ABOUT

SBS is a 2-day early career-centric symposium held annually and will be hosted by Georgia State University this year from April 13 – 14, 2024 at the Knowles Conference Center, Georgia State University. SBS is a safe space for graduate students, postdocs, and advanced undergraduate students to present research in the interdisciplinary fields of geobiology and biogeochemistry and share their work with faculty from colleges and universities throughout the southeastern United States.

SBS attracts ~200 participants (students, postdocs, and faculty) from over 20 colleges, universities, and marine labs representing ~12 states in the southeast. SBS is organized by a local graduate student/postdoc committee with guidance and oversight from the faculty steering committee.

HISTORY

SBS was founded in 2014 by Dr. Jennifer Glass (Georgia Institute of Technology) as a way to provide unique experiences for students and post docs from the southeast to present their latest research in an informal, supportive, and welcoming environment.

The symposium has been held successfully at a variety of southeastern universities. Please contact Jen Glass (jennifer.glass@eas.gatech.edu) if your university is interested in hosting future SBS symposia. More information about SBS can be found at this page.

Past host institutions:

2023 – University of Tennessee, Knoxville (Knoxville)                                   

2022 – Georgia State University (Atlanta)                                                            

2021 – University of Tennessee, Knoxville (Knoxville)
2020 – Georgia Institute of Technology (Atlanta, Virtual Meeting)
2019 – University of South Carolina (Columbia)
2018 – Florida State University (Tallahassee)
2017 – University of Georgia (Athens)
2016 – University of Tennessee, Knoxville (Knoxville)
2015 – Georgia Institute of Technology (Atlanta)
2014 – Georgia Institute of Technology (Atlanta)

GOALS

The mission of the Southeastern Biogeochemistry Symposium is to assemble early career scientists and faculty advisors each year for an informal weekend of scientific presentations, informal discussions, and social interactions with the goal of:

(1) advancing early career geobiology and biogeochemical research, education, and training within a comfortable, informal conference setting;

(2) building new, and strengthening existing, collaborations between research groups, and; 

(3) establishing national recognition of the southeastern states as a center of excellence in geobiology and biogeochemical research.

FORMAT

SBS starts with an opening mixer on Friday evening and continues through Saturday and half of Sunday. After a keynote speech by a leading researcher in biogeochemistry, the symposium consists of three oral sessions (~25 talks by students and postdocs) organized and chaired by graduate students, a poster session, and an awards ceremony with cash prizes.