World Congress of Malacology 2019
The Academy will host the World Congress of Malacology in Pacific Grove, California, from August 11-16, 2019.
WCM 2019 has concluded. Thank you to all attendees, presenters, and special guests for a wonderful event!
We encourage all participants to book accommodations at the Asilomar Conference Grounds. Additional fees apply to those staying off campus. Accommodations at Asilomar are booked through a separate step, and paid directly to the conference center. This week in Monterey is also the Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance, so hotel bookings, Airbnb, and other lodging are likely to be scarce and expensive.
Registration Fees
Fees for attendees staying at Asilomar
Non-student members: $570
Student members: $500
Fees for attendees staying off-campus
All members: $570
Member rates apply to members in good standing of Unitas Malacologica, the American Malacological Society, and/or the Western Society of Malacologists. For non-members, a membership surcharge will be applied automatically at registration to cover your fee to join Unitas Malacologica.
By registering or submitting an abstract you agree to abide by the meeting Code of Conduct.
Staying at Asilomar
Congress attendees are strongly encouraged to stay at Asilomar.
The conference will be held at the 107-acre, oceanfront Asilomar Conference Grounds in Pacific Grove, California, 110 miles (177 km) south of San Francisco on the Monterey Peninsula.
Nightly per-person rates (price includes breakfast, lunch, dinner, field trip lunches, and conference banquet)
Single: $301.91
Double: $200.91
Triple: $170.89
Quad: $155.90
Staying at Asilomar includes a meal plan that covers breakfast, lunch, and dinner, including lunches on the field trip day and the conference banquet.
We are required to have a minimum number of attendees stay onsite for the meeting. Cost for staying onsite can be reduced by sharing rooms, and residence options include single, double, triple, and quadruple rooms. Offsite housing is possible, but not recommended. An upcharge in registration fees will be applied to anyone staying offsite in order to offset charges incurred by meeting attendees that are not included in the residence package.
Getting to Asilomar
Airports
Most international carriers fly to San Francisco International Airport (SFO). A few international carriers fly directly to San Jose International (SJC): Aero Mexico, ANA, Air Canada, Lufthansa, British Airways, Hainan Airlines. Monterey has a small airport that has flights arriving from Los Angeles (LAX), Phoenix, Las Vegas, and San Diego.
Shuttle bus service to Asilomar conference grounds: The Monterey A shuttle bus transports passengers from SFO and SJC directly to the Asilomar conference grounds. The shuttle leaves almost hourly
For more information see: https://www.montereyairbus.com/
Scientific Program
Keynote speakers:
- Mandë Holford: “Investigating molluscan venom from evolution to molecular function. Discovery, characterization, optimization and delivery of venom peptides from predatory conoidean marine snails”
- David Lindberg and Winston Ponder: "Comprehensive review of Mollusca"
- Dede Lyons: "Gene regulatory networks in molluscs"
- Susan Kidwell: "Our New Understanding of Dead-shell Assemblages: A Powerful Tool for Deciphering Human Impact"
- Jingchun Li: “Evolution of photosymbiosis in bivalves”
- Monica Medina: "Genomics and the future of tropical marine ecosystems"
- Geerat Vermeij: "Evolution of molluscan shells and the predatory arms race"
Confirmed symposia:
- Evolution of Toxins in Molluscs: Baldomero Olivera
- Molluscs in Citizen Science: Jann Vandetti Rebecca Johnson
- Molluscs as Critical Players in Ecological Systems: Patrick Krug
- AMS Presidential Symposium on Molluscan Collections: Ellen Strong, Julia Sigwart, Terry Gosliner
- The Evolution of Molluscan Weirdness — mechanisms and tempos of phenotypic diversity: Julia Sigwart, Ellen Strong, Jorge Audino
- Molluscs as Model Paleontological Systems: David Jablonski, Peter Roopnarine
- Color and Vision in Molluscs: Suzanne Williams and Jeanne Serb
- Utility of Molluscan Genomics: Jessica Goodheart and Dede Lyons
Confirmed thematic sessions:
- Progress in Evolutionary Systematics and Biogeography of Continental Gastropods: Marco Thomas Neiber and Aravind Ananthram Neelavar
- Novel Approaches to Managing Invasive and Pest Mollusks: Amy Roda and Rory McDonnell
- Commercial and Restoration Aquaculture of Molluscs: Kristin Aquilino and Daniel Swezey
Please note: Speakers, topics, and symposia subject to change. Contributed talks and posters are welcome in all of the above sessions and in any other scientific areas. Additional thematic sessions will be added in the final program. View the Symposia page for more details.
Symposia pageProgram scheduleAbstract Volume
Field Trips
Several field trips will be organized for Wednesday, August 14, including wine tasting, whale watching, marine mammal viewing, and Big Sur exploring.
Field trip registration now open!