Progressive Palaeontology (ProgPal) 2020 will be held from the 11th to 13th June, organised by students at the University of Leeds. The conference was due to take place at the Yorkshire Museum in York, however in light of UK Government guidelines concerning the Coronavirus pandemic, it will now be taking place virtually. While ProgPal 2020 may look a little different to previous years, we’re still determined to maintain the core aspects of the conference: sharing science, networking with others and developing useful skills, all in a welcoming and supportive environment.
Hear the latest updates through our social media channels:
Facebook: www.facebook.com/progpal2020
Twitter: @ProgPal2020, using #ProgPal2020
Format
All live conference components will take place between Thursday 11th and Saturday 13th June, with research presentations available for the full duration of the three days. The schedule of live events is as follows:
Thursday 11th June
| Content launch | 2am PDT / 5am EDT / 10am BST / 5pm HKT | |
| Tea break 1 | 3am PDT / 6am EDT / 11am BST / 6pm HKT (30 mins) | Discord |
| Careers Panel | 6am PDT / 9am EDT / 2pm BST / 9pm HKT (90 mins) | Zoom |
| Presenter Q&A 1 | 11am PDT / 2pm EDT / 7pm BST / 2am HKT (60 mins) | Discord |
Friday 12th June
| Presenter Q&A 2 | 3am PDT / 6am EDT / 11am BST / 6pm HKT (60 mins) | Discord |
| Workshop drop-in | 6am PDT / 9am EDT / 2pm BST / 9pm HKT (90 mins) | Zoom |
| Tea break 2 | 8am PDT / 11am EDT / 4pm BST / 11pm HKT (30 mins) | Discord |
| Quiz | 11am PDT / 2pm EDT / 7pm BST / 2am HKT (120 mins) | Zoom |
Saturday 13th June
| Tea break 3 | 3am PDT / 6am EDT / 11am BST / 6pm HKT (30 mins) | Discord |
| Presenter Q&A 3 | 6am PDT / 9am EDT / 2pm BST / 9pm HKT (60 mins) | Discord |
| Tea break 4 | 8am PDT / 11am EDT / 4pm BST / 11pm HKT (30 mins) | Discord |
Research presentations will be given in their usual ProgPal formats: Full Talks (12 minutes), Lightning Talks (4 minutes) and posters (A0, either portrait or landscape). However, all content will be relayed digitally. Talks will be pre-recorded and uploaded to the PalAss YouTube channel, while posters will be available to view through a portal on the PalAss website. All presentations will only be available to conference delegates, via either a permissions list or password protection. Scheduled Q&A sessions will enable delegates to engage with presenters, similar to questions at the end of a talk or during a poster session.
Other components of the conference will include a digital workshop (Sampling Bias in the Fossil Record), a careers panel, and a livestreamed quiz.
Deadlines
• Abstract deadline 5:00pm BST Wednesday 29th April 2020
• Decisions on abstracts circulated to delegates by 5:00pm BST Friday 8th May 2020
• Registration closes 5:00pm BST Wednesday 3rd June 2020
• Research presentation upload deadline 5:00pm BST Wednesday 3rd June 2020
Registration
Any postgraduate student researching palaeontology (that is, anyone who is yet to complete a PhD by the date of the conference) is eligible to register for and attend ProgPal. Registration is free of charge and will cover access to all components of the conference. Undergraduate students in their final year who are due to start a postagraduate course later this calendar year are also welcome to attend. All aspects of palaeontology are welcome.
Code of Conduct
By registering for Progressive Palaeontology you are agreeing to adhere to the Palaeontological Association Code of Conduct at the meeting. The Code of Conduct can be found by following the link below: