Meeting schedule
​Important deadlines
Scientific Program​
     Invited speaker   
     Special Sessions 
     Abstract instructions
     Abstract submission
     Instructions to presenters
     Instructions to moderators
Events
​    Science communication workshop 
    Field trips
      Receptions and socials
      Meeting banquet
     Film Festival
     Student networking
Registration
Visitor information
     Meeting map
​     Accommodation​
Sponsors and exhibitors
​Greening the meeting

Abstract instructions

A) Topics
The theme for the meeting is "Sustainable oceans in theory and practice." Abstracts for presentations on any topic relevant to marine ecology will be accepted, including:

1. Anthropogenic Impacts
2. Arctic Ecosystems
3. Biological Invasions
4. Behavior
5. Benthic Ecosystem Services
6. Biodiversity
7. Chemical Ecology
8. Climate Change
9. Coastal Ecosystem R esilience
10. Community Ecology
11. Conservation and Management
12. Deep Sea Biology
13. Ecophysiology
14. Ecosystem Functioning & Sustainability
15. Evolution
16. Habitat  Sustainability & Restoration 
17. High Energy Beaches
18. Life History Strategies
19. Living Shorelines
20. Macroecology
21. Metapopulations/Population Genetics
22. Molecular Ecology
23. Recruitment/Larval Ecology
24. Reef Ecology
25. Resilience of Coastal Ecosystems
26. Sustainable Fisheries
27. Trophic Relationships & Resilience
    ​
28. Brevity is the Soul of Wit
    
    The organizing committee for the 46th Annual Benthic Ecology Meeting has re-established the “Brevity is the Soul of Wit” session as part of this year’s meeting program.  To demonstrate their boundless wit, they have asked me (as a witless wonder) to moderate the session.  I, now, ask you to consider submitting an abstract to this wonderfully thought provoking session. 
     
    Talks are on any topic of interest to the meeting, they are 15 minutes in duration with 5 minutes allocated to the actual presentation and 10  minutes allocated to discussion.  As a rough guideline, speakers are asked to limit themselves to five slides (or clicks of the mouse) to ensure that they stay within the allotted time.  We really want time for quality discussion and feedback, so bring your A-game and your best ideas. 
     
    Because this session is a bit non-traditional, abstracts submitted to “Brevity is the Soul of Wit” will not count against the one abstract limit for the presenting author.  (So, come on, you’ve got nothing to lose!)
     
    If you recall, Peter Petraitis brought this idea to BEM 2013 and Pablo Munguia moderated this session in 2014.  Both sessions led to very spirited discussions (and contributed to at least one publication*).  This format is great for getting new ideas into circulation or getting community feedback on timely topics. 
     
    If you have any questions about the session please contact me (Chris Finelli) at finellic@uncw.edu.  To help identify the content of the email, please include “BEM-BSW” in the subject line.
     
    I know you have ideas.  Time to put them out for discussion!!
    
    Happy New Year!
    Chris
    
    *Munguia, P, Ojanguren, AF. (2015). Bridging the gap in marine and terrestrial studies. Ecosphere 6(2): 1-4.

B) Only one abstract is allowed per presenting author excluding  special session exceptions.

C) Each abstract must be submitted as an MS Word file (.doc or .docx). The name of your file will include:

• The number of your preferred topic from part A above
• The first and last name of the presenting author
• The type of presentation you prefer: oral, poster, or no preference

Name the file as follows:
[Topic number from A above]_[First and last name of presenting author]_[Preference]

Some examples of file names:

6_SteveJobs_ORAL.doc
20_AhabCaptain_POSTER.docx
14_HamletPrince_NO PREFERENCE.docx

D) Observe the following guidelines when preparing your abstract document:

• Language: English
• Page margins: 1 inch
• Font: Times New Roman
• Title: 12-Point, bold, 150 characters maximum including spaces
• Author names: 12-Point. Identify presenting author with an asterisk (*), separate authors names with semicolons (;)
• Affiliations: 10-Point, affiliation name only (no address). If more than one affiliation per abstract, use superscript numbers to match authors and affiliations
• Abstract text: 12-Point, single-spaced, left justification, no Indentation, 200 words maximum.
• Contact info: Provide email address of presenting author only
• Units: metric
• Scientific names: please italicize
• Illustrations, figures, photos: NOT PERMITTED

  Please indicate below the abstract text the following:

• Presenting author's status: “Undergraduate student,” “Graduate student,” or a “Professional”
• Presentation preference: "Oral", "Poster" or "No Preference"
• Preferred Presentation Topic: At least one and up to three topics from the list above, in order of  preference, or an alternate topic of your choice

E) Example of abstract file in MS Word (.docx)