15th BC Paleontological Symposium: Call for Abstracts and Posters

The 15th British Columbia Paleontological Symposium is 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 or poster at this event.

Dates & Events

DayDateTimeEvent
FridayAugust 2211 am – 4 pmField trip to Shelter Pt
6 pm – 8:30 pmEvening social mixer
SaturdayAugust 239 am – 4 pmLectures, poster displays, fossil displays, silent auction
6 pm – 9 pmEvening banquet
SundayAugust 249 am – 4 pmLectures, workshops, field trip to Trent River
MondayAugust 258 am – 5 pmField trip to Hornby Island
TuesdayAuguust 26TBDField trip to Hornby Island, continued.

Locations:

EventLocationAddress
SymposiumFlorence Filberg Center411 Anderton Ave
Courtenay, BC Courtenay, BC
Social MixerCourtenay Museum207- 4th Street
Courtenay, BC Courtenay, BC

Call for Symposium Abstracts, Posters, and Fossils Displays

The Vancouver Island Paleontological Society (VIPS), the founding member of the British Columbia Paleontological Alliance (BCPA), invites you to provide an abstract for presentation, or a poster, or a fossil display. 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. Specific invitations will be given to staff and students of western universities, professional and retired paleontologists, the Geological Survey of Canada, local and regional museums and four regional paleontological societies. The aim is to showcase paleontology to a broad group of people as well as the scientific community and to foster closer relations between the VIPS, the BCPA and all the above groups. The event will have a modest fee.

The Symposium

The symposium is a four-day event with presentations, posters and fossil displays on Saturday, August 23, and fossil preparation workshops on Sunday August 24th. Registration is required to attend the Saturday activities and there will be a modest fee to cover the symposium banquet, abstract booklets, and other costs. Due to limited space, Sunday workshop participants will be required to register and pay a moderate fee for workshop manuals. The fossil preparation workshop will be located at the VIPS workshop 2120 Stewart Avenue in Courtenay.

Field trips will be on Friday morning, Sunday afternoon, Monday, Hornby Island all day and maybe Tuesday for those who choose to stay overnight. Each field trip will require a fee for expenses and a booklet of the field trip site. All fees will be paid through “Eventbright”.

Instructions for Symposium Abstract Volume

Abstracts will be published in an attractive color symposium abstract volume, provided to registrants at meet and greet on Friday or Saturday morning before the first presentation at 9:00 am. We request that speakers and poster presenters submit abstracts for the publication to the editors (see below). Abstracts can be 1-4 pages in length (with 1 being standard); exceptions may be made for specific requests. Abstract contributors are encouraged to include the abstract, photos and/or diagrams. The abstract volume will be printed in color. Abstracts will not be edited for content but will be reformatted to fit into the volume. The author and co-authors should be included for insertion in the volume. The deadline for submission of abstracts for publication is June 15th, 2025.

Submission of an abstract is mandatory for presenters and poster displays.

Instructions for Posters / Fossil Displays

A table and stand with a black 4×6 foot poster board will be supplied to each presenter. Each presenter should bring stickpins or tape to attach posters, although we will try and have some on hand. Those who have special requirements, such as electricity to operate a display or a larger display area, should identify these requirements upon submission of a request for space. Presenters are requested to provide an abstract as per the instructions above. We request poster presenters be set up by 9:00 am. the day of the event. During the day a poster session period will be specified; please be available at least during this time to entertain discussion about your exhibit. The deadline for submission of request for poster space is June 15, 2025.

Further Information

Abstract submissions/ Presentation program / Communications

Poster displays/ General information/ Communications

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?

Written presentations are mechanisms to convey past and recent developments in a field of study essential to the investigator. An effective written presentation is a poster presentation.

What is a poster?

A poster is something that you pin up on a board. The dimension of a poster can vary. It can be anywhere from 2′ x 3′ to 4′ x 8′. It contains text and figures relevant to one’s work. It follows the same pattern as an article that appears in a scientific journal. One typical format:

  • Title, Author(s), Affiliation
  • Summary
  • Introduction – Reasons behind the work
  • General information
  • Geographical location of where the fossils were found
  • Description and interpretation
  • 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 framework changes from topic to topic.

Good Luck!
Dan Bowen
Chair BCPA and VIPS