10th Congress of International Society of Hymenopterists

Held at the Alexandru Ioan Cuza University of Iaşi, Iaşi, Romania during 24 – 29 July 2023

About Iaşi 

The 10th ISH congress will be held in Iaşi, Romania, at the Alexandru Ioan Cuza University, the Faculty of Biology. This will be the first time the congress is organized in Romania. The last time the congress was organized in Europe was in 2010, after which it was held in Peru (2014) and Japan (2018). 

The Alexandru Ioan Cuza University is the oldest university in the country, with a long tradition in Entomology and the study of Hymenoptera. Iasi is a historical city with about 300,000 inhabitants and a joyful vibe of a student city. It was the capital of the historical Moldova and for a short period of time the capital of Romania. In the city and the surrounding areas there are a lot of tourist attractions (e.g. old churches, monasteries, museums – including the oldest Natural History Museum in Romania), vineyards and wineries (e.g. Cotnari, Bucium, Adamachi), archaeological sites (e.g. the Cucuteni-Trypillian culture, one of the oldest civilizations in Europe, renowned for the beautiful painted ceramics from about 4000 B.C. is named after a locality near Iasi). An interesting place near the city (about 5 km) is the Repedea Hill, a famous geological site, which contains fossil shells from the Sarmatic or Paratethys Sea (about 5-7 m.y.a.). About 150 km north (in Bucovina) there are a lot of notorious medieval monasteries and several castles which can be visited. 

Congress Venue 

The onsite registration, the welcome party and poster presentations will take place in the main hall of the University Palace, the “Hall of the Lost Steps” 

Congress Venue: Iasi University Palace
Congress Venue: The Hall of the Lost Steps 
Congress Venue: the Iaşi University is located within walking distance (about 15-20 minutes) from the city centre. These are the coordinates of the location 47.1745N  27.572E 

The presentations will be held in the “Mihai Eminescu” Amphitheater 

Aula Magna of the „Alexandru Ioan Cuza” University 

Organising committee 

Local Organizing Committee: 

Chairs: Lucian Fusu, Mircea-Dan Mitroiu, Ovidiu Alin Popovici 

Committee members: Mălina Atodiresei, Florina-Georgiana Caba, Maria-Magdalena Dascălu, Lucian Hănceanu, Zoltán László, Cristina Vasilița, Ionela Mădălina Viciriuc

Scientific Committee:

Ionel Andriescu, Bonnie Blaimer, Gary Gibson, John Heraty, John Noyes, Andrew Polaszek, Jean-Yves Rasplus, Paolo Rosa, Lars Vilhelmsen, James Woolley, Dominique Zimmermann

Executive Committee: 

  • President José Fernández-Triana
  • President-Elect Juanita Rodriguez
  • Past President  Lars Krogmann
  • Secretary Natalie Dale-Skey
  • Treasurer Craig Brabant
  • Journal of Hymenoptera Research Editor Michael Ohl
  • Student Representative Jessica Awad
  • Webmaster Erinn Fagan-Jeffries
  • Social Media Officer Miles Zhang

Deadlines 

  • Registration starts: February 2023 
  • Proposing symposia: until 30 April 2023. Please reach us at ISHcongress2023@gmail.com with a title and the names of two convenors.  
  • Abstract, title, authors of the presentation/poster: until 31 May 2023 
  • Early bird registration: February 2023 – 30 April 2023 
  • Regular registration: 1 May – 30 June 2023 
  • Late registration: 1 – 15 July 2023 
  • Registration onsite (for audience only): 23 July and 24 July in the morning 
  • Congress dates: 24 – 29 July 2023 
  • Post congress excursion: 30 July – 2 August 2023 

Registration Fees 

Early bird registration (February 2023 – 30 April 2023) 

  • 400 USD – regular members 
  • 460 USD – regular non-members*
  • 200 USD – student members 
  • 230 USD – student non-members*

Standard registration (1 May – 30 June 2023) 

  • 450 USD – regular members 
  • 510 USD – regular non-members*
  • 225 USD – student members 
  • 255 USD – student non-members*

Late registration (1 – 15 July 2023) 

  • 600 USD – regular members 
  • 660 USD – regular non-members*
  • 300 USD – student members 
  • 330 USD – student non-members*

Accompanying person (provides access to the welcome, farewell and congress excursion events only)

  • 170 USD

*If you become a member of ISH (47 USD regular member, 17 USD student member) or pay your outstanding unpaid membership dues, you will qualify for the member registration fee.

Student travel awards 

The Society will offer four travel awards to support students to present their research at the 10th ISH Congress in Iaşi. Travel award applications closed on 3 March 2023.

