The Louisiana Office of Coastal Protection and Restoration, the US Army Corps of Engineers, the Coalition to Restore Coastal Louisiana and many others have partnered together to host the State of the Coast (SOC) Conference.  The conference will consist of three full days of presentations by leading experts in concurrent sessions, café and beignet sessions, keynote speakers, coastal policy sessions, poster sessions and social networking opportunities.  

Concurrent Sessions:

Presentations for concurrent sessions will be selected from abstract submissions.  Concurrent session topics can be submitted by participants or selected by the planning committee.

Café and Beignet Session:

The Café and Beignet Sessions provide participants with a unique opportunity to have an interactive and open discussion on one or more vitally important issues facing the implementation of coastal protection and restoration along the Louisiana coast.  

Keynote Speakers:

Keynote speakers are being identified.

Coastal Policy Plenary Session:

The Coastal Policy Plenary Session will focus on the key policies that are needed within the next 2 years to advance coastal protection and restoration within the state and federal government.  The Coastal Policy Plenary Session is envisioned as an open discussion with key policy makers of the implications of recent legislation as well as the policies and regulations needed for the future of the coast.  It is anticipated to include state legislators, US Representatives and Senators, parish officials, agency administrators, university leaders and many others. 

Poster Sessions:

The poster presentations describing work pertaining to ecology, engineering, hydrology, water quality, information systems, planning and policy, economics and ecosystem valuation topics, just to name a few. These presentations play a key role in the success of the meeting.  All breaks and a poster reception are dedicated for viewing posters so scientist and managers can interact and use these opportunities to share details of their work, successes and lessons learned.