Call for Topical Session Proposal Submissions

Submission Period: Closed

AWRA's 62nd Annual Conference will be held November 9-11, 2026, at the Hilton Penn’s Landing along the Delaware River, in the heart of Philadelphia, PA. The conference, hosted by AWRA’s Delaware, New Jersey and Philadelphia sections, will convene water resource professionals and students from throughout the nation and will provide attendees with the opportunity to learn about and engage in multi-disciplinary water resource discussions. The program will stimulate conversations on water resource management, research and education. The 2026 conference will also include locally relevant topics such as the Delaware River and Chesapeake Bay watersheds, challenges for coastal communities and technology innovations as well as nationally and globally significant issues such as water quality, water supply, funding, coastal resilience, communication and outreach strategies and integrated water resources.

The conference will include oral and poster sessions, plenary panels, field trips, student activities and networking events. The Conference Planning Committee, as part of the general Call for Abstracts, is pleased to announce an open Call for Topical Sessions. Topical sessions will present a relevant and timely subject, with top researchers and practitioners discussing their work. The format may be a set of presentations, a panel with discussion or a workshop.

The deadline for proposing a topical session is closed. Proposals must be submitted through the AWRA portal (do not email them to the technical co-chairs). The Technical Conference Co-Chairs (Kathy Hale – [email protected]) and Teresa Thornton ([email protected]) will evaluate all proposals and provide responses by April 10, 2026. Proposers will be responsible for recruiting speakers and populating their sessions or workshops. Proposals should contain: a brief description of the session or workshop and its importance; prospective speakers and topics; and the names, affiliations and email addresses of the proposers.

Join water resource professionals and students, where it all began, 250 years ago in the City of Philadelphia, along the amazing and multi-faceted Delaware River. Come to our conference, make connections, and contribute to these important conversations!

Please carefully read these instructions in their entirety PRIOR to completing and submitting your proposed topical session within the online form at the end of this Call.

The Conference Planning Committee is seeking proposals for Topical Sessions. A Topical Session will present a relevant and timely subject, with top researchers and practitioners discussing their work. AWRA’s standard format is to hold concurrent 90-minute oral sessions each day, with four presentations per session. A Topical Session can cover one or more 90-minute session(s) in a track-like format. For instance, the session organizer may request two special sessions if there are 7-9 speakers to be included. This request should be included in your proposal. The session may also be a panel with a discussion period or a workshop. The format should be specified in the proposal.

The below examples list some water-related topics that may be of interest to the conference attendees.

Examples related to water resources in any field:

1. Transboundary Water Issues -- Regional and international
2. Challenges for Coastal Communities –Rising tidal levels, frequent floods, changing groundwater supplies, changing coastal dynamics, saltwater intrusion
3. Water Policy and Laws and their Impact on Water Supplies and Water Quality
4. Estuarine Processes
5. Dams – Dam removal and planning hydroelectric infrastructure (dams)
6. Technology Innovations – to improve understanding and mitigating changing climate and hydrologic conditions
7. Decision Support Systems – AI, GIS and remote sensing, information technology, sensors and sensor networks
8. Community Perspectives and Approaches – Observations of changes mitigation practices used with respect to housing, local infrastructure, fishing, etc.
9. Research Needs – Recent and projected changes
10. Winter Snow and Ice Processes – Changes in timing, magnitude, salt reduction
11. Energy and Water Supplies Impacts and Mitigation
12. Agriculture and Farming Impacts and Mitigation
13. Land Hazards and Risks – Landslides, avalanches, subsidence and other risks and mitigation
14. Extreme Precipitation and Flooding to Drought – Mitigation options and solutions
15. Water Quality – Impacts to water quality and mitigation to maintain water quality
16. Water Supply – climate change issues and resilience, infrastructure improvements
17. Intersecting Water laws and aquatic habitat conservation and development
18. Workforce – Development, resources and tools for the next generation
19. Housing, Transportation, Communications, and Energy Infrastructure
20. Datacenters – siting and impacts on water quantity and quality

Topical Session Proposals on Conference Themes (90-minutes) Should

• Focus on a novel topic that embodies the essence of the conference themes or is multi- or transdisciplinary in nature.
• Have flexible formats: They could be a panel, roundtable, interview, or another format of your choosing. For example, two or three authors may cover related topics, each preparing a separate manuscript for journal submission and presenting on that manuscript.
• Have an additional presenter, who is not an author but may be giving a related presentation, could be a discussant reacting to the presented papers or a moderator.

Required Information to Submit a Topical Session Proposal

Troubleshooting? Before you submit a Call for Topical Session, please do the following first:

1. Clear your cache and cookies in the web browser and restart your computer.
2. If the above does not work, please use a different web browser and consider using a nonwork computer. Often work computers have privacy settings that conflict with AWRA’s submission system.

The deadline to submit a topical session proposal is closed. Up to three submissions are permitted. Before submitting your topical session proposal, please have all of the following information with you:

• The organizer(s)/moderator name(s), affiliation(s), and email addresses.
• Topical session title.
• Type of presentation. Please review the types of a topical sessions: panel, technical, and/or workshop.
• A brief description (c. 150 words) of the session (session abstract): what it will cover; why you feel it is significant, and how it relates to the conference theme.
• Presenter’s name(s), company(s) affiliation(s), email address(es), and tentative oral presentation title(s). There is NOT a limit of presenters per topical session. Please note that all presenters DO NOT have to be confirmed at this time, although they must be confirmed by May 22, 2026. Confirming your speakers will guarantee they are placed in your session once they submit an abstract. All presenters are expected to register for the conference.

Topical Session Proposal Submission Process

1. There is no fee to submit a topical session proposal.
2. Complete the online form and click submit. The submission deadline is closed.
3. If your Topical Session is selected, all of your proposed presenters must submit to the “Call for Abstracts” with the Topical Session Code. That list will be posted on the website prior to the Call for Abstracts. Submissions that are accepted will be posted to the conference app as submitted and changes will not be made after submission.
4. If you would like to submit another proposal, you may click on the link on the Thank You page. 

Questions?

Questions about topical session proposals should be directed to [email protected]. Questions about submitting your proposal, registering for the conference and/or AWRA membership, please contact [email protected].