeting in March, 2025.

See the 2025 Student Travel Grant webpage for further details and to submit your proposal.

The deadline for proposal submissions was Friday, February 14th, 2025. Awards will be announced very soon.

 The University of Oregon is graciously hosting the 2025 Annual Meeting, with financial contributions provided by the College of Arts and Sciences and the Geography Department.

The University of Oregon is conveniently located for access to downtown Eugene and the I5. Eugene Airport is a short 10-mile drive and has direct flights to major regional airports.

The meeting venue will be the Erb Memorial Union Building (EMU) Redwood Auditorium.  The Monday-night reception will be at the Museum of Natural and Cultural History (open after-hours for the NWSA meeting, with all exhibits open for viewing). For more information on navigating campus, please visit the campus map.

Plenary talks, and presentations will take place in the Erb Memorial Union. The Union is centrally located on campus, and hosts a wide range of dining options.

Meeting registration will take place outside the Redwood Auditorium on the second floor (east end) of the Erb Memorial Union, and this room will also host oral presentations. The poster hall, Crater Lake room (south), is located on the first floor of the Union and will open at 12:00 on Tuesday 18th March to hang posters. There will be signs directing the way from the main entrance (at the Fishbowl).

There is no official conference hotel for this event. Two hotels are within walking distance of the meeting venue:

• Hayward Inn
• Best Western New Oregon

Parking on the University of Oregon campus - For the two days of meetings, we recommend the 13^th Ave Garage (below the Ford Alumni Center) or a slightly longer walk but cheaper rates at the Millrace Garage. For the evening reception at the Museum of Natural and Cultural History, free on-street parking begins at 6:00 PM.  The reception begins at 5:00 PM.  You may use a kiosk to pay $2 to cover the hours from 5 to 6 pm.

As the meeting approaches we will add dining recommendations.

Frequently Asked Questions

FAQs will be filled out as the event approaches. Please check back here!

• What size are the poster boards?  Poster boards are 36-inch width x 48-inch height.