Meeting History
From the By-Laws of the Southern California Academy of Sciences: The Academy shall hold an Annual Meeting at a time and place to be determined by the Board of Directors.
In the early 1900’s, dinner meetings were held at some special place, followed by a program including a well-known speaker. Beginning in 1961, all-day meetings were organized to provide an opportunity for the membership to give presentations. The first of these was held at Long Beach State College (now California State University, Long Beach). In the following years, the Annual Meeting was held at many other State Universities, the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County, University of Southern California, and other private colleges and universities. In November 1969, twelve scientific societies joined with the Academy ''to enrich the scientific community of Southern California,'' and sponsor two-day annual meetings. Several societies now offer special sessions at these meetings. Traditionally held in early May, these two-day events (changed to one-day in 2017) include themed symposia and contributed paper sessions, a distinguished plenary speaker, and an early evening poster session open to all disciplines of the natural and social sciences. The Annual Meeting is open to both professional and student scientists and to encourage student participation at the college level, Best Paper and Poster Awards are selected. The high school students in the Research Training Program now give a poster alongside the professional scientists and college students.
To learn more about the upcoming Southern California Academy of Sciences Annual Meeting, click HERE.
Annual Meeting Locations
| YEAR | LOCATION | MEETING PROGRAM |
|---|---|---|
| 2024 | Chapman University | 2024 Program |
| 2023 | University of California, Santa Barbara | 2023 Program |
| 2022 | California State University, Fullerton | 2022 Program |
| 2021 | Virtual Meeting | |
| 2020 | CANCELLED due to COVID 19 | - |
| 2019 | California State University, Northridge | 2019 Program |
| 2018 | California State Polytechnic University, Pomona | 2018 Program |
| 2017 | Santa Monica College | 2017 Program |
| 2016 | University of Southern California | 2016 Program |
| 2015 | Loyola Marymount University | 2015 Program |
| 2014 | California State University, Channel Islands | 2014 Program |
| 2013 | California State University, Long Beach | 2013 Program |
| 2012 | Occidental College | 2012 Program |
| 2011 | California State Polytechnic University, Pomona | 2011 Program |
| 2010 | California State University, Los Angeles | 2010 Program |
| 2009 | Marymount College | 2009 Program |
| 2008 | California State University, Dominguez Hills | |
| 2007 | California State University, Fullerton | 2007 Program |
| 2006 | Pepperdine University | 2006 Program |
| 2005 | Loyola Marymount University | 2005 Program |
| 2004 | California State University, Long Beach | 2004 Program |
| 2003 | California State University, Northridge | |
| 2002 | Claremont McKenna College | 2002 Program |
| 2001 | California State University, Los Angeles | 2001 Program |
| 2000 | University of Southern California | 2000 Program |
Plenary Speakers
| YEAR | PLENARY SPEAKER | TITLE |
|---|---|---|
| 2024 | Dr. Regan Dunn and Dr. Emily Lindsay | Harbinger of the Future: Drought, Fire and Extinction in the Latest Pleistocene, Southern California |
| 2023 | Dr. Peter Alagona | Bear Essential?: The Past and Potential Future of Grizzlies in California |
| 2022 | Dr. Jason John | 30x30 California: Accelerating Conservation of our Lands and Coastal Waters to Protect Biodiversity, Increase Access to Nature, and Combat Climate Change |
| 2020 | CANCELLED due to COVID 19 | |
| 2019 | Dr. Donald R. Prothero | Reality check: How science deniers threaten our future |
| 2018 | Dr. Greg Rouse | Deep Discoveries in the 2000's: Bone Eaters, Green Bombers, Ruby Seadragons, and more |
| 2017 | Dr. Sharon Walker | Environmental Implications of Nanotechnology: A Wastewater Case Study |
| 2016 | Dr. Larry G. Allen | The Return of the Kelp Forest King, Giant Sea Bass (Stereolepis gigas), off California |
| 2016 | Dr. Virginia Naples | The gaping truth: Adaptations for a sabertooth lifestyle |
| 2015 | Dr. William Lynn | Interdisciplinarity: Science And Ethics In The Urban Century |
| 2015 | Dr. Murray Daily | Parasitic Diseases Of Stranded Marine Mammals |
| 2014 | Dr. Milton Love | What I Did On My Fall Vacations – Submersible Research on the Fishes of Southern California Oil/Gas Platforms |
| 2014 | John Calambokidis | Long Term Studies, Collaborations, and New Tools Reveal Trends in Status and Behavior of Whales and the Impacts of Human Activities |
| 2013 | Dr. Alan Miller | Decadal Monitoring of Intertidal Invertebrates: Questions, Answers, Questions |
| 2013 | Dr. William Ailor | Defending Earth from Asteroids |
| 2012 | Dr. Steve Weisberg | |
| 2012 | Dr. David Cummings | Environmental Reservoirs of Antibiotic Resistance |
| 2011 | Dr. Eric Strauss | The Frontier of Urban Ecology: The Challenge of Rejuvenating America’s Cities |
| 2011 | Dr. John A. Long | Extraordinary 380 Million Year Old Fish Fossils from Australia Reveal Major Steps in Early Vertebrate Evolution |
| 2010 | Dr. Jed Fuhrman | Changing Views of Marine Microbes |
| 2010 | Dr. Jerry Schubel | Scientists, Decision-Makers, and the Public: Communicating, Cooperating, and Collaborating |
| 2009 | Dr. Bill Patzert | |
| 2009 | Dr. Ann Bull | Outlook for California Offshore Energy |
| 2008 | Dr. William Hamner | |
| 2006 | Dr. Mark Gold | |
| 2006 | Dr. Stuart Sumida | |
| 2005 | Dr. Brian Fagan | |
| 2004 | Dr. James Powell | |
| 2004 | Dr. Donald Reish | |
| 2004 | Dr. Walter Pitmann | |
| 2002 | Dr. Walter Fitch | |
| 2002 | Dr. Gregor Hodgson | |
| 2001 | Dr. Alan Mearns | |
| 2001 | Dr. Blake Gumprecht | |
| 2000 | Dr. Wheeler North | |
| 2000 | Dr. Dorothy Green | |