Program

(to download the detailed program see the button below; eventual future changes will be announced by email

July 23 (Sunday), 15.00-18.00. Registration onsite (The Hall of the Lost Steps)

July 24 (Monday), 08.00-09.00. Registration onsite (The Hall of the Lost Steps)

  • 09.00-09.30. Opening ceremony (Aula Magna).
  • 09.30-16.15. Presentations (Aula Magna).
  • 18.00-20.00. Welcome Reception (The Hall of the Lost Steps).

July 25 (Tuesday), 09.00-18.00. Presentations (Aula Magna).

July 26 (Wednesday), 09.00-15.00. Presentations (Aula Magna).

  • 15.30-19.30. Workshop “An introduction to computable phenotype descriptions of Hymenoptera“. For details see the buttons below.

July 27 (Thursday), 08.00-19.00. A one day excursion to Bicaz Gorges and Vanatori-Neamt Natural Park.

July 28 (Friday), 09.00-16.30 Presentations (Aula Magna).

  • 19.00 – 23.00. Farewell Party (Chopin and Vivaldi Halls, Palas complex).

July 29 (Saturday)

  • 09.00-10.00. Fostering collaborations and addressing geographical and gender imbalance within ISH (Aula Magna).
  • 10.00-10.15. ISH Distinguished Research Medal and ISH Service Award.
  • 10.15-10.30. Best Student Presentation and Poster.
  • 10.30-10.50. Final thoughts and wrap-up.
  • 11.00. Coffee break.

July 30-August 2 (Sunday to Wednesday). Optional collecting trip.

Preparing your presentation 

Presentations will be 15 minutes in length including questions, prepared as a PowerPoint presentation (ppt or pptx) or as a PDF. Please bring your presentation on a memory stick and also have a backup on cloud storage, e-mail, etc. in case something goes wrong. 

Posters should be A1 paper size (594 x 841 mm) or A0 paper size (841 x 1189 mm) or a size close to this. 

Abstracts must be written in English and should contain 300 – 500 words including title, authors, authors affiliations. The presenting author must be underlined. For each author the affiliation will be added directly under the title. Affiliation must include: laboratory/research group/faculty/department; university/research institute; city; country. The complete document should not exceed 1 page, with 1.5 line spacing, justified and Times New Roman 12 point. 

A template for the abstract can be downloaded using the button below:

Presentation awards

During the congress, a scientific committee will evaluate student presentations and posters in order to give two awards: 

– Student Presentation Award – best oral presentation 

– Student Presentation Award – best poster 

Mid-Congress Excursion

The mid-congress excursion will be a one day or half day trip in a natural reserve in NE Romania but the exact location will depend on the final number of participants. Not all locations can accommodate simultaneously a large number of visitors.

Post-congress Collecting Trip 

Due to the limited accommodation facilities a maximum number of 45 participants can be registered for the post-congress collecting trip. They will be accepted in the order of registration until the maximum number is reached. 

The collecting trip will take place in Dobrogea, which is a historical province in the south-eastern Romania, between the Black Sea and the Danube. It was chosen due to its submediterranean climate, and proximity to the Black Sea and Danube’s Delta.  

The accommodation for participants will be organized at the Ioan Borcea Biological Station Agigea (https://statiunea-agigea.uaic.ro/), which is located in the proximity of the Black Sea shore.  

Dobrogea is a region located in the South-East of Romania being the most varied Romanian region from a geographic point of view.  It represents a  unique mix of cultural, historical and natural diversity. Some of the newest land in Europe, such as the island of Sacalin, is found here, it is formed of the sediments brought by the Danube. There are also ruins of ancient fortresses and cities, as well as the oldest mountains in Romania, the Macin Mountains.

The Danube Delta is the second largest and best preserved of the European deltas. It became a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1991, being classified as a National Biosphere Reserve in Romania and as a national park where it houses a very large number of plant and bird species. 

Enisala Fortress, a medieval fortress was built in the  1300s for military purposes.  The ruins of the fortress are part of the register of  national military architectural monuments.  

The Histria Fortress is the oldest attested city on the current territory of Romania, it was founded by the Greek settlers from Miletus around 657 BCE. Currently, the Histria Fortress represents an archaeological site spread over 67 hectares, being an archaeological area of priority interest, included in the List of Historical Monuments and, since 2007, officially registered on the European Heritage List. 

Marine Biological Station “Prof. Dr. Ioan Borcea” Agigea, was founded in 1926 by the eminent zoologist, Prof. Dr. Ioan Borcea. It was one of the most active and developed resorts on the Black Sea and a school for Romanian biology. The laboratories of the Research Station are equipped with research equipment and are currently used by both researchers and students who carry out their studies here for the bachelor’s, master’s and doctoral programs. The Research Station hosts on its premises a protected natural area, unique for Romania, the “Marine Dunes of Agigea”. 

