UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — Online registration and submission of abstracts now are open for the fifth International Conference on Pollinator Biology, Health and Policy, which is scheduled for June 3-6, 2023, at the Penn Stater Hotel and Conference Center on Penn State’s University Park campus. The conference website can be found at this link.
The first international conference was hosted by Penn State in 2010, according to Christina Grozinger, director of the Penn State Center for Pollinator Research.
“The last 13 years have led to significant breakthroughs in our understanding of the drivers of pollinator declines, the tools to monitor and predict these declines, and strategies to conserve and expand managed and wild pollinator populations, as well as broader insect communities,” Grozinger said. “At the 2023 conference, we will celebrate these successes and discuss ongoing and emerging global challenges to pollinators.”
Grozinger noted that the theme for the 2023 conference is understanding and leveraging networks to support pollinator health, including gene networks, ecological community networks and scientific networks.
The conference will consist of six sessions spanning a range of topics, including:
- Evaluating and mitigating the impacts of pathogens and parasites.
- Deploying integrated pest and pollinator management to conserve pollinators and their ecosystem services in diverse landscapes.
- Developing tools for monitoring and mapping biodiversity.
- Principles and practices for designing biodiverse communities.
- Evaluating the manifold impacts of climate change on pollinator and insect communities.
- Ongoing national and global initiatives in policy, education and extension.
The conference will begin in the evening of June 3, 2023, with a welcome reception and keynote talk by May Berenbaum, of the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. Other keynote speakers during the event will be Michelle Flenniken, Montana State University; David Inouye, University of Maryland and Rocky Mountain Biological Laboratory; and Alexandra Klein, University of Freiburg.
Additional confirmed speakers include Rufus Isaacs, Michigan State University; Jane Stout, Trinity College London; Scott Loarie, iNaturalist and California Academy of Sciences; Hien Ngo, Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations; Michael Simone-Finstrom, USDA Agricultural Research Service; Gloria DeGrandi-Hoffman, USDA-ARS; Benjamin Risse, University of Muenster; and Elizabeth Hill, USDA Office of the Chief Scientist; Elfatih M. Abdel-Rahman, International Centre of Insect Physiology and Ecology; Christine Taliga, USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service; and Matt Forister, University of Nevada, Reno.
Preceding the conference on June 3, 2023, will be the Pollinator Conservation Short Course hosted by the Xerces Society for Invertebrate Conservation. The short course will feature presentations on creating and protecting pollinator habitat in urban, agricultural and natural landscapes, as well as related research conducted by Penn State scientists. Course participants will visit the four-acre Pollinator and Bird Garden at The Arboretum at Penn State. Registration for the short course will be available soon through the conference website.
Abstracts for conference oral and poster presentations are due Sept. 15, 2022. Individuals will be notified by Oct. 15 if their abstract is selected for oral or poster presentations. The early registration deadline to received a discounted registration fee is Dec. 1, 2022.
“This conference is unique in that it brings together individuals from multiple scientific backgrounds and perspectives, from genomics to ecology. Our speakers and participants span academic institutions, government agencies, industry groups and nonprofit organizations,” Grozinger said.
“There have been so many new ideas and collaborations that have come from the discussions fostered at this event,” she added. “The conference was last hosted in 2019 at the University of California, Davis, and we are very excited to be able to bring everyone together again in 2023.”
More information about the conference is available by contacting the conference organizers: Grozinger (cmgrozinger@psu.edu), Michelle Flenniken, Montana State University (michelle.flenniken@montana.edu) and Alex Klein, University of Freiburg (alexandra.klein@nature.uni-freiburg.de). Conference registration and logistical inquiries should be directed to Erin Reed, Penn State (ekm5113@psu.edu).
This conference is supported by Penn State’s Center for Pollinator Research, Department of Entomology, College of Agricultural Sciences, and Huck Institutes of the Life Sciences. Sponsors include Wyman's of Maine. For inquiries regarding sponsorship opportunities, contact Erin Reed, Penn State (ekm5113@psu.edu).