Association for Biology Laboratory Education

ABLE Mini Workshops

Give a Mini Workshop session at our upcoming annual conference to share your successful labs with others, get ideas from participants, and add a publication to your CV. Details and the submission form will open in fall and be linked below:


Application Deadline: 31 December

We invite participants to submit proposals to present mini workshops at the annual meetings of the Association for Biology Laboratory Education (ABLE). Mini workshops are 45 or 90 minutes in length and some mini workshops may be presented twice. Preference is given to workshops that present novel curricular approaches to teaching in biology labs. They are presented as a hands-on wet-lab activities (preferred), demonstrations, computer laboratory sessions, or discussions. All mini workshop presentations include attendee participation and discussion.

For ABLE 2024, conference sponsors at the Demonstration level or higher were also invited to submit a Mini Workshop proposal in place of a traditional sponsor demonstration. The workshop proposals are being evaluated using the same criteria as those submitted by academic participants and needed to conform to the same expectations. The lunch and happy hour sponsor demonstration times remain available for those sponsors whose products or services do not lend themself to Mini Workshop criteria or who prefer not to present during Mini Workshop times. Sponsored workshops are not eligible for publication or honoraria.

The mini workshop submission deadline is December 31st each year. Applicants are notified of a decision two weeks after the deadline, or shortly thereafter, and abstracts posted to the conference website. Once accepted, presenters must submit materials for the conference binder to the conference host. The conference program and registration form is announced each year on the conference website by March 1. Final acceptance is contingent on the primary presenter’s paid conference registration by May 1. The first author, or designated author, of each mini workshop presentation is given a $50 honorarium after completion of the workshop, and authors are encouraged to submit an extended abstract or short manuscript by August 15th for publication in our annual proceedings, Advances in Biology Laboratory Education (see previous articles).

Presenters supply much of their own materials, including handouts, and are responsible for conference and travel costs. Registration waivers and travel grants may be available. The host will provide general lab equipment, such as glassware, and some help with laboratory supplies. Requests for laboratory supplies provided by the host institution need to be clearly described in your application below. Please contact the conference host if you have questions regarding equipment or supplies.

Those interested in proposing a mini workshop should fill out and submit the mini workshop application (opens late fall each year). You will need to create a free account on Proposal Space, an external site, and submit your application there. Users have reported that Safari does not work well with the site, so please use a different browser. You will receive a confirmation email when your application has been submitted so keep this for your records.


Please contact the Mini Workshop Committee members with questions.