Credit: 10.5 U.S. Symposium on Harmful Algae Planning Committee.

The 10.5 U.S. Symposium on Harmful Algae held at the end of May showcased the work of students, postdoctoral, and early career community members. The breadth and scope of NOAA-funded harmful algal bloom (HAB) research was on display with NOAA scientists and sponsored researchers delivering plenary talks, over 25 oral presentations and posters, and participating in and moderating career panels.

The NCCOS Competitive Research Program made a significant contribution to the success of the symposium as a sponsor and with staff Quay Dortch and Mary Kate Rogener serving on the steering committee.

The U.S. Symposium on Harmful Algae provides a comprehensive look at harmful algae and its impacts on United States marine and freshwater environments. This symposium is typically held on a biennial basis; however, due to COVID, the next in-person symposium was pushed to the Fall of 2022, leaving a three-year gap between the meetings. To reduce potential impacts of the extended gap between meetings on students, postdoctoral researchers, and early career scientists, an interim virtual meeting was scheduled to showcase the work exclusively from these groups. Because it was between the 10th and 11th in-person meetings, it was named the 10.5 U.S. Symposium on Harmful Algae. Registration was free.

Over 490 participants (nearly 300 online at one time) registered for this virtual interim meeting with representation from 45 states and 17 countries. Also, the online venue allowed increased engagement from state managers, who made up 21 percent of the registrants. Managers are often challenged to attend due to budget constraints. By comparison the 2019 10th Symposium had over 360 registrants and 16 percent were managers.

For more information on the 10.5 U.S. HAB Symposium see the full program. For a complete list of participating NCCOS scientists and sponsored researchers, click here.