Call for Abstracts

Program Chair: Christopher Marshall, Ph.D
Poster Co-Chairs: Karen Holloway-Adkins, Ph.D.  &  Shanon Gann
program@serstn.org

ABSTRACT SUBMISSIONS CLOSED

Notification of acceptance emails have been sent. Please check your spam filter.

Changes or cancellations to oral/poster presentation abstracts, authors, or titles may be made exclusively by completing the form: https://forms.gle/HxGKFvCCHyFcacsr7  This is the only way to guarantee changes or cancellations will be listed correctly in the SERSTM program.

The Program Committee will select from abstracts submitted in the following session topics outlined below. If your abstract does not fit into one of the topics listed below, please contact the program chair prior to submitting your abstract. Space for oral presentations is limited. All abstracts will be critically reviewed by the Program Committee, and high-quality abstracts will receive priority for oral presentation. Poster presentations are encouraged and authors must be present at their posters during designated times to answer questions and discuss their work.

Note: Regardless of where the lead author resides, all abstracts must pertain to sea turtles that reside in the waters or utilize the beaches of states within the southeastern U.S. (Virginia to Texas and Southeast US Territories). 

Sea Turtle Science, Recovery and Conservation in the North Gulf of Mexico

Atlantic Coast Sea Turtles

Climate Change

Coastal Restoration and Related Ecosystems

Education and Outreach

Genetics and Biomarkers

Health, Disease, and Rehabilitation

Pollution and Microplastics

Trophic Ecology

Movement Ecology

Natural History and Biology of Southeast United States Sea Turtles

GUIDELINES FOR ABSTRACT SUBMISSION:

  • There is a limit of two abstracts (one oral and one poster abstract or two poster abstracts) per lead author.
  • The lead author must also be the presenter.
  • You must be in attendance to present.
  • You must be registered before an abstract can be submitted. After you have registered, you will receive the link to the abstract submission form. If you would like to submit an abstract but are unable to register due to employer administrative limitations, please contact registrar@serstn.org and we will work with you on a solution.
  • Regardless of where the lead author resides, all abstracts must pertain to sea turtles in the water or on the beaches of states in the southeastern U.S. (Virginia to Texas and Southeast US Territories). 
  • Oral presentations will be 12 minutes with 3 additional minutes for questions.
  • All abstracts for oral or poster presentations must be submitted online through the SERSTM website. 
    • Abstracts should be submitted in English in the space provided and have a maximum of 300 words. No attachments, please.
    • Please note that upon abstract submission, you must choose the most appropriate session for your abstract based on the session titles and descriptions provided. If your abstract does not fit with one of the topics listed as a session, please contact the program chair prior to submitting your abstract, as other submissions may be accepted.
    • Include as much information as possible so that the committee can make informed choices about which abstracts to accept.
    • Abstracts will also be included (as submitted) in an online proceedings.
  • Deadline for submission of abstracts is NOVEMBER 4, 2024, at 11:59 EST. No abstracts can be accepted after this date. We urge you not to wait until the last day to submit, as unexpected problems can arise during the submission process.
  • There are often more requests for oral presentations than time allows. Your submitted abstract may be selected, but due to limited availability for oral presentations, you may be asked if you would be willing to present a poster or serve as a poster reserve instead.
  • Oral presentations should be formatted for MS PowerPoint and downloaded to the meeting computers prior to your session. 
  • Students will have the option to be considered for the Boyd Lyon Award for Excellence. Awards will be given for first place and runner up in the oral and poster categories. Please note that as a reflection of Boyd’s giving spirit, students who wish to be considered for the Boyd Lyon Student Award will be required to contribute a minimum of 6 hrs of their time to support the meeting operations. This is a great opportunity to network!

Boyd Lyon exhibited the qualities that make an exceptional graduate student and researcher. He was hardworking, dedicated, well-read, and committed to learning as much about sea turtles as possible. He strove for excellence in everything that he did. Although he is missed on a daily basis, his legacy lives on in his friends and in the research carried on in his name (see more at the Boyd Lyon Sea Turtle Fund). It is with this in mind that we honor him by giving the Boyd Lyon Award for Excellence for best student papers and best student posters.

STEPS FOR SUBMITTING YOUR ABSTRACT

Submitting your abstract first requires registering for the meeting. After registering, you will receive a link for submission.  Please review the GUIDELINES FOR SUBMITTING, then click to go to the next page to begin. 

