15th BC Paleontological Symposium: Call for Abstracts and Posters
The 15th British Columbia Paleontological Symposium will be hosted by the Vancouver Island Paleontological Society (VIPS), and the British Columbia Paleontological Alliance (BCPA). We invite you to participate and/or present an abstract paper, poster or fossil display at this event.
Locations:
Event | Location | Address |
---|---|---|
Symposium | Florence Filberg Center | 411 Anderton Ave Courtenay, BC Courtenay, BC |
Social Mixer | Courtenay Museum | 207- 4th Street Courtenay, BC Courtenay, BC |
Dates & Events
Day | Date | Time | Event |
---|---|---|---|
Friday | August 22 | 11 am – 4 pm | Field trip to Shelter Pt |
6 pm – 8:30 pm | Evening social mixer | ||
Saturday | August 23 | 9 am – 4 pm | Lectures, poster displays, fossil displays, silent auction |
6 pm – 9 pm | Evening banquet | ||
Sunday | August 24 | 9 am – 4 pm | Lectures, workshops, field trip to Trent River |
Monday | August 25 | 8 am – 5 pm | Field trip to Hornby Island |
Tuesday | Auguust 26 | TBD | Field trip to Hornby Island, continued. |
Registration
Call for Symposium Abstracts, Posters, and Fossils Displays
The symposium will include presentations from a mix of vocational and professional paleontologists from across Canada and the United States. The theme of this year’s symposium is British Columbia’s Fabulous Fossils, but we will also be focusing on Vancouver Island. We are interested in talks, posters and/or displays associated with paleontology or other related natural sciences.
Your hosts, the Vancouver Island Paleontological Society (VIPS), invite you to provide:
- an abstract for presentation
- a poster
- a fossil or other relevant display
Our aim is to showcase paleontology to a broad group and foster closer relations between professional scientists, citizen scientists and the community as a whole.
The deadline for submission of abstracts for presentation, posters and
requests for displays is June 15th, 2025.
Submissions may be electronic or by mail to the address/es listed below.
Instructions for Abstracts (Speaker and Posters)
- Abstracts will be published in a volume provided to all registrants.
- Abstracts are generally 100 – 2000 words (although submissions outside this range will also be considered).
- Contributors should include any photos and/or diagrams that would illustrate the topic. The abstract volume will be printed in color. It will be appreciated if authors can submit these as separate files to help the editors with formatting the volume.
- Names of all authors/contributors should be included along with any associated organizations.
- A general presentation should be 20 minutes.
Instructions for Posters
- A table and stand with a black 4×6 foot poster board will be supplied to each presenter. If you require more space or special display tables please make this clear when you submit your abstract.
- Each presenter should bring stickpins or tape to attach posters.
- Presenters must provide an abstract as per the instructions above.
- Posters may be set up beginning at 8:00 am. Saturday.
- During the day a poster session period will be specified; please be available at your poster during this time to entertain discussion about your exhibit.
- Printed posters must be brought by the author/s (there will not be any facility for printing posters by the symposium coordinators).
- Please see below for Helpful Hints for Posters.
Instructions for Displays
- Display tables will be at the perimeters of the presentation hall. There will be viewing times between speaking sessions.
- Tables will be provided (2.5 x 6 foot).
- Display items should be labelled and enclosed securely inside a glass or plastic case.
- Presenters should bring their own display cases.
Submissions and Further Information
Electronic: bcpaleo.events@gmail.com or www.vips-fossils.com.
Mailing Address: –
Vancouver Island Paleontological Society
Editors, Symposium Committee
2120 Stewart Ave
Courtenay, BC V9N 3H9
Some Helpful Hints
A poster is a visual medium to express current results of one’s research work on a topic the presenter has chosen to study, or to provide an overview of a researched topic.
Why posters?
Some stories can be expressed better in a visual / pictorial form than as a spoken presentation.
What is a poster?
It contains text and figures / pictures that describe a person’s/group’s work. It usually follows the same general pattern as a short article that might appear in a scientific journal. One typical format:
- Title, Author(s), Affiliation
- Abstract (Summary)
- Introduction – Reasons behind the work
- General information and location
- Description (the story) and interpretation (your ideas about what it means)
- Conclusions
- References
Dedicate a box on the poster to each of the above categories. Within the box, include the text and figures relevant to the category. Number the boxes in such a way that the reader can follow from one box to the other in the sequence that the presenter wishes. The structure of the above format can change depending on the topic.
If you use any photos from the internet be sure to include the reference / web address.
Make sure your text and photos can be easily read / seen by someone standing about 0.5 meters away.
Good Luck!
Dan Bowen
Chair BCPA and VIPS