Call for Abstract & Student Posters

Submission Deadline: October 14

Read these instructions entirely before submitting your abstract at the end of the page.

The Alaska Section, AWRA is excited to co-host the AWRA 2025 Spring Conference on “Development Risks and Challenges Changing Climate Conditions” in Anchorage, Alaska. We are requesting abstracts addressing scientific and technical climate change session topics related to water resource uses and management.

• What are the current and projected problems and challenges to water resources and uses associated with climate changes?
• What are the current and future solutions to help address the risks and uncertainties to water resources and uses associated with climate changes?
• How does your abstract inform and answer these questions for the conference attendees?

The multidisciplinary variety of conference topics provide presenters the opportunity to develop sessions to satisfy interests in a variety of water-related climate-change risks and challenges. The successful outcome will satisfy the interests of seasoned and young professionals, academics, students, non-profit groups, native communities and the general public.

Abstracts should relate to the various interdisciplinary causes, options and solutions to help mitigate climate-change impacts related to water uses and management. Abstracts addressing the science, legal, institutional and public perspectives should also include integration of overarching socioeconomic and cultural considerations when applicable.

Key questions to consider when developing your abstracts relevant to water-related climate change topics and issues are:

• What is climate change (both short and long term)?
• How is climate change defined from science, legal, institutional and public perspectives?
• What are the impacts (short and long-term) of climate change?
• What are the solutions (short and long-term) to mitigate impacts of climate change?
• How do we reduce the risks and uncertainties with development and maintenance for water supplies, transportation, energy, housing and other infrastructure?
• How do we engage and empower the public to participate in climate change issues?

Below are some highlighted topical sessions that have been selected for the conference. Enter the session codes (A, B, C, or D) during your abstract submission. If your abstract would fit well in one of these sessions, please let us know.

• A) Topical Session – Geospatial relationships between water quality and human health outcomes in a changing climate
• B) Topical Session – Freshwater habitat resilience to support Western Alaska salmon survival and recovery in the face of ongoing climate change
• C) Topical Session – A Broad-Based Community Approach to Modeling, Observations, and Prediction of Water Resources Across Climate Timescales over the continental United States
• D) Topical Session – Creating and sustaining equitable, climate-resilient water and sanitation for frontline communities in the United States

The below examples list some water-related climate change topics relating to our conference themes:

• How to mitigate climate impacts on existing water related anthropogenic uses, management and structures?
• How to plan for future water infrastructures and uses?
• How to mitigate climate impacts on existing water related environmental conditions and uses?
• How to plan for future changes to the environment?
• How to plan for and mitigate extreme hydrologic flood, drought, hurricane, ice, glacial, etc. events?
• How to maintain sustainable water supplies addressing the need for balancing anthropogenic and ecological water management and uses?
• Challenges for Coastal Communities – Rising tidal levels, frequent floods, changing groundwater supplies, changing coastal dynamics, saltwater intrusion
• Planning Hydroelectric Infrastructure (Dams) – Planning for 50 to 100 years
• Land Hazards and Risks – Mitigating landslides, subsidence and other risks
• Winter Snow and Ice Processes – Changes in timing, magnitude, avalanches, ice breakup
• Housing, Transportation, Communications, and Energy Infrastructure
• Technology Innovations – to improve understanding and mitigating changing climate and hydrologic conditions
• Community Perspectives and Indigenous Approaches – Observations of changes and mitigation practices used with respect to housing, local infrastructure, fishing, hunting and gathering, etc.
• Research Needs – Recent and projected changes
• Energy and Water Supplies impacts and mitigation
• Agriculture and Farming impacts and mitigation
• Land Hazards and Risks – Landslides, avalanches, subsidence and other risks and mitigation
• Extreme Precipitation and Flooding to Drought – Mitigation options and solutions
• Water Quality – Impacts to water quality and mitigation to maintain water quality
• Intersecting water laws and policies related to aquatic habitat, fisheries, and wildlife conservation and development
• Hydrologic impacts related to increased permafrost thawing

AWRA's commitment to community, conversation, and connection guides our efforts in putting this specialty conference together. Compelling presentations are the foundation of any conference, and the AWRA Spring 2025 Specialty Conference is no exception. We look forward to your abstracts, which will help provide insights and inputs to stimulate informative conversation.

Come to our conference, make connections, and contribute to these important conversations!

