• Evaluate annual meeting activities and make recommendations.
• Advise new strategies for adapting to changes in the scale, complexity, and format of the annual meeting.
• Review and revise the themes and topics list for the annual meeting, which serves as a working taxonomy for the field of neuroscience.
• Identify the educational needs of the neuroscience community.
• Review member-submitted abstracts and build coherent and logical scientific sessions.
• Ensure scientific quality, ethics, and appropriate conduct in research and practice of the annual meeting program.
• Propose and select the featured program, including lectures, symposia, minisymposia, and other featured scientific panel sessions.
• Review and approve annual meeting activities developed by other committees and groups.
• Observe and collect feedback from colleagues and participation in other meetings.
• Ensure scientific programming is representative of all SfN member. Maintain a balance of diversity and inclusion, with regard to the annual meeting scientific program and key lecturer opportunities.

To continually improve and enhance the SfN annual meeting experience by planning engaging scientific sessions containing cutting edge neuroscience research topics and speakers, and encouraging the exchange of information.

Monitor

• Observe trends and changes in the field of neuroscience, and consider the diverse backgrounds and needs of SfN members and meeting attendees in order to consistently provide a rigorous, comprehensive, and balanced scientific program.
• Observe and gather feedback from colleagues and from attendance at other scientific/medical meetings.
• Identify the broad educational needs of the neuroscience community, at the research and translational level.

Advise

• Evaluate annual meeting activities and make recommendations to Council to reshape the program as necessary, considering logistical needs and constraints, particularly as the meeting size and the field of neuroscience change.
• Advise Council on new strategies for dealing with changes in the size, complexity, and formats of the annual meeting.
• Provide guidance in the management of complex issues related to programming and logistics.
• Identify abstracts that are potentially newsworthy, to be considered by the Press Planning Committee to develop press conferences for the annual meeting.

Manage Activities

• Review abstracts submitted by the membership and build coherent and logical scientific sessions for the annual meeting, while ensuring that all guidelines regarding scientific quality, ethics, and appropriate conduct in research and practice are met.
• Propose and select the featured program, including lectures, symposia, and minisymposia.
• Ensure that the scientific program adequately reflects the scientific interests and the composition of the membership.
• Implement a system to review and revise the list of Themes and Topics on an annual basis.
• Continue to find ways to provide attendees with the opportunity to socialize and network with colleagues in similar disciplines of neuroscience.
• Propose and select topics and panelists / speakers for the Meet the Experts Series.
• Be informed of annual meeting activities that are developed by other committees and groups.
• Review and approve satellite events.
• Provide the Committee on Committees with suggestions for new members to the Program Committee to ensure appropriate balance of the Committee.

Note: Activities that result in a substantial change in practice or policy, especially in matters affecting financial liability, public relations, or relations with other societies, must be approved by Council.

Coordinate and Communicate

• Facilitate the lines of communications between Council and meeting attendees.

The committee is composed of standard committee members who serve three-year terms. The incoming chair, the past chair, the President, the President-Elect, and the Secretary serve as ex officio members of the committee. Committee members are recommended by the Committee on Committees and approved by Council. The chair is appointed by the president.

The chair, past chair, and incoming chair are empowered to act on behalf of the committee on matters that require decisions between meetings of the full committee.

Subcommittees are formed as needed to accomplish the duties of the committee; however, the following is a list of standing, active subcommittees and associated participation and responsibilities:

All committee members are expected to attend two to three yearly Program Committee meetings. The first occurs in the first part of the year, usually in February, to select symposia, minisymposia, lectures, SfN-sponsored socials, and other programming. In the three weeks leading up to this meeting, committee members will be asked to dedicate some time to reviewing submitted symposium proposals and recommending potential lecturers. The second meeting is mid year, usually in June, to complete the sessioning of abstracts. Committee and Subcommittee chairs are required to attend the June meeting. Prior to this meeting, in the late-Spring, Committee members must be prepared to review and session assigned abstracts. The third meeting is during the annual meeting to begin the planning process for the subsequent annual meeting. Additional correspondence is conducted by e-mail and conference call, as needed, throughout the calendar year to address program-related issues.