Registration is now open for the Virtual Evolution 2021 conference on June 21-25! Talk submissions are open until April 30 or until all slots are filled. All talks must be recorded by June 1.

Talks and Events

Scheduled events will run from 10:00 AM to 7:00 PM Eastern time. See the Schedule Overview [1] for more details.

Plenaries: Each day will be highlighted by a live-streamed plenary. On Friday, the 25th, we will live stream award symposia and talks. All live events will be available to view afterwards with English, Spanish, or no captions.

Faux-Live Talks: Pre-recorded, synchronous talks. These 10-minute talks will be grouped into sessions with live discussion sessions after each group. Talks will also be available to view afterwards. All talks submitted before the cap is reached will be accepted (up to ~1000). These talks can be given in English or Spanish, and can be viewed with English, Spanish, or no captions.

On-Demand Talks: Pre-recorded talks, 6 minutes each. These talks will be available to view any time, much like browsing a set of posters. All talks submitted before the cap is reached will be accepted (up to ~800). These talks can be given in English or Spanish, and viewed with English, Spanish, or no captions. 

Workshops: We are offering many of our familiar workshops, as well as some new ones. Topics include science communication, writing an NSF proposal, finding a postdoc, language barriers in science, public policy, and more! See the meeting website [2] for more details.

Networking Opportunities: This meeting will offer many opportunities to connect with your colleagues. There will be open networking “lounges”, post-talk discussion sessions, postdoc and grad student-faculty networking “lunches”, and a variety of socials, including an international mixer for members outside the US, the John Edmonstone Coffee Social for BIPOC Scientists and Allies, the LGBTQ+ and Allies Super-Awesome Trivia Treasure Hunt, a PUI mixer, a mixer for biologists with disabilities/chronic illness/Deaf biologists and allies, and a Latinxs in evolution mixer. Story Collider is also back by popular demand. See the meeting website [3] for more details.

Important Dates

April 15: Deadline for the SSE Hamilton Award for Outstanding Graduate Student Presentation
[4]April 30: Deadline for faux-live and on-demand talk submissions (or earlier if capacity is reached)
June 1: Deadline for uploading recorded talks (or recording them using the meeting app)

SSE Member Registration Rates

Undergraduate/Graduate Student: $10 USD
Postdoc: $50 USD
Faculty/Professional: $125 USD

Every Evolution conference (including this one) is budgeted to break even. What does my registration pay for? [5]

Global Participation Program

We are pleased to offer free meeting registration for up to 200 society members from 139 countries and territories around the world. All SSE members who joined through the Global Membership Assistance Program are eligible! Learn more here [6].

Bilingual Mentor Program

For Evolution 2021, we will pair non-native English speakers with bilingual mentors. Mentors and mentees will meet before the conference to provide advice, work on presentations, and aid in translation. Indicate interest in mentoring or receiving mentorship during registration. Más información está disponible aquí [7].

Undergraduate Mentor Program

Graduate students and postdocs are encouraged to sign up to be a mentor for an undergraduate student through the virtual Undergraduate Day program. This program is an impactful but relatively low time-commitment opportunity to help undergrads feel at home in our Evolution community. Sign up during registration!

Safe Evolution

The Council of Evolution Societies (ASN, SSE, and SSB) are committed to promoting a safe, inclusive, and professional environment at Virtual Evolution 2021 through Safe Evolution. This program was designed to establish standards of appropriate behaviors, to address work-climate related concerns, and to offer support to members who may feel harassed, threatened or unsafe in any way when participating in joint meeting programs. If we all engage, we can make the Evolution meetings a professional and meaningful experience for everyone. Learn more on the Safe Evolution page [8].