We propose the following schedule: 

Day 1 (30 July): 

  • 8:00 Departure from Iași 
  • 13:00 Lunch in Galați 
  • 19:00 Arrival in Agigea 

Day 2 (31 July): 

  • 8:00 Departure from Agigea 
  • 11:00 Arrival in Vadu (Danube Delta Biosphere Reserve) for collecting 
  • 13:00 Lunch 
  • 16:00 Arrival in Istria area for collecting 
  • 19:00 Return to Agigea 

Day 3 (01 August): 

  • 8:00 Departure from Agigea 
  • 11:00 Arrival in Hagieni for collecting 
  • 13:00 Lunch 
  • 16:00 Arrival in Tufani area for collecting 
  • 19:00 Return to Agigea 

Day 4 (02 August): 

8:00 Departure from Agigea (return to Iași or transport to Constanța, for possible transfer to Bucharest  airport).

Agigea is at about 20 minutes from Constanta (without traffic). If your flight is from Bucharest you don’t need to travel back to Iasi. There are trains from Constanta to Bucharest North (https://mersultrenurilor.infofer.ro/en-GB/Train-itineraries/Constanta/Bucuresti-Nord) and then from Bucharest North to the Otopeni Airport every 40 minutes (https://mersultrenurilor.infofer.ro/en-GB/Train-itineraries/Bucuresti-Nord/Aeroport-Henri-Coanda). You can buy the train tickets online, but at most one month before the departure date: https://bilete.cfrcalatori.ro/en-GB/Itineraries. We will provide solutions for your travel from Agigea to Constanta (bus, car, Uber, Bolt).

Fees: $155-170 USD (depending on accommodation option chosen). There are only 45 places, so register quickly!

Access to Iaşi 

Bucharest – Iași by car (380 km, cca 6-7 hours using the roads DN2 and DN24) 

Bucharest: Henri Coanda International Airport  

Train 

Henri Coanda International Airport – Bucuresti Nord railway station. For more information about route Henri Coanda International Airport-București Nord railway station:  https://www.cfrcalatori.ro/en/bucuresti-nord-railway-station-henri-coanda-airport/ 

Route Bucharest – Iași  

Click here: https://www.cfrcalatori.ro/en/ 

Iași railway station – University: bus line 36 

Ticket – valid for 120 minutes and it will cost 3 lei. 

There are three ways to buy tickets:  

1) Buy it from a ticket machine (you will find them nearby every station and you will need cash) 

2) Buy it on the tram or bus (contactless payment by card possible) 

3) Install 24pay app.

Bacău-Iași (128 km) 

Bacău – George Enescu International Airport 

Train Bacău-Iași. Click here: https://www.cfrcalatori.ro/en/ 

Suceava-Iași (150 km) 

Suceava – Stefan cel Mare International Airport 

Train: Click here: https://www.cfrcalatori.ro/en/ 

Iași 

Iași International Airport – Târgu Cucu (bus line 50) 

  • Târgu Cucu – Alexandru Ioan Cuza University: bus line 1, 8, 9, 13 
  • Târgu Cucu – Union Square: bus line 1, 8, 9, 13 
  • Târgu Cucu- The Palace of Culture of Iași: bus line 1, 9 

Ticket –  valid for 120 minutes and it will cost 3 lei. There are three ways to buy tickets:  

1) Buy it from a ticket dispenser (you will find them nearby to every station) 

2) Buy it inside the tram (contactless payment) 

3) Install 24pay app. 

Accommodation 

 Area: Union Square (1.3 km) 

  • Unirea Hotel and Spa 
  • Grand Hotel Traian 
  • Astoria Hotel 
  • Continental Hotel 

Union Square – Alexandru Ioan Cuza University: bus line 1, 8, 9, 13 

Alexandru Ioan Cuza University – Union Square: bus line 1, 8, 9, 13 

Area: The Palace of Culture Iași (3.1 km) 

  • Moldova Hotel 
  • Ramada Hotel 
  • International Hotel 

The Palace of Culture Iași – Alexandru Ioan Cuza University: bus line 1, 9, 13 

Alexandru Ioan Cuza University – The Palace of Culture Iași: bus line 1, 9 

Area: Alexandru Ioan Cuza University  

  • Gaudeamus 
  • Akademos 
  • Prestige Hotel (850 m) 

Invitation letter

If you need an invitation letter in order to obtain a visa or for any other reason please contact the organising committee secretary at ISHcongress2023@gmail.com

Contact

For additional questions please contact the organising committee secretary at ISHcongress2023@gmail.com