SON is planning an in-person meeting at Gulf Shores State Park in Gulf Shores, Alabama Sept. 12-15, 2021.
To accommodate those who cannot travel because of COVID-19 restrictions, a Virtual Presentation option has been added to our in-person Tuesday night poster session.
Registrations and abstract submissions are now being accepted!
60th Annual SON Conference
The Gulf State Park and Auburn University invite you to attend the 60th annual meeting of the Society of Nematologists from September 12 - 15, 2021. The Lodge at Gulf State Park, a Hilton Hotel, is a unique destination on the Alabama Gulf Coast where nature is at your doorstep. It is located inside the naturally beautiful 6,150-acre Gulf State Park. This unique destination stands out from other Gulf Coast destinations because of its size and the diversity of its preserved ecosystems. The park is part of the National Geographic Unique Lodges of the World (https://www.nationalgeographiclodges.com/lodges/map-view/) and the Jean-Michel Cousteau Learning campus (https://watershed.pro/portfolio/learning-campus-gulf-state-park/).
Meeting rooms, restaurants, and hotel rooms are linked with covered walk ways.
Open-air space is optimized.
Addressing COVID Concerns
This event will follow COVID-safe practices. Mask-wearing and social distancing will be observed in accordance with current Alabama state public health orders. The Hilton Lodge hosting our event has implemented practices within their facility for us to gather responsibly:
To address safe group travel practices and evolve today’s event experience, Hilton EventReady with CleanStay is the next phase of Hilton CleanStay. The program expands on the elevated sanitation standards of the Hilton CleanStay program, addressing every touch point of the meeting experience.
Meeting Registration
Registration is open!
Late registration begins July 8, 2021 (registration fees will increase).
Abstracts are accepted until July 7th, 2021 through our SON webpage 2021 Abstract Submission Form.
Please see the Abstract Submission and Presentation Guidelines in the Meeting & Events menu of the website for more information on abstract and presentation formatting.
New registration category for virtual participation:
Because many of our members are still unsure if they will be able to attend an in-person conference in September but the Society deadline for abstracts needs to be in July we have created a Virtual Poster Presentation registration option. The deadline for this registration will be the same as that for abstract submission.
Virtual registrants will participate by providing a PDF of their poster along with a < 5 minute recorded presentation of their poster. These individual, prerecorded presentations will be turned into a video presentation montage to be played during the in-person poster session. Each poster will come up on the screen for 5 minutes and the audio narration will play, then the video will move to the next poster. The video will play on a continuous loop during the wine and cheese poster session.
PDFs of all posters will also be made available for viewing on the SON website (no audio) to those who register for the meeting face to face or virtually.
Student Travel Grants
Through the generous support of the Bayer Corporation as well as the Entomophilic Nematology and Mai-Ferris-Bird Endowment Funds administered through the N.A. Cobb Foundation, travel grants are available to students that meet the eligibility requirements. Please visit the Student Travel Award webpage for more information on how to apply. Deadline for applications has been extended to June 14th!
Hotel Reservations
The Lodge at Gulf State Park will serve as the meeting site and primary hotel accommodations for the 60th annual SON meeting (https://www.gulfshores.com/lodging/resorts/the-lodge-at-gulf-state-park/). Rooms are available through the website Sunday Sept. 12, 2021 through Thursday Sept. 16, 2021. Please use the Group code: SON.
Park View rate is $169.00/night
Gulf View rate at $189.00/night
Guests wishing to reserve their rooms by phone or extend their stay should reach out to the Lodge Reservations desk at 800-618-4350. Remember Group code SON. Rooms can also be reserved online at http://group.hilton.com/societyofnematologists however; extended dates are not available via the booking link.
Travel to/from the Meeting Site
The Pensacola International Airport located in Pensacola, Florida is 37 miles from the park. (https://www.pensacola-airport.com/) American, Delta, Southwest and Frontier are some of the airlines that fly in to this airport.
Rental cars and Uber offer transport to the Park.
Parking is $8.00 a day and bicycles are available at no additional cost.
Nature Tours
Our meeting site is located inside the naturally beautiful 6,150-acre Gulf State Park. This unique destination stands out from other Gulf Coast destinations because of its size and the diversity of its preserved ecosystems. The park is part of the National Geographic Unique Lodges of the World and so we have made time in the meeting for an assortment of guided Nature Tours for you to choose from, if you are interested and for an additional fee. A summary of the tours available can be found here.
If you have already registered for the meeting but would like to add registration for the Monday evening Guided Star Party or any of the Wednesday morning Nature Tours you can now use the links below:
Guided Star Party Registration Nature Tour Registration
Agenda
A full* meeting registration includes access to all scientific sessions, the opening reception, the wine and cheese poster session, closing reception and awards banquet dinner. You will also be provided with morning and afternoon beverage service, snacks and lunches.
The Meeting schedule at a glance:
• Sunday evening Welcome Reception
• Monday morning Plenary Sessions I & II
• Monday afternoon Graduate Student Paper Competition
• Monday evening Star Gazing at the Pier
• Tuesday Paper sessions and Symposia
• Tuesday evening Wine and Cheese Poster Session
• Wednesday morning Nature Tours
• Wednesday afternoon Capacity Building grants &
Committee meetings
• Wednesday evening Closing Banquet
*Those registering for one-day or as an Exhibitor would need to purchase an Extra Banquet ticket if wishing to attend the Awards Banquet.