Taking the Aquatic Pulse: ASLO ASM 2025 in Charlotte, North Carolina, USA

Come to the Queen City—the greenest city in the United States—to talk limnology and oceanography with your favorite scientists at the ASM 2025 meeting in Charlotte, North Carolina! We'll be meeting in uptown Charlotte at the watershed divide of the Catawba and Yadkin rivers; uniquely nested within 3 hours from mountains and beaches and close to Lake Norman—the largest humanmade lake in North Carolina. Whether you're a National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing (NASCAR) enthusiast or white-water rafter—this cosmopolitan city has something for everyone (Fig. 1). You'll get to sample a diversity of food options at the Optimist Hall (https://www.optimisthall.com/) night (outdoor eating and beer garden with 25 food vendors) including both types of North Carolina BBQ and a sampling of Charlotte's thriving craft brewery scene. Additional fun activities during the meeting include an ice cream social, stream cleanup workday, and opportunities to help with the Hurricane Helene cleanup effort. This family friendly meeting will provide lactation rooms and Charlotte has a variety of activities for families (e.g., Discovery Place, https://discoveryplace.org/, and the Imaginon, https://www.imaginon.org/, dedicated library space for kids 11 and under) within walking distance of the conference venue. During the meeting (26–31 March 2025), expect comfortable temperatures ~18°C (64°F) and our 2 hour lunch breaks will give you plenty of time to explore this walkable city. Or jump on the light rail to easily reach nearby neighborhoods such as NoDa and South End to explore additional food and brewery options (locally made beer, cider, spirits, moonshine, and seltzer are all options!). Our registered attendees (and conference logo!; Fig. 2) represent the breadth of aquatic sciences from the mountains to the sea, with a ratio of 60% oceanographers and 40% limnologists. Perhaps due to its ease of access—Charlotte is an international flight hub with direct connections to Europe—this will be a truly international meeting; 49 different countries are currently represented in registered attendees. Our international connectivity is mirrored in the North Carolina landscape, a region of the world where water connectivity is apparent and as depicted in the conference logo (Fig. 2), extends from the mountains into the sea. This meeting will highlight the work being done to “take the pulse” and assess the state of our aquatic systems, whether that is through reconstructing the past, observing the current state, or predicting the future of our lakes, rivers, estuaries, and oceans. This is not your average ASLO meeting! The meeting is well balanced with a diversity of special sessions, contributed sessions, and the highest number of education and policy sessions to date. The meeting is focused on broadening participation, with access and opportunities via the Amplifying Voices program, a public screening of a documentary, workshops, and sessions dedicated to this theme. We'll collectively watch a new documentary by Prof. Kendall Moore, “Harm in the Water” (https://www.kendallmooredocfilms.com/single-project) on Friday evening, followed by a plenary Panel Discussion on Saturday. Both events will be open to the public and should provide lots of opportunities for engagement with Charlotteans. Additional plenaries include David Moffat (Machine Learning and AI), Grace Wilkinson (Algal Blooms), Bob Chen (Education & Outreach), and Jay Brandes (Microplastics). Our wide variety of sessions will provide different perspectives on your own science—including new methods, technologies, and tools—plus all the omics! There will be workshops training you in new skills (e.g., R, working with large datasets, writing science), career training (e.g., academic tenure, open access publishing, CV building), broadening participation (e.g., EVOLVED, building inclusivity), education and outreach (e.g., teaching, plastic pollution in underdeveloped countries), and a heartful discussion about the amazing science lost to couriers. There will be a variety of ASLO events, which provide an opportunity to rub elbows with ASLO Editors and officers; they will be wearing ribbons throughout the conference, are very approachable, and want to chat with you! The program includes lots of fun events for students and early career members, including the rainbow reception, a student speed networking mixer, and a mentor café. We hope you enjoy Charlotte (Fig. 3) and encourage you to stay at the recommended hotels (https://www.aslo.org/charlotte-2025/accommodations/); the proceeds benefit ASLO and support our meeting. Just as we make time to assess our personal health, it is critical that we do the same for our aquatic environment. It is not too late to register! Join us for a royally good time in Charlotte, North Carolina!