Update on The Geological Society of America’s 2020 Annual Meeting

GSA 2020 Connects Online: An online meeting experience slated for 26–30 October 2020

Boulder, Colo., USA: The governing Council announced today that The Geological Society of America’s 2020 Annual Meeting, formerly scheduled for 25–28 October in Montréal, Québec, Canada, has been recast as a 100% online scientific exchange, taking place over five days, 26–30 October.

GSA 2020 Connects Online will retain many of the traditional features of the in-person annual meeting, including field trips, short courses, technical sessions, poster sessions, the Presidential Address, Feed Your Brain sessions, networking events, GeoCareers opportunities, and the exhibit hall (rebranded as the GSA Resource and Innovation Center)—along with elements that will elicit the flair and feel of the original Montréal location.

● The abstract submission system will open 1 July for sessions that were accepted for the original annual meeting dates. The deadline for submissions will remain the same: 4 August. New, flexible guidelines on the format and length of the technical program will be announced soon.

● Registration will open in early July, with reduced rates of close to 50% off the in-person registration rates . Additional financial assistance for students will be available.

“Our goal is to create an extraordinary online event for networking, new discoveries, and experiences of community togetherness for science,” says GSA Executive Director Vicki McConnell.

Local Committee Chair Felix Gervais (Polytechnique Montréal) noted that GSA was able to make this pivot because of the great partnerships in place with Tourism Montréal, the Palais des congrès de Montréal, and the hotels in Montréal. “Because of them, we are also pleased to announce that GSA’s Annual Meeting in 2027 will take place in Montréal, Quebec, Canada,” said Gervais. “The 2020 local organizing committee and GSA are looking forward to sharing the amazing geology in the Montréal region with our members.”

More information will be available in the August issue of GSA Today , and on the annual meeting website. Contact the GSA meetings department with questions.

The Geological Society of America, founded in 1888, is a scientific society with more than 20,000 members around the world from academia, government, and industry. Through its meetings, publications, and programs, GSA enhances the professional growth of its members and promotes the geosciences in the service of humankind. Headquartered in Boulder, Colorado, GSA encourages cooperative research among earth, life, planetary, and social scientists, fosters public dialogue on geoscience issues, and supports all levels of earth science education.

https://www.geosociety.org