KEY DATES

Special Session Submittal Deadline
10 October 2014

Abstract Submittal Opens
3 November 2014

Deadline for Submission of Abstracts
30 January 2015

Presenters Notified of Acceptance
March 2015

Call for Student Volunteers /
Notification of Assignments /
Program Schedule Posted

April 2015

Regular Registration Ends
16 May 2015

EVENTS AND ACTIVITIES

OPENING RECEPTION
Sunday, May 17, 8:00-10:00 pm
Wisconsin Center Lobby ABC

A welcome reception to the 2015 SFS Annual Meeting will be held on Sunday, 17 May 2015 in the Wisconsin Center Lobby ABC immediately following the SFS Meeting Opening-Awards. Conference registration will be open prior to the reception to allow you to pick up your conference materials. Light hors d'oeuvres and a cash bar will be available.

JAM SESSIONS
Sunday - Tuesday, May 17-19, 9:00-11:59 pm
Monarch Lounge at the Hilton
Come join fellow attendees turned musicians for a fun and lively evening. No need to sign up. Watch for more details to be released at the meeting.

SFS STUDENT-MENTOR MIXER
Monday, May 18, 6:30-8:30 pm
Hilton Hotel, Crystal Ballroom

SFS MIXER and LIVE AUCTION
Monday, May 18, 7:30-10:00 pm
Wisconsin Center Ballroom ABC

SFS MIXER HONORING RETIREES
Tuesday, May 19, 5:00-7:00 pm
Wisconsin Center Lobby ABC

SFS ENDOWMENT RECEPTION
Tuesday, May 19, 5:30 pm-7:00 pm
Hilton Hotel, Regency Ballroom

SOCIAL EVENT AND TOUR AT UWM SCHOOL OF FRESHWATER SCIENCE
Tuesday, May 19, 7:00 pm-10:00 pm (busses depart the Wisconsin Center at 6:45 p.m.)
Join the School of Freshwater Sciences (the "other" SFS) for an evening of social exchange, freshwater interactive displays, research ship tours, and visit research laboratories, and dedicated labs such as the freshwater robotics laboratory (remotely operated vehicles!). The School of Freshwater Sciences is located at the edge of the largest freshwater system on the Earth's surface--the Great Lakes. Re-dedicated in 2009 as the SFS, the school expands a tradition of freshwater studies at UWM that began in 1966 with the Center for Great Lakes Studies and continued as the Great Lakes WATER Institute in 1998. As the only graduate school in the U.S. dedicated to the study of freshwater, its research and education programs are integrated across four major areas: freshwater ecosystem dynamics; human and ecosystem health; freshwater technology; and freshwater economics, policy, and management. No charge for tour and transportation. Cash bar. Busses depart from the Wisconsin Center beginning at 6:30 pm.

SFS MEMBERSHIP LUNCH
Wednesday, May 20, 12:00 pm-1:30 pm Wisconsin Center, Ballroom ABC

POSTER SESSION
Wednesday, May 20, 1:30-4:00 pm
Wisconsin Center, North and South Foyers

TAXONOMY FAIR
Wednesday, May 20, 1:30-4:00 pm
Wisconsin Center, South Foyer and Room 102A
The Taxonomy Fair at the Annual Society for Freshwater Sciences meeting is an opportunity for students and professionals alike to interact with leading experts in the fields of invertebrate and algal taxonomy. The Technical Issues Committee has gathered over 10 experts in taxonomy and systematics to assist participants in difficult and unique taxa. Taxonomic experts will gather at the Taxonomy Fair during the Wednesday evening poster session. Please bring your difficult, unknown or interesting specimens to the taxonomy fair and have them verified by experts in the field. This is an opportunity to discuss your findings with other taxonomists, collaborate on new research and learn about new advances in systematics. The Taxonomy Fair is an open session allowing for intimate one on one interaction with taxonomic experts.

Please bring any specimens you wish to discuss, and remember to abide by any restrictive guidelines for traveling with specimens and EtOH.

Technical Issues Committee

Participating Taxonomic Experts:

Participant Taxonomic Group Affiliation
Sylvia Lee Diatoms Cary Institute of Ecosystem Studies
Rob Dillon Gastropods College of Charleston
Luke Jacobus Mayflies IUPUC
Robert Dubois Odonata Wisconsin DNRC
Mark Wetzel Oligochaeta Illinois Natural History Survey
Ed DeWalt Plecoptera Illinois Natural History Survey
Julie Heinlein Soft Algae Michigan State University
Jason Robinson Trichoptera Illinois Natural History Survey
Rebecca Winterringer Mollusks URS corporation
D. Christopher Rogers Crustacea Kansas Biological Survey
Bohdan Bilyj Chironomidae BioTax Consultants
Fredric Govedich Hirudinea Southern Utah University

CHAPTER INFORMATION SESSION
Wednesday, May 20, 4:00 pm-5:00 pm
Wisconsin Center, Room 101B

FUN RUN
Wednesday, May 20, 4:00 pm-6:00 pm
The SFS Annual 5k Run will be along the beautiful shore of Lake Michigan, starting near Discovery World and looping south through Lake Shore State Park. The start/finish area is located exactly 1 mile due east of the convention center and the course has very little change in elevation. Flat and fast! A shuttle will depart from the Wisconsin Center to transport runners to the park from 3:45-4:30 pm and the race will start around 5-5:15 pm. There will be refreshments at the finish and the run will be chip timed with results posted online afterward. Runners will also receive a Fun Run t-shirt.

DISCOVERY WORLD - SFS Evening Event
Wednesday, May 20, 7:30 pm-11:00 pm
Busses depart from the Wisconsin Center
Join us for a reception-style evening event at the Discovery World Science and Technology Center for the SFS evening mixer event. Take a journey from the Great Lakes to the Caribbean when you step into the Reiman Aquarium. You'll have an opportunity to experience the hydrologic cycle via an interactive cloud, view submerged habitats, and manage the flow of water at the Great Lakes Future exhibit.

The SFS Annual Meeting is managed by the conference services team at Utah State University