We are excited to welcome you all in Banff for Geobiology 2025 in less than a week to go! We have an amazing schedule lined up for the conference, with topics spanning every corner of geobiology and geologic time.
Here are a few helpful things to note before you arrive:
Getting to Banff
Our official airport shuttle provider for this event is Banff Airporter. Receive a 15% discount on their daily shuttle service between the Calgary Airport and Banff. Click Banff Airporter and then Book Now. Proceed through the reservation and type ‘GeoBioBanff’ in the “Promo Code” section on the final payment page to receive the discount. This special rate is valid for travel dates between May 20th-24th 2025.
For those renting cars, there are several company dispatches at Calgary Airport: https://www.yyc.com/en-us/transportation/car-rentals.
If you are driving into Banff, please note that you will be required to purchase a park pass upon entry of Banff National Park for the duration of your stay. Prices and more information can be found here: https://parks.canada.ca/pn-np/ab/banff/visit/passer-passes
Parking is available at Banff Park Lodge. More information can be found here (https://www.banffparklodge.com/parking-instructions/), and upon check in at the hotel. Parking around Banff town is also available but limited: https://banff.ca/1184/Visitor-Pay-Parking.
Ice Breaker & Registration
On Tuesday 21st May, the Ice Breaker event will commence at High Rollers Bowling & Beer Hall.
Timing: 18:00-01:00
Location: 110 Banff Avenue, Banff, AB T1L 1A4
Conference packets and name tags will be distributed upon arrival. Appetisers, pizza, and 2 drink tickets (good for beer, wine, or soda) will be provided. Please keep your name tag on you during conference hours.
Program
Our program is finalised! Each day will have the following general format:
Morning (09:00-13:00) – Main Theme Talks
Coffee break – 10:30-11:00
Lunch (13:00) – Buffet, NSERC Presentations
Afternoon Session 1 (14:00-15:00) – Medallist Talks
Afternoon Session 2 (15:00:15:30) – Professional Development Talks
Coffee break – 15:30-15:45
Evening (15:45-18:00) – Lightning Talks followed by a dedicated discussion session
Late (18:00 onwards) – Free time, Geobiology After Dark activities
All sessions will take place in either the Assiniboine/Summit, Castle, or Glacier Rooms. The most up-to-date program with the schedule, locations, abstracts and other information can be found on the website here: https://cms.eas.ualberta.ca/geobiology2025/program/
Food & Beverage
All registered attendees for Geobiology 2025 will be provided with daytime meals and snacks.
Breakfast Buffet (07:00-08:45): Crave Restaurant, Wednesday to Friday, seating also available in Glacier Salon
Lunch Buffet (13:00-14:00): Hallway leading to Alpine Meadow, seating in Crave Restaurant, Glacier Salon, or the conference rooms (Assiniboine/Summit or Castle)
Coffee Breaks (10:30-11:00; 15:00-15:30): Alpine Meadows, Wednesday to Friday
Reception (16:00-18:00): Alpine Meadows, Wednesday to Friday
- Beer, wine, and soft drinks will be available for your enjoyment during Lightning Talk sessions
Lightning Talks
We are so grateful to everyone who submitted an abstract for a lightning talk! Each delegate has been meticulously assigned to a day and room based on the theme of their talk. Lightning Talk sessions will take place in the Assiniboine/Summit and Castle Rooms simultaneously, so please do check which room you have been assigned to in the program overview.
The daily themes are as follows:
Wednesday 21st May – The Archaeal and Bacterial Biosphere
Thursday 22nd May – The Origin & Flourishing of Nucleated Cells
Friday 23rd May – The Rise of Complex Life
The first Lightning Talks will commence at 15:45 sharp each day. Please ensure you are seated towards the front of the room for your designated session and take note of who is speaking before you. All PowerPoint presentations have been compiled beforehand, therefore lightning talks will follow directly on from each other.
Speakers, please note that you have strictly 3 minutes to give your lighting talk. A yellow card will be held up when 30 seconds remain. A red card will be held once the 3-minute limit is reached. If you go beyond this limit, you will be cut off, so please do practice your talk beforehand! This is to ensure that each speaker has an equal opportunity to present their research, as well as to ensure we keep on schedule and have plenty of time for discussion afterward. We recommend that speakers stay until the end of their session.
Discussion sessions will take place in the Glacier Salon after all Lightning Talks are complete. This will be an opportunity to free roam, engage in discussion, and answer questions on your work, whilst also being able to show more information on your personal device. We will have several computer screens available for you to hook up your device to if needed.
For attendees who are not taking part in a session, you are welcome to roam between the Assiniboine/Summit and Castle Rooms to catch talks you are interested to see! We recommend you take a look at the program beforehand and plan your afternoon.
Health & Safety
Medical and Health services are available in Banff, however to non-residents there may be fees if you do not have travel or health insurance. More information can be found here.
Local Alberta Health Services:
- Alpine Medical Clinic | Unit 201A, 211 Bear St. (762.3155)
- Banff Mineral Springs | Hospital 305 Lynx St. (762.2222)
Call 811 or 1-866-408-5465 to reach Alberta’s non-emergency health line for health advice 24/7.
There are a few Pharmacies in the town centre:
- Gourlay’s Pharmacy located at 220 Bear Street. Call at 672.2516.
- D.A. Neighbourly Pharmacy located inside Cascade Mall, 317 Banff Ave. Call at 403.762.2245.
Additionally, we will have several first aid kits on hand, including EpiPens. We have informed High Rollers and Banff Park Lodge of any allergies and dietary requirements entered at registration, but if you have any extra medical concerns do not hesitate to reach out to one of us! Many members of our team are First Aid trained.
For guided hikes, we will have bear spray and tick removal kits on hand. We also do recommend having some comfortable footwear if you are planning to go on our guided hikes (weather dependent) or leave the Banff town area. If you are looking for more activities to do in Banff or specialised equipment (like cleats, bear spray etc) we have some more information here: https://cms.eas.ualberta.ca/geobiology2025/location/.
As a reminder, Banff National Park is home to a rich diversity of wildlife, including bears, elk or mountain goats. You may be lucky enough to spot these animals while exploring the area. For your safety, please never approach or feed them. Please take note of and respect the rules of the national park: https://parks.canada.ca/pn-np/ab/banff/visit/faune-wildlife
Weather in Banff
Albertan weather is pretty unpredictable. We can get a range of weathers all in the span of 24 hours (it literally can go from 20+ ºC at noon to 0ºC at night right now). Despite having an April heatwave, it is looking to get a bit chilly and rainy over the next week, so do make sure you have sufficient layers and a rain jacket! Check in for the most up to date weather here: https://weather.gc.ca/en/location/index.html?coords=51.179,-115.569
Geobiology Mentorship Program
A unique aspect of this conference is its focus on supporting early-career scientists. With this goal in mind, we will be offering a mentorship program where early career scientists will be matched with mentor. Fill out the following form if you are interested in taking part!