Introduction
The National Water Quality Monitoring Council (NWQMC) was established in 1997 as the successor to the Intergovernmental Task Force on Monitoring Water Quality. The overall purpose of the NWQMC is to champion and support water quality information to inform natural resources management and environmental protection. The Council is a nationwide partnership of water monitoring and information management organizations from federal, state and tribal agencies, municipalities, business and industry, academia, agriculture, environmental groups, volunteer scientists and others with expertise in environmental monitoring. The NWQMC is charged with fostering dialogue and encouraging collaboration for the collection, management, and use of water-quality data and information needed to assess status and trends, to identify and prioritize existing and emerging problems, to identify research needs, to develop and implement management, stewardship and regulatory programs, and to evaluate compliance with environmental requirements and the effectiveness of programs and projects. We are currently transitioning our informational website from our previous server hosted by the USGS to an EPA hosted server but future information on the NWQMC can be found at: https://www.epa.gov/awma/national-water-quality-monitoring-council
The Council is committed to promoting Justice, Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion (JEDI) within all aspects of water quality monitoring and assessment. Our success in achieving water quality goals depends on learning from people of all backgrounds. We are committed to fostering an inclusive and respectful culture for all participants and actively improving JEDI throughout Council activities by working aggressively to remove systemic and institutional barriers that add layers of disadvantage and environmental injustice to Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC), LGBTQ+ communities, persons with disabilities, and other minoritized groups. We acknowledge that our initiatives are a work in progress and commit to training and educating our members on implicit biases and historical environmental injustices, so that we may continuously improve how we amplify underrepresented voices and support opportunities for the broader water quality monitoring community.
If this is your first time submitting a proposal for the National Monitoring Conference, the Council always welcomes new contributors to the conference program and participants.
Information for Session Chairs
The NMC 2025 program development will include two solicitations for program materials. First, we are requesting proposals for four types of Sessions for the 2025 National Monitoring Conference: Concurrent Sessions, Panel Discussions, Facilitated Round Tables and Workshops/Short Courses. A second solicitation, which will consist of a Call for Abstracts for Concurrent Sessions (15-minute oral presentations) and posters, will occur in late July 2024.
Sessions are 90 minutes in length and are organized into one of four formats:
Panel Discussions bring together topical experts in a short presentation format followed by a facilitated discussion where attendees can explore topics in more detail. Attendees should come away with a more complete understanding of the topic, as well as associated challenges and opportunities. (Typically, 3-6 lightning presentations followed by discussion)
Facilitated Round Tables give attendees an interactive opportunity to discuss and provide insights on an important science topic. Attendees should contribute their expertise and experiences to a challenging topic that requires input to develop solutions. (Typically, one 15-minute presentation, or so, with the remaining time for facilitated discussion).
Workshops/Short Courses provide an interactive, hands-on training opportunity for attendees. The focus should be on the latest field, analytical or data analysis techniques related to the conference themes or science topic. Attendees should walk away with an introduction to a new skill set.
Concurrent Sessions are defined as a block of four 15-minute presentations within a 90-minute period, with all presentations revolving around a similar common conference theme or topic. Each presenter is given a 20-minute speaking slot, 15 minutes for the presentation with 5 minutes reserved for introduction and questions. At the end of each session, a 10-minute time slot is reserved for general session questions. Concurrent Sessions are organized through a separate Call for Concurrent Sessions with talks coming from a subsequent Call for Abstracts. To review the Concurrent Sessions Guidelines please go to the following link: https://nwqmcconference.org/concurrent-session-proposal-guidance/
Note: Poster Presentations will also be available during the conference and are solicited during the call for abstracts for concurrent sessions.
The following information is provided to inform Session Chairs for Workshops/Short Courses, Panel Discussions, and/or Facilitated Round Tables on the organization of the meeting, the role of the Program Committee, and expectations for them. Specific information on submitting these types of Session proposals can be found below.
Please send any NMC 2025 program development questions to nwqmc@epa.gov.
Guidance on Submitting a Session Proposal for a Workshop/Short Course, Panel Discussion, and Facilitated Round Table.
Those who propose an accepted Workshop/Short Course, Facilitated Round Table or Panel Discussion will be responsible for preparing and supplying any handouts or materials, selecting presenters, and working with the Program Committee and Conference Logistics Staff to ensure that the Session is well formed.
We encourage you to seek diversity among organizations, speakers, and panelists, including tribal representatives, volunteer organizations and underrepresented communities as you plan your session.
Please note that the Panel Discussion, Workshop/Short Course, and Facilitated Round Table Session proposal submittal form is separate from the Concurrent Sessions proposal submittal form.
