Submissions for this theme could include individual presentations and sessions related to critical and/or radical ways of framing our shared natural resources and public spaces, as well as the mechanisms by which they are depleted, sustained, and regenerated.  Whether experiential and participatory, or theoretical and philosophical, we welcome frameworks that contextualize the commons through the lens of resistance and treat decoloniality as more than metaphor. Connections to the global south and indigenous knowledge systems are encouraged.

Environmental convergence, which focuses on addressing complex problems in society through interdisciplinary approaches rooted in the arts, sciences, technology, engineering , math, agriculture and humanities. Notable submissions will integrate knowledge, methods and expertise intentionally from two or more fields and develop effective ways of communicating across disciplines.

Submissions for this inter- and multidisciplinary theme can include works from across academia and the environmentally-engaged community on the barriers to achieving justice, the means by which we can overcome those barriers, the characteristics of justice in the commons, and examples of this achievement. From research and story related to environmental justice to youth-led climate activism, to improving accessibility in the sustainability sciences, this theme is about a shared discourse of political, cultural and ecological change. 

“In the Classroom” focuses on  how we best serve the rapidly changing needs of students, supporting their well-being, promoting inclusion, and cultivating a sense of belonging in ESS and Env Humanities. Submission topics include inclusive pedagogy strategies; pedagogical research; case-based teaching; evidence-based approaches; experiential learning practices; utilization of transparent course design; innovative assessment strategies; curriculum for undergraduate, graduate, or certificate programs; community-engaged learning; adapting to student needs post-pandemic; opportunities in environmental education; and models for teaching Senior Capstones.

Submissions for this theme can include multidisciplinary theoretical and empirical works on ecological complexity. We welcome scholars of complex systems thought, human-coupled systems, resilience thinking, and non-linear dynamics to help to showcase a more holistic understanding of ecological risk, invasive consequences and solutionary thinking. Environmental history scholars highlighting ecological patterns, process and possibility over time are also encouraged to submit to this theme.

Submissions for this theme can propose innovative and more inclusive governance modes of the Commons and highlight emergent challenges deriving from these societal and institutional changes. Notions of power and agency, regulatory capture-proof policies, as well as the potential for intergenerational and intragenerational understanding are key emphases of this theme. Case and field studies as illustrations are welcome.

Specialization within ESS has led to the fragmentation of knowledge, creating loosely connected disciplines in which discoveries in one area stay hidden in others. Interdisciplinary research driven by ideas that have the potential to radically change our understanding of an important existing concept or lead to the creation of a new paradigm or field through emergent science should be submitted for this theme. Submissions will be characterized by their challenge to current conventional understandings and their pathway to emergent frontiers across ESS.

Submissions for this theme could include individual presentations, organized sessions, and/or workshops dedicated to the continued learning and development of AESS members and attendees as environmental educators, researchers, and practitioners. Notable submissions will provide support for early career professionals and/or an emphasis on the continued diversification of, and equity & inclusion within, professional fields related to environmental thought and action.

The Food-Energy-Water nexus is central to some of the most prevalent and pressing sustainability challenges facing humanity and holds promise for some of the most profound and positive opportunities for socio-cultural and ecological changemaking. Submissions in this theme can explore the complex interconnections between these three components through a variety of disciplinary and interdisciplinary lenses.