You have a great opportunity to get together with friends and colleagues after the morning sessions, have lunch together, and learn something new all at the same time. Concession options will be available near the Lunch-and-Learn meeting rooms, so you can quickly purchase your lunch and enjoy it during the presentation.

There will be seven Lunch-and-Learn sessions this year:

Is Certification Right for Me (and my team)?
Sunday, November 10, 12:15 – 1:15 PM
Meeting Room 9 C, Austin Convention Center

If you’re like most ESA members you’ve known about ESA’s certification programs for years. But hey, you’ve got a PhD in entomology, you’ve got nothing to gain by getting your BCE, right? Wrong!  There are many valuable reasons for anyone who is involved in entomology including PhDs to become BCE or ACE certified.   This session will feature a quick introduction to the ESA certification programs, followed by facilitated discussion tables. Come join us for a lunch and learn more about how certification can benefit you and your organization.

Facilitators: Chris Stelzig, Director of Certification and Data Management, Entomological Society of America

Managing the Big Transition to your First Job (or I’m about to graduate, now what?)
Sunday, November 10, 12:15 PM – 1:15 PM
Meeting Room 10 AB, Austin Convention Center

If you are a student who plans to finish your degree in 12-24 months, or you have recently completed your degree and are entering the workforce, this is a must-attend session. After our informative panel discussion, a Q&A session will help attendees address their own career plan questions.  A complimentary boxed lunch will be served for the first 120 participants.  Sponsored by ESA’s Student Transition and Early Professionals (STEP) Committee.

Panel: Mark Asplen, University of Minnesota; James Harwood, University of Kentucky; Kevin Johnson, Dow AgroSciences; Johnathan Lundgren, USDA-ARS, North Central Ag Research Lab.

Re-assessing Tropical Insect Biodiversity - By Looking From the Very Inside to the Very Outside
Monday, November 11, 12:45 PM – 1:45 PM
Ballroom F, Austin Convention Center

Facilitators: Dan Janzen and Winnie Hallwachs, Department of Biology, University of Pennsylvania

The nitty gritty mechanics of starting with a large batch of Costa Rican DNA barcoded specimens already databased in the field inventory, putting their information into BOLD at http://www.boldsystems.org, having it be analyzed there, getting the results, matching the results with the field database, iteratively upgrading all, re-submitting to BOLD, getting a new analysis, etc.   And, in the process filtering out the contaminants, mis-IDs, suspiciously or obviously un-noticed cryptic (usually undescribed) species, interim labeling them, and then passing on chunks of this information to the collaborating taxonomist for final products, and museum deposition.  But when you do all this, you discover you have a lot more species in your sample than you ever thought you did, which in turn has many, many implications for ecology, evolution, conservation, agiculture and just plain understanding nature.

How to Make Meaningful Connections with the Public Using Your Own Research
Tuesday, November 12, 12:15 PM – 1:15 PM
Ballroom G, Austin Convention Center

Want to incorporate broader impacts into your research but don’t know where to start? Learn how to utilize the vast technological resources at your disposal to design effective outreach activities. This lunch-and-learn will be guided by Kristie Reddick, co-creator of thebugchicks.com, and known for developing multimedia resources for science education.

Facilitators: Christina Silliman, Catherine Dana, Brendan Morris and Julie Allen, Department of Entomology, University of Illinois

Politics and Science: How Congress and the President Impact Your Work (and what you can do about it)
Tuesday, November 12, 12:15 PM – 1:15 PM
Ballroom E, Austin Convention Center

National politics and policy priorities influence the conduct of science (e.g., funding for research), and how or whether scientific information is used to inform policy decisions. Scientists can and should play a role in ensuring that lawmakers understand the ramifications of their decisions on science and society. To do this, scientists need to know how, who, when, and where to communicate with lawmakers. This program will provide information about key national players influencing science policy and will consider the potential ramifications of the November elections.

Facilitator: Robert Gropp, Director of Public Policy, American Institute of Biological Sciences

The Art of Writing a Successful Scientific Paper
Wednesday, November 13, 12:15 PM – 1:00 PM
Ballroom F, Austin Convention Center

This one-hour presentation is to provide "tips and tricks" for organizing and writing a successful scientific paper and will include an in depth discussion on how to organize, write a successful paper. The facilitator will provide guidelines and hints he’s learned throughout his 40 years of experience, including serving as the Editor of Systematics and Biodiversity.

Facilitator: Elliot Shubert, Life Sciences, The Natural History Museum

The Art of Negotiation
Wednesday, November 13, 12:15 PM – 1:00 PM
Ballroom G, Austin Convention Center

Learn how to promote yourself by improving your negotiation skills so you can get the perfect job offer, secure necessary resources, and build collaborations. This session will help early professionals assess their bargaining strengths and weaknesses, and learn how to position themselves as effective negotiators. Get the ‘lessons-learned’ from those that have recently been through contract negotiations or are regularly part of the process.  A complimentary boxed lunch will be served for the first 120 participants.  Sponsored by ESA’s Student Transition and Early Professionals (STEP) Committee.

Panel: Sue Blodgett, Iowa State University; Gary Felton, Penn State University; Erin Hodgson, Iowa State University; Scott Hutchins, Dow AgroSciences; Sarah Zuckoff, Kansas State University.