Eastern Branch Call for Symposia

"Bringing Focus to the Unseen"

There are things all around us that are there, but we don’t see. Sometimes it takes a special lens to bring them into focus. The 2024 Entomological Society of America Eastern Branch Meeting will bring a lens to our branch that will reveal things that we didn’t realize were there!

The starting point for our discoveries will be to hold our first-ever branch meeting at West Virginia University, Morgantown WV on March 9─12, 2024.
We invite diverse participation and engagement at this meeting. Do you know entomologists in our branch, perhaps at smaller colleges or in departments other than entomology, that we can bring into focus? What groups, disciplines, or career sectors have been invisible at our meetings? We will be seeking grant support to help support participation at this meeting from the many entomologists who may currently be unseen in our branch.

In addition, our meeting venue at West Virginia University allows us to consider unconventional meeting programing. We will have access to labs, microscopes, insect collections, an insect zoo, research greenhouse, outdoor natural areas (e.g., arboretum, research farms, and University forest), computer labs…how can we use these unique facilities to offer creative sessions and workshops at our meeting?

We are now accepting symposia, workshop, and other interactive program submissions. How can you use the unique meeting location and facilities to help us bring the unseen into focus? Can you invite colleagues who might be hiding in plain sight to join us at this meeting? We look forward to your submissions to bring more attention to hidden gems in our branch! 

The deadline for symposia submissions is October 31, 2023. All successful applications will be confirmed and notified by early November. The more complete your proposal, the more favorable it will be ranked. We hope to provide some funding for travel for students and early-career professionals. Preference will be given to new meeting attendees and those with the farthest travel distance. We will not have remote symposium presentations this year.

Submit your proposal

If you have any questions or would like feedback on your proposal before submission, please contact the Program Chairs, Rayda Krell and Simon Zebelo.


Proposals are to be submitted online, and submitters are required to provide: 

  • Session Title
  • Summary Statement of the Goal or Concept, and Objectives
    • This statement will be used by the Program Chairs to evaluate the submission. A strong summary statement should include:
      • Topic being addressed
      • Relation to the meeting theme
      • Scope of topic
      • Relevance of topic
      • Goal or objectives
  • Session Description (50 words or less, required)
    • Provide a short (3-4 sentences) session overview describing what the attendees will take away from your session. Think marketing and edu-tainment. This will be posted in the online program to aid attendees in selecting the sessions that they wish to attend.
  • List of several speakers/presenters you plan to invite to participate in your session
    • Where possible, include the topic you would like each speaker/presenter to address (or title of talk), speaker's career-level, area of expertise, and whether the speaker's participation has been confirmed.
  • Describe special facilities that you will need for your session. Keep in mind the extensive facilities available for this meeting.
  • Comments for Program Organizers (optional)
  • Total time required
    • 2, 3, or 4 hours
  • Organizer name(s) and contact information

We look forward to hearing from you and all the new things we will discover through your submissions at the 2024 ESA Eastern Branch Meeting!

Submit your proposal

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