    • Confirm your registration for SERSTM and the presenting author. Click “Next”.
    • Select the TYPE OF PRESENTATION you are requesting (prefer oral, prefer poster, no preference). 
    • Copy and Paste, or type, your TITLE and ABSTRACT in the boxes provided. Please use sentence case and not upper case when formatting. 
    • Topics are our Sessions. Choose the TOPIC / SESSION you want your abstract submitted under. Click “Next”. 
    • Add AUTHORS and AFFILIATIONS in the order you want them to appear in the program and online proceedings. You will need your co-author’s email addresses as they are also notified. Please ensure you have the permission of all co-authors before including them in your authorship list. Click “Next”.
    • Designate whether or not your abstract qualifies for the BOYD LYON AWARD (must be a student presenting his/her own work). Recently graduated presenters (within 8 months of graduation) who are presenting work done as students are also eligible. Choose “YES” or “NO”, and click “Done”. You’re finished!

Please Note: Government employees or others unable to register due to employer administrative or payment limitations, please contact registrar@serstn.org and we will work with you on a solution.

NOTICE OF ACCEPTANCE

The Program Committee will make final decisions on abstract acceptance.  All authors will be notified via email of the acceptance of their oral or poster presentation. If you need an acceptance letter sent to someone other than yourself, please specify this in your abstract submission.

CANCELLATIONS
If for some reason you need to cancel your presentation, please contact program@serstn.org as soon as possible. Those who fail to present their papers or posters without canceling in advance of the meeting will not be allowed to present in subsequent meetings.

If you are unable to attend in person, SERSTM is willing to consider limited submissions for virtual oral presentations on a case-by-case basis. Please submit an explanation of your need to present virtually to program@serstn.org. Approval of virtual presentations will be at the discretion of the Program Chair and SERSTN Board of Directors. Virtual oral presentations will be live-cast in the appropriate session at the meeting and will not be available for online viewing.

Requirements, Guidelines, and Suggestions for Poster Preparation for the
Southeast Regional Sea Turtle Meeting

 Please direct questions to the Program Committee at Program@serstn.org

REQUIREMENTS:
There are scheduled poster sessions to give the audience a chance to meet poster authors. Please plan to be with your poster during that time. Students who are being considered for the Boyd Lyon Award must be at their poster during the poster session to meet judges and answer questions in order to be eligible for the award. 
Size: The maximum area available for each poster will be 4′ x 4′ (122cm x 122cm). There will not be space for an oversized poster. Therefore, posters that are larger will be altered (folded or cut) to fit within the allotted area. 
Language: All poster text should be in English.
Student awards: A student who has entered a poster in the awards competition must be the first author on the poster, presenting his/her own work and present at the poster sessions.
GUIDELINES AND SUGGESTIONS:
Title: The title of the poster should be short but descriptive. Font size should be sufficient that it can be read from 10 feet (3m). 72 point is suggested.
Text size: The main text of the poster should be in a font large enough to be read from 3 feet (1m). A font size between 18 and 24 point (6-8mm) is recommended; secondary text (such as acknowledgements and literature cited) may be slightly smaller but no text should ever be smaller than 14 point (5mm).
Figures: Posters should include figures that illustrate key methods, findings or examples from the study. All text within figures, graphs, charts and tables should be large enough to be read from 3 feet (1m). Use graphs or charts instead of tables whenever possible to make your data easier to “get” at a glance. Remember to use standard deviation/error bars in your graphs and scale bars in your photographs/micrographs. Use arrows to draw attention to specific details in images.
Less is more: Posters that contain a small amount of text and many figures are more likely to be read than posters that have more text and fewer figures. As with a short oral presentation, a poster is not meant to report an entire study but to convey the findings and conclusions of a study and just enough information for the reader to understand the reason for the study and the methods used.
Topic: Stick to only one idea/topic in your poster. Including too much information not directly related to your central idea often confuses and frustrates readers.
Target
audience:		 Write your poster for a general audience. Remember that people from many different backgrounds will attend the meeting. Your goal is to create a presentation that anyone can “get” in less than 5 minutes and one that someone with a basic background in your subject matter can fully understand in less than 10 minutes.
Organization: Organize your poster into sections and arrange those sections so that it is easy to follow the “flow” of your presentation. If you refer to figures, make it easy to find those figures and return to the starting point in the text quickly.