Types of Presentations

Individual Oral Presentations
Oral Presentations are typically organized with four to a 90-minute session (sometimes fewer) grouped according to the same or similar topics. This typically allows 20-minutes for each presentation with 10 minutes for questions (for all session presenters combined).

Panel Sessions
Panel sessions focus on a unified topic, with multiple brief (10 -15 minutes each) presentations and a moderated discussion by the panel organizer. Panel sessions require just one abstract, submitted by the organizer. Please advise panelists that they must pay the registration fee.

Lightning Talks
Each talk is five minutes, limited to five PowerPoint slides. Separate abstracts are not required for lightning talks because full-length versions of lightning talks will be given in a regular session. About sixteen talks are accommodated in one 90-minute slot. If you wish to organize a Lightning Talk session, let the technical co-chairs know ASAP. Presenters are still required to pay the registration fee.

Other Ideas – Workshops, etc.
If you would like to organize a workshop or field trip, please contact the Technical Program Co-chairs right away. We are looking for creative, original, and compelling ideas.

Abstract Preparation

Before submitting your abstract online, please have all of the following information with you:

• Name, title, employer, full mailing address, email address, phone number of the main contact, presenter, and co-presenters. Note: Co-author(s) information will not be collected nor included in the conference program/abstract summaries.
• If you are submitting an abstract for a topical session enter the session code. The topical session organizer will provide this, but the codes are as listed here: A) Geospatial relationships between water quality and human health outcomes in a changing climate; B) Freshwater habitat resilience to support Western Alaska salmon survival and recovery in the face of ongoing climate change; C) A Broad-Based Community Approach to Modeling, Observations, and Prediction of Water Resources Across Climate Timescales over the continental United States; or D) Creating and sustaining equitable, climate-resilient water and sanitation for frontline communities in the United States.
• Type of presentation: oral, poster, either oral or poster, panel.
• Abstract title.
• Abstract (350 words or fewer).
• Credit card information for payment of non-refundable abstract submittal fee ($25). Payment of the abstract fee must be made before abstract submission. Multiple abstracts can be submitted but can only be made ONE AT A TIME after paying for each abstract separately. Each abstract is a non-refundable $25 fee.
• All presentations are in-person only. Presenters not registered for the conference will have their information removed from the program before the conference.

Membership in AWRA is encouraged but is not a requirement for presentation. However, registration and relevant registration fees are required. Oral and poster abstracts are being sought on any topics dealing with, or related to, the conference themes.

Abstract Submission Process

• Start the abstract submission process by paying the fee. You must be signed into your AWRA account.
• Do NOT select more than one abstract submission fee at a time.
• After payment is submitted, you will receive a link to the Abstract Submission Form in your confirmation email and on the confirmation page.
• Complete the form and click Submit.
• If you would like to submit another abstract, you may click on the link on the Thank You page. 

Please note:

• Purchase only ONE abstract submission fee at a time.
• You must use the same AWRA account to submit the abstract fee and submit the abstract.
• Abstract fees are non-refundable.

Submit an Abstract

Acceptance Notification

The Program Committee will review abstracts for originality, technical merit, currency, and relevance to the Conference topics. Authors' suggestions for topic and format placement (oral, panel, or poster) will be considered, but the Committee will make the final decision. The quality of the submitted abstract will be viewed as an indication of the quality of the presentation. Previous performance or failure to give timely notification of cancellation at previous annual and specialty conferences may influence the decision for acceptance. Abstracts received after the deadline may not be considered or accepted. All conference attendees, including presenters, must pay the conference registration fee.

Before submitting an abstract, authors should be confident they will have funding to pay the registration fee, attend the meeting, and make the presentation. If the presenter finds he/she can't attend, they should try to find another person to make the presentation. If you must cancel your presentation, note that the cancelation date is February 6, 2025 and will be subject to a processing fee of 30% of total fees. If cancelation is unavoidable, the presenter should notify AWRA by February 6, 2025. No refunds will be given after February 6, 2025, but we can transfer your registration to someone else. The transfer must be completed by April 21, 2025. Once the technical program is complete, we cannot accommodate personal schedules. Please note that topics, themes, and sessions arranged for the program are placed where they most make sense for the flow of the entire program. Late cancellations and failure to give scheduled presentations are disruptive and leave gaps in the program that distract all attendees.

Questions?

If you should have any questions about abstracts, please contact [email protected]. If you have questions related to conference registration and AWRA Membership, please contact [email protected].