It is expected that the list of presenters for Panel Discussions, Workshops/Short Courses, and Facilitated Round Tables be finalized and confirmed by the Session Chair soon after those sessions are accepted but no later than October 2024. The following information is provided to inform Session (co-) Chairs on the organization of the meeting, the role of the Program Committee and expectations for them.
The Session submission deadline panel discussions and facilitated roundtables has been extended to June 21, 2024. The proposal due date for workshops/short courses has been extended to July 3, 2024. Session proposals will be evaluated by the Program Committee according to the NMC 2025 themes and/or alignment with the wide range of NMC attendee interest. By mid to late July 2024, Session chairs will be notified if their panel discussion and facilitated roundtable session proposal was selected for inclusion in the 2025 NMC and will be provided follow up information at that time. Acceptance notifications for workshops/short courses will go out in late July 2024.
Session proposals shall include the type of Session (workshop/short course, panel discussion or facilitated round table), a title, limited description, anticipated technology needs, justification for the session, which conference theme the session ties to (if any), keywords, and the interest groups expected to participate. Session proposals for Workshops/Short Courses should also indicate if there is a minimum and/or maximum attendance requirement for a session and should explain if attendees will need to prepare in any way. This information should be provided in the Additional Comments section of the submittal form.
The NMC Conference will be held in-person in Green Bay, Wisconsin as well as a limited virtual event. While our planning is still ongoing, our intention is to provide the following elements for our in-person and virtual attendees:
- Live-Streamed – the Plenary Sessions and a limited number of additional sessions (selected panel discussion) will be offered to virtual attendees. Virtual attendees will not be able to participate in discussions in real-time. However, virtual attendees can communicate with presenters through the conference app, as well as participate in discussion boards.
- In-Person concurrent sessions – 4 presenters in a 90-minute time block, will be available real-time to in-person attendees. Presenter approved recordings of the session will be posted to the conference app soon after the conference for in-person and virtual attendees to access for several months.
- Pre-recorded asynchronous presentations – It is generally expected that concurrent sessions will be in-person and all presenters will be attending. If we receive a quality abstract related to a session from a presenter who cannot attend, we will link that presentation to a theme related session for viewing asynchronously (i.e., not set for a specific time slot during the conference) by those interested. In these situations, pre-recorded content will be submitted ahead of the conference and be available through the conference app to in-person attendees and virtual attendees.
- Recorded Sessions – With presenter permission, and as technology and volunteer staffing allows, In-person Panel Discussions, and Facilitated Roundtable sessions will be recorded during the conference, and made available through the app, to in-person attendees and virtual attendees post-conference. We will not have the capacity to record the in-person workshops or short courses given their interactive nature, but we may invite popular sessions to provide a virtual NWQMC webinar or meeting post conference.
- Posters – Presenters will be able to upload their poster as a pdf and/or a recorded presentation, which will be made available through the conference app to in-person attendees and virtual attendees.
The Program Committee encourages having a co-chair(s) for the Session. If a co-chair is not identified in the proposal, the Program Committee may facilitate the identification of a co-chair following submission. If your proposal is selected as a Session at the NMC 2025, you will be considered the point contact unless you note otherwise on your session submittal form.
Sessions may be merged, when possible, if similar proposals are received, and/or they may be canceled if minimum attendance is not met when registration ends, even if they were originally selected.
Panel Discussions and Facilitated Roundtables will be set theater style with a panel table in front.
We plan to set our workshop/short course space as school room. Given that we incur room reset charges when room furniture is re-arranged, we ask you to be creative and consider working within that room set-up space.
If accepted, the total time allowed for the Session is typically 90 minutes. If additional time for a Workshop/Short Course is requested or multiple sessions for a Panel Discussion or Facilitated Roundtable are requested, approval will be determined in consultation with the Program Committee and Conference Logistics Staff. Note that a limited number of Workshop/Short Course Sessions greater than 90 minutes, but no longer than 180 minutes (not including a break) may need to be assigned to the shoulder dates of the conference (Monday and Friday only).
Commercial Session proposals will not be accepted, although the Conference Planning Committee welcomes the participation of vendors, suppliers, and service providers as part of our Exhibitor Hall.
All finalized sessions proposed by the Session chair(s) will be reviewed by the Program Committee. The Program Committee and Conference Logistics Staff will set up the session scheduling in the final program.
Note that Session chairs are collaborating on a voluntary basis; their efforts are strongly appreciated and publicly recognized. However, the work does not include a free registration nor any other financial compensation. NWQMC never grants free registrations to Session chairs, moderators or presenters. All Session chairs, moderators and presenters MUST REGISTER for the meeting and pay the applicable registration fees, or they will be removed from the program.
- If you are concerned about costs of registrations, there are limited scholarship funds for members of the volunteer monitoring, JEDI, and student communities. Additional information will be available this fall on the conference registration website.