CERF 2023 Call for Abstracts

The CERF 2023 Scientific Program Committee (SPC) invites you to submit an abstract for an oral or poster presentation for CERF 2023. More information about submitting will be posted soon. 

Education Sessions

The goal of the education sessions is to highlight the role that many attendees play as educators. Presenters can be professionals at any level, including K-12, university, and informal science education. Education sessions are:

• Artistic pathways to scientific understanding

• Analysis and communication strategies for coastal ecosystem health report cards

• High-impact practices in coastal and estuarine science education

Cultural Heritage and Coastal Humanities (CH/CH) Sessions

We encourage abstracts that highlight cultural stewardship and human dimensions of coastal ecosystems and communities, including working with indigenous and other subsistence coastal communities; efforts to understand climate change impacts on coastal communities; and mitigation and adaptation strategies to address coastal hazards. The CH/CH sessions are:

• Not just checking a box: inclusive communication as a tool to engage in resiliency

• Weaving traditional ecological knowledge (TEK) and coastal science for management applications

Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) Sessions

Diversity, equity, and inclusion sessions highlight projects that build on or leverage inclusive culture practices or showcase the multifaceted relevance of incorporating DEI into science. Abstracts for these sessions may also highlight projects that strive toward deliberate collaboration with historically marginalized or minoritized groups, thereby strengthening coastal and estuarine research and management. The DEI sessions are:

• Building resilience in communities, programs, and the workforce through inclusion

• Stories from the braided river: nonlinear, enriching workforce pathways and narratives in coastal science and management

• Case studies on inclusive opportunities

• Growing a diverse estuarine research and management workforce

Policies and Procedures for Submitting Abstracts to CERF 2023

The abstract submission deadline is 15 May 2023 at 11:59 PM PDT (04:59 GMT). 

Any abstracts received after the deadline may not be eligible for inclusion in the conference program. Please review the following guidelines before submitting your abstract. If the guidelines are not followed, your abstract may not be accepted.

1. SESSION: Choose your first and second choice of sessions. If you cannot find a session that is suitable for your abstract submission, select “Other” as your first choice, and we will work to find or create a suitable session for you. 

2. TITLE: There is a limit of 15 words for the title. The title should be entered in sentence case (i.e., only the first word and proper nouns are capitalized). 

3. PREFERRED PRESENTATION TYPES: Descriptions of each format are provided below: traditional oral is a 15-minute talk, and lightning is a 5-minute talk. Select one:

• Traditional oral preferred, lightning or poster are acceptable

• Lightning preferred, traditional oral or poster are acceptable

• Traditional oral preferred, poster is acceptable (no lightning)

• Lightning preferred, poster is acceptable (no traditional oral)

• Poster only

4. STUDENT PRESENTATION AWARDS: If you are a student, you can choose to have your presentation judged for the Student Presentation Awards. If so, please designate if you are a K-12, undergraduate, or graduate student. Recent graduates (i.e. within one year of graduation and without a permanent job) are eligible for awards. 

5. RELEASE OF ABSTRACT: You must agree to the publication of your abstract in conference-related materials where it will be publicly available. 

6. AUTHOR INFORMATION: Enter authors in the order they should appear in the abstract. Provide institutional affiliations and contact information. There is a 12 author limit per abstract. 

7. KEYWORDS: Select up to five keywords for your submission from the drop-down menu. 

8. ABSTRACT: All abstracts must be in English and metric units are preferred. There is a limit of 400 words for the text of your abstract.

9. ABSTRACT FEE: Abstracts will not be accepted into the scientific program without payment. The CERF 2023 fee is $75 USD. Secure online payment is available at the end of the submission process. Please note that abstract fees are non-refundable. If the abstract fee presents a barrier that prevents you from submitting an abstract, please contact [email protected] to inquire about a waiver.

10. ELECTRONIC SUBMISSION OF PRESENTATIONS: You must agree to upload a recording of your oral presentation or electronic version of your poster presentation by the end of the conference. These will not be shown during the conference but will be available via the conference archive for six months following the conference. Details on uploading presentations will be provided after abstracts are accepted.

Presentation Formats 

There are three presentation formats:

Traditional oral: Each presentation will be assigned a total of 15 minutes encompassing a 12-minute talk and a 3-minute discussion period. Given the number of abstracts the SPC expects will be submitted, some participants who request an oral presentation may be assigned a poster or lightning talk; please consider selecting these options during your abstract submission process.

Lightning: Lightning talks are 5-minute fast-paced presentations requiring the presenter to focus on the essence of what they want to communicate. To keep with the timing of other sessions, two lightning talks will occur within a 15-minute time block, with 2 minutes for questions following each lightning talk.

Poster presentations: Posters will be displayed in the exhibit hall, with poster sessions on Monday and Wednesday from 4:30pm to 7pm to allow plenty of time for interaction. Poster presenters are expected to attend their assigned poster session to meet with attendees and discuss their posters. 

The SPC reserves the right to assign abstracts to either poster or oral sessions; assignment to an oral or lightning presentation will only occur if the applicant indicates their willingness on the abstract submission form. Your understanding and cooperation are greatly appreciated. Oral sessions may consist of all traditional oral presentations, all lightning presentations, or a mix of the two.

Presenter Confirmation/Cancellation Policy

The presenting author of accepted abstracts must confirm their participation and register for the conference by 29 September 2023. For details, please see the Conference Presenter Cancellation policy. 

Questions/Support 

Technical questions or concerns about your submission should be directed to Todd Fake at [email protected]. Questions or concerns related to the scientific program should be directed to the SPC chairs at [email protected].

Conference Co-Chairs

John Callaway, University of San Francisco, [email protected]

John Rybczyk, Western Washington University, [email protected]

Scientific Program Co-Chairs

Treda Grayson, US Environmental Protection Agency, [email protected]

Drew Talley, University of San Diego, [email protected]

Christine Whitcraft, California State University Long Beach, [email protected]