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).

Program

Download a detailed schedule or the program with abstracts to plan your schedule for the Annual Meeting!

Schedule at a Glance

• 13:00 - 16:00: NWSA Annual Board Meeting
• 13:45: Northwest Lichenologists field trip 1: Andrew Reasoner Preserve
• 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”
• 10:15: Morning Session 1 - Eastern Oregon Agricultural Research Center
• 10:15: Morning Session 2: Dendrochronological advances in the Pacific Northwest, Part 1
• 11:00: Northwest Lichenologists field trip 2 - Eagles Rest
• 13:00: Plenary 2 - Dr. David G. Lewis: "Reconstructing Kalapuyan Lifeways"
• 14:15 - 16:45: Afternoon Session 1: Anthropogenic histories of the Northwest
• 14:15 - 16:45: Afternoon Session 2: Dendrochronological advances in the Pacific Northwest, Part 2
• 14:14 - 16:45: Afternoon Session 3: Mapping, wildlife, and geology
• 17:00 - 19:00: Poster session

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

• 10:15 - 12:00: Morning Session 1 - Northwest lichenology, Part 1

• 10:15 - 12:00: Morning Session 2 - Earth and ecosystems

• 12:00 - 13:45: Business Lunch

• 13:00 - 17:00: Northwest Lichenologists Workshop

• 14:00 - 16:45: Afternoon Session 2 - Northwest lichenology, Part 2

• 14:00 - 16:45: Afternoon Session 2 - Fire ecology and management

Thursday March 20th

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

Northwest Lichenologists field trip 3 - Oregon Coast

Registration for the 2025 Annual Meeting of the Northwest Scientific Association and Northwest Lichenologists is now closed

Thank you for your interest in submitting an abstract. The deadline for submitting abstracts has now passed.

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 main venue for the Annual Meeting is the Erb Memorial Union Building (EMU). Plenary talks and some oral presentations will be held in the Redwood Ballroom, with other presentations in the Lease Crutcher and Crater Lake rooms. The Monday-night opening social event 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.

Presentations and registration

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

• Will I be required to pay for admittance to the Museum of Natural and Cultural History on the Monday evening social?  No, attending the social event confers free admission to the museum and the exhibits will be open to attendees.
• Will there be cost-free parking for the Monday evening social?  A variety of local parking options are available, including University of Oregon parking garages, and metered on-street parking (University of Oregon parking options). Nearby free-of-charge parking lots can be found in Alton Baker Park and free on-street parking is available south of 23rd Street, a short walk south of campus.
• Where should I meet for field trips?  Field trip meeting points are highlighted in the detailed event schedule.
• What should I bring with me for the McKenzie river valley field trip?  Please see the logistics tab on this page for a list of recommended items for the field trip.
• I am not a member of Northwest Scientific Association. Can I attend the business lunch on Wednesday?  Yes. We welcome the input of non-members as we will be discussing import questions around growing NWSA membership to better serve the needs of the Northwest scientific community.

• What size are the poster boards?  Poster boards are 36-inch width x 48-inch height.
• Can I set up my posters early?  Yes! Posters can be set up in Crater Lake South from 12:00 on Wednesday, 19th March.
• How long are oral presentation slots?  Oral presentation slots are 15 minutes long, including time for questions. Please ensure that your presentations can be completed within this time; moderators will be instructed to maintain the presentation schedule.
• Will moderators help with oral presentation set up and presentation timing?  Volunteers will be present to provide timing count-down notices during presentations. University of Oregon technical support staff will be present to load presentations and troubleshoot technical problems.