The 62nd annual Southern Forest Insect Work Conference will be held 25-27 July 2023 (Tuesday – Thursday) in Raleigh, North Carolina!
The SFIWC 2023 registration form is available exclusively online through Eventbrite again this year. Go to https://sfiwc2023.eventbrite.com to register. The registration fee is $475 ($195 for students and retired members), which includes a ticket to the Thursday night banquet for the registrant. Extra banquet tickets for guests are $65. Registration receipts and name tags will be distributed at the registration table.
Pre-registration on the Eventbrite website is available until Friday, July 14, 2023. If you’re planning on paying at-the-door via cash or check, please pre-register on the Eventbrite website.
IMPORTANT!!!: If you choose, you can pay your registration fee online at the Eventbrite website (https://sfiwc2023.eventbrite.com) with a credit card prior to the meeting! Please be aware that the deadline for paying via credit card is July 14, 2023. Credit card payments will NOT be accepted after this date! Credit card payments will NOT be accepted “at the door!”
IMPORTANT!!!: If you are not paying your registration fee with a credit card, please go to Eventbrite website (https://sfiwc2023.eventbrite.com) to fill out the registration form, indicating your payment preference. You may pay via mailing a check to me (“Pay By Check”) or using a check or cash at the meeting (“Pay At The Door”).
Please be aware that an additional $8.00 fee applies to all Canadian and other non-U.S. checks. If you are mailing a check, please make it out to “SFIWC”, indicate whose registration fees are being paid, and send it to:
Will Shepherd, SFIWC Treasurer
USDA Forest Service SRS
2500 Shreveport Hwy.
Pineville, LA 71360
One banquet ticket (for yourself) is included in your registration fee. Extra banquet tickets for adult ($65) and children 5-12 ($30) guests can be purchased using the online registration form. Children 4-and-under eat free!
If you do not want to pay for your extra banquet ticket(s) using a credit card, please select the number of tickets you want and then choose your preferred method of offline payment. If you are paying for your extra banquet ticket(s) separately from your registration fee, please fill out separate online forms for your registration fee and ticket(s).
We have chosen the Sheraton Raleigh Hotel for our meeting. I encourage you to make your hotel reservation as soon as possible. We have a block of 80 rooms (Tuesday-Thursday nights) and 70 rooms (Monday night) set aside for the group until June 24, 2023, so make your reservations by this date. Don’t miss out on the special pricing!
IMPORTANT: For the second year in a row, we will hold the entire meeting on Tuesday-Thursday, making Monday and Friday travel days. The opening business meeting and plenary session will begin after lunch on Tuesday. A full day of concurrent sessions, the closing business meeting, and awards banquet are scheduled for Thursday. Depending on your travel plans, you may want to reserve a room for Monday night even if you haven’t needed to do this for past meetings.
Meeting Hotel Details:
Date:
25-27 July 2023
Place:
Sheraton Raleigh Hotel
421 South Salisbury Street
Raleigh, North Carolina
Phone reservations:
800-325-3535
Mention the group code: SFI
or
Online reservations link:
https://www.marriott.com/events/start.mi?id=1660937794053&key=GRP
Self-parking is available at the hotel for $15 per day plus tax.
Visit https://www.marriott.com/en-us/hotels/rdusi-sheraton-raleigh-hotel/overview/ for hotel information.
Room rates are:
$149.00 per night plus tax for up to 4 occupants and are good for the nights of 24-27 July, 2023. Remember, this low rate is valid only until June 24, 2023. and only for the first 80 rooms (first 70 on Monday, July 24). Make your reservation right away!
Also, there are a limited number of rooms available with 2 queen-size beds (most rooms have a single king-size bed). Please choose the 2-bed option only if you need both beds due to multiple occupancy.
Program
This year’s Final Program is now available!
Open Sessions
There will be at least 2 open sessions with no defined topic for those wishing to make a presentation at SFIWC. Please send your title, name(s), and affiliation(s) to Katy Crout (kcrout@clemson.edu), Todd Johnson (toddjohnson@agcenter.lsu.edu), and Greg Wiggins (gregory.wiggins@ncagr.gov). Time slots will be approximately 15 minutes, including questions. Titles due by Friday, June 16.
Graduate Student Session
The SFIWC 2023 Graduate Student Session will be held during the morning of Wednesday, July 26. Please see the above link for presentation submission details – only 14 spots are available! Titles, authors, affiliations, and abstracts (REQUIRED; 350-word limit) should be sent to Damilola Taiwo (dmt349@msstate.edu), Kristin Hilborn (kipeters@ncsu.edu), Prabina Sharma (prabins@g.clemson.edu), and Ashley Schulz (ash.schulz@msstate.edu) by Monday, June 12.
Poster Session
The poster session and reception will be held on Wednesday, July 26. The deadline for poster title submissions is Friday, June 16. Please send your title, authors, and affiliations to Forest Palmer (jpalme5@clemson.edu), and use the following format:
David Coyle1, Brittany Barnes1, Gary Green1, Kier Klepzig2, John Nowak3, and Kamal Gandhi1. University of Georgia1, USDA-FS-SRS2, and USDA-FS-FHP3. Regional relevance of southern pine decline and its impact on landowner knowledge and attitudes.
Posters should be no larger than 4’ x 4’. Mounting materials will be provided. Posters can be set up starting Tuesday, July 25 and will be displayed throughout the meeting.
A.D. Hopkins Award and Roger F. Anderson Award
Nominations for the 2023 A.D. Hopkins Award, which recognizes outstanding record of service to Southern forest entomology, must be sent to Steve Clarke (astroclarke@gmail.com) by Friday, June 23.
The 2023 Roger F. Anderson Award will be presented to an outstanding graduate student in Southern forest entomology; send nominations to Lynne Rieske-Kinney (lrieske@uky.edu) by Friday, June 23.Please see the included links for detailed information on nomination submissions (and note the Hopkins Award nomination guidelines updated in 2022).
Photo Salon
Contact Brittany Barnes (brittanybarnes8@gmail.com) with any questions or pictures that you would like to submit to the 2023 SFIWC Photo Salon. Please see the included link for submission details. Only digital submissions will be accepted, and they must be received by Friday, June 23.
Field Trip
This year’s field trip is an inside tour of the Nature Research Center. This innovative museum gives the public a front row seat to real research done by real scientists. The NRC is located in downtown Raleigh, about a ten minute walk from the hotel. The tour will begin at 1:00 PM on July 26 and is open to the first 12 people to sign up (will have a waitlist once that is full). The tour will last about an hour. Lunch is not part of the tour, so be sure to eat before or have plans to eat after the tour. For convenience, The Daily Planet Cafe is located on the first floor of the NRC (and is delicious!). To reserve your spot now, please email Abby Ratcliff (arratcli@ncsu.edu). If you have specific questions about the tour or the NRC, contact Kelly Oten (kelly_oten@ncsu.edu).
Frustrana Cup
Game on! The Frustrana Cup will begin at 1:30 PM on July 26 at the Raleigh Beer Garden. We will be in the outdoor space toward the back for a wild cornhole tournament! Let Abby Ratcliff (arratcli@ncsu.edu) or Kelly Oten (kelly_oten@ncsu.edu) know if you have any questions!
SFIWC Food Drive
We will be collecting food and donations again for a local food bank in Raleigh. Cash, checks, and non-perishable food items can be dropped off at the registration table. Please be generous towards those in need. More details coming soon!
Southern Pine Beetle Working Group
The SPBWG meeting is scheduled for the morning of Tuesday, July 25. If you have any questions or would like to present, please contact John Nowak (john.t.nowak@usda.gov).