June 4, 2020 - ABRCMS COVID-19 Statement

ABRCMS recognizes the significant challenges COVID-19 has placed on the scientific and educational communities and will make necessary adjustments to accommodate attendance to the 2020 conference.

As of today, we are still planning to hold the meeting as scheduled from November 11-14, 2020, in San Antonio, Texas. This is a fluid situation, and we will continue to update you as additional information is available.

Regarding abstract submission, note the following adjustment:

In addition to students submitting abstracts based on current research, ABRCMS is allowing students to submit abstracts based on past research. Abstract submissions from past ABRCMS will NOT be accepted. Permission must be obtained from the lab where the research was conducted.

In addition, Student Travel Awards have also been updated:

Applicants do not have to present in a poster or oral session.
A recommendation from a mentor is not required.
Preference will be given to undergraduate seniors and postbaccalaureates. 

ABRCMS 2020 ePoster Presentation Session (New for 2020)

To provide students who are unable to participate in-person at ABRCMS 2020 with an opportunity to present their research, an ePoster Presentation Session will be held on December 2-4, 2020. Due to the financial hardships caused by COVID-19. Registration for the ePoster Presentation Session will be free.

In-person Presentation Sessions

In addition to submitting abstracts based on current research, ABRCMS will allow students to submit abstracts based on past research or virtual research experiences.

Abstract submissions from past ABRCMS will NOT be accepted. Permission must be obtained from the lab where the research was conducted. 

Attention Attendees from California: Participation in ABRCMS 2020

We hope this email finds you well. We would first like to thank you for your continued support of ABRCMS over the years. Without your support, the meeting would not be the success it has been. In 2019, ABRCMS had record attendance of over 5,250, including 3,300 undergraduate and graduate student attendees. The ABRCMS 2020 will be held in San Antonio, TX, November 11-14, 2020 and we look forward to your participation again this year.

We know that many of our California attendees have expressed concerns about holding ABRCMS in Texas this year. We hear your concerns and continue to think about strategies to work collaboratively so that you can attend.

Due to the rapid growth in ABRCMS over the years, we have become increasingly limited in the cities that can accommodate our group. Adding to this, ABRCMS is required to identify and select conference venues as part of the grant submission and renewal process. This means that San Antonio was selected and confirmed over 5 years ago, prior to the most recent changes in travel guidelines. Sometimes, as has happened in this situation, issues may arise that pose challenges with cities after we are already committed.

Further information on the California travel ban to other states can be found through the following link, including information about stipulations and exceptions related to this travel ban: https://oag.ca.gov/ab1887. Please note, this ban impacts State employees only, and not individual City or County employees, and there are multiple exceptions. Please let us know if there is any additional assistance we can provide. We hope you can join us. Thanks for our continued support of ABRCMS.

Avery August, Ph.D., ABRCMS Chairperson
Irene Hulede, ABRCMS Project Lead

Questions? Contact This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.