Important Information for Session Proposal Submission 

• Proposals must be submitted through the official online submission portal by 2 p.m. ET on Tuesday, Aug. 5, 2025. 
• Proposals may not be submitted on behalf of another person. The individual submitting the session proposal must serve as the designated convener. The convener is responsible for session development and organization.  
• ASM is committed to fostering diversity in all sessions. Conveners must ensure speaker diversity across multiple dimensions, including but not limited to gender, race, career stage, geographic location and institutional affiliation. 
• If selected, each convener will be assigned a liaison from the Program Committee. This committee member will provide guidance and collaborate on the session format and the selection of invited speakers. 

ASM Applied and Environmental Microbiology Meeting 

• Microbes and Climate: Drivers of Earth’s Resilience.
• Water Microbiomes: Innovation for Global Water Security. 
• Microbial Life on Land: Sustaining Soils and Ecosystems. 
• Bioenergy and Beyond: Microbial Solutions for a Renewable Future.
• Feeding the World: Microbial Innovations in Food & Agriculture.

ASM Health Meeting  

• Diagnostics and Laboratory Systems.
• Vaccines, Immunology and Prevention.   
• Antimicrobials and Therapeutics.
• Clinical Infectious Disease and Management.
• Public Health, Surveillance and Systems.
• Microbiomes and Ecosystems Health.

 

ASM Mechanism Discovery Meeting  

• Systems Approaches for Discovery.
• Cell Growth, Division, and Physiology.
• Spatial and Dynamic Cellular Organization.
• Collective Behaviors of Microbes from Molecules to Populations .
• Intra and Interspecies Interactions.
• Mechanisms that Shape Host-Microbe Relationships.
• Cell Signaling, Regulation, and the Central Dogma.
• Phage and Predator Stress.

Serving as a convener offers a unique opportunity to shape scientific dialogue, foster collaboration and spotlight emerging research. Conveners play a vital leadership role in shaping the content and success of their session. If your proposal is selected for inclusion in the 2026 scientific program, your responsibilities as the convener will include:

• Collaborating with a Program Committee Liaison: partner with your assigned liaison to develop the session structure, determine the flow of presentations and manage timing to ensure a cohesive and impactful experience for both speakers and attendees. Note: Program Committee Liaison will assign the session type.  
• Recruiting and Coordinating Speakers: identify and invite speakers whose expertise aligns with the session’s focus. Clearly communicate session goals, confirm participation, outline expectations and deadlines and manage scheduling. Note: All speakers must be approved by your Program Committee liaison before invitations are extended. 
• Soliciting and Reviewing Abstracts (if applicable): for sessions that include submitted abstracts, conveners are responsible for soliciting contributions from the scientific community, reviewing abstracts for quality and relevance, assigning presentation formats (oral or poster) and helping curate a balanced, engaging lineup. Note: Call for abstract submission will be open from early-November 2025 through late-January 2026.  
• Promoting the Session: leverage your professional networks to raise awareness of your session and encourage participation from colleagues and the broader microbiology community. 

Session proposals are a vital part of shaping the meeting and are reviewed by the Program Committees based on the following criteria:

1. Complete Submission: all required fields in the proposal form are filled out accurately. 
2. Scientific Alignment: topics are aligned with the focus of the meeting and highlight the latest advancements in the field. 
3. Clear and Accurate Title: the session title reflects the topic and content effectively. 
4. Strong Session Description: a well-crafted description, along with defined learning objectives and key takeaways, clearly conveys the purpose of the session and what participants will gain. 
5. Community Relevance: the session addresses current needs or interests of the scientific community. 
6. Originality: the session introduces new content or, if previously presented, offers meaningful updates or new perspectives. 
7. Broad Representation: the proposal demonstrates a commitment to speaker and convener diversity, including but not limited to gender, race, career stage, geography and institutional affiliation.

To complete your session proposal, you will need to provide your basic contact information (name, institution and email), along with the following required details:

1. Meeting Selection: choose 1 of the 3 meetings that best aligns with your proposed session. 
2. Topic Selection: select a topic from the 2026 list that fits your proposal or submit under the general submission category. 
3. Session Title: clearly state the topic of the session. 
4. Content Level: indicate whether the session is intended for a novice, intermediate or advanced audience. 
5. Session Description: provide a brief overview (4–5 sentences) of the content to be covered by the speakers. 
6. Learning Objectives: list 3 clear objectives using active verbs to describe what participants will learn. 
7. Key Takeaway Points: share 2–3 bullet points highlighting what attendees will gain from the session. 
8. Supporting References: for ASM Health submissions only: include references that support each key takeaway point to meet Continuing Medical Education (CME) requirements. 
9. Relevance Statement: briefly explain why this topic is timely and important to present in 2026. 
10. Speaker Suggestions: provide the name, degree(s), institution and email address for up to 2 invited speaker recommendations. Note: please do not invite speakers prior to the session being accepted and approved by the Program Committee. 

Following the submission deadline on Aug. 5, 2025, all proposals will be reviewed by the Program Committees. The committees will convene in late August 2025 to evaluate submissions and finalize the scientific program.

Due to the volume of submissions and potential topic overlap, the Program Committees may:

• Combine similar proposals into a single session.
• Modify proposed sessions to better align with the overall program.
• Collaborate with submitters to further develop the session, potentially shifting the original focus.

If your proposal is selected for merging, modification or collaboration, a Program Committee member will contact you in August 2025.

All proposal submitters will be notified of their submission status in September 2025. If your session is accepted for the 2026 program, you must confirm your participation as convener by the deadline provided in your notification.

 

ASM provides discounted registration and limited travel support for conveners and invited speakers. One convener role will be assigned to each in-depth session. Shorter session formats may not have a convener and instead may be led by a moderator. The moderator role does not receive discounted registration or travel support. The number of invited speakers will be determined by the Program Committee based on the assigned session format.

Please do not invite speakers until your session proposal has been formally accepted. Once accepted, you will be assigned a Program Committee liaison who must approve all proposed speakers. Official speaker invitations will be sent by ASM in late September 2025. Speakers must confirm their participation by the deadline included in their invitation.

Need Assistance?

For questions or support, please contact the ASM Programming Team.