Dear Colleagues,
We are preparing for the
Third International Congress of Biological Control (ICBC3) in San José, Costa Rica, from Monday 24th June to Thursday 27th of June 2024. We are soliciting ideas for scientific session subjects and panel discussion topics and volunteers to organize sessions and panels and to recruit speakers/panellists. ICBC3 will provide the ideal platform for multi and inter-disciplinary biological control research and application. Therefore, this congress is unique in serving as a meeting point for scientists and practitioners from universities, research institutes, governmental, non-governmental and private-sector organizations who are working on a wide breadth of biological control targets including insect pests, plant and animal diseases, weeds and invasive vertebrates whether they use importation, augmentation or conservation as approaches and whether they are interested in basic science related to biological control or in improving its application.
Session subjects and panel discussion topics should be conceptual, and the speakers/panellists should stimulate ideas by presenting new information. The scientific outputs from postgraduate students and postdocs are particularly welcome!
Session subjects and panel discussion topics should include the various approaches to biological control, e.g. conservation, augmentation, and importation. The subjects can also encompass various cross-cutting issues: pre-release studies, post-release evaluation, socio-economic studies, the Nagoya Protocol and biological control, the role of gene editing in biological control, community engagement prior release, long-term impact / cost savings of biocontrol, regulatory issues hindering market accessibility, uptake of biological control, the role of digital tools to promote the uptake of knowledge. We will favour session subject and panel discussion topics submissions that are designed to enhance inter-disciplinary collaboration! In addition, we are aiming for gender-balanced scientific sessions and panels.
Each scientific session or panel is 105 min long. We are planning to allow 5 speakers in each scientific session, each with 12 minutes for presenting and 7 minutes for discussion (in case there is high interest in a specific session topic up to 10 speakers can be allowed). Panels should be comprised of 3-5 panellists plus a chair and/or moderator and one keynote speaker who sets the scene for the topic to be discussed (the chair/moderator cannot be the keynote speaker). Panels must allow at least 25 minutes for Q&A from the audience.
Today, we hope that you will contribute by suggesting a scientific session subject and/or panel discussion topic and actively participating as a volunteer to organize such a session/panel. Please submit your scientific session subject / panel discussion topic online
here at the session submitting page
, following the information requirements, by 1st of September 2023 so that the proposals for scientific sessions/ panels and organizers can be shared with the members of the Scientific Steering Committee and the best ones selected.
Please forward this message to colleagues potentially interested in the meeting.
We are looking forward to arranging a stimulating ICBC3 with your strong support and active participation!
With best wishes,
Ulli Kuhlmann
CABI
Switzerland
u.kuhlmann@cabi.org
Martin Hill
IOBC Global
Rhodes University
South Africa
m.hill@ru.ac.za
George E. Heimpel
IOBC Global
University of Minnesota
USA
heimp001@umn.edu