2026 NSF CEDAR Workshop

Workshop Venue

Iowa Events Center, Convention Center
730 3rd St.
Des Moines, IA 50309
515-564-8000

The NSF CEDAR workshop provides the community an opportunity to self-organize, exchange and foster new ideas. NSF CEDAR thrives to be a safe space for all participants and it has a strong educational component.

The workshop includes community organized breakout workshops/sessions (regular and grand challenge), poster sessions with a student poster competition, a student day, plenary sessions with science highlights, agency updates and tutorials, a distinguished lecture, and a prize lecture.

See a brief overview of the NSF CEDAR workshop components. This is helpful information especially for first time attendees. 

Deadlines and Key Dates

Registration

See Fees Information

Register

Agenda

A draft Agenda will be posted online by March 30.

Workshop Proposal Submission

Please check out the Workshop Proposal Guidelines. 

The final workshop agenda will be decided by a subcommittee of the CEDAR and GEM Science Steering Committees and Meeting Organizers. Based on the range of the topics proposed and the availability of time slots for breakout workshops/sessions, some proposed breakout workshops/sessions may be consolidated at the discretion of the joint CEDAR-GEM workshop/session organizers.

The 2026 CEDAR Workshop will be in-person, but conveners of individual and grand challenge workshops can choose to include virtual components. Conveners should include Zoom links in their online agendas if they choose to include virtual components.

CEDAR Workshops/Sessions

Regular Workshops are 1 year efforts focused on a specific topic and the associated science questions. 

CEDAR Grand Challenge (GC) Workshops/Sessions

Grand Challenge (GC) workshop addresses urgent, overarching questions which require a multiyear effort and are of high importance to the NSF CEDAR community. GC workshops are 3 year efforts and should be organized by a diverse team of conveners with a clear schedule and specific goals and topics for the 3 years. Each GC workshop will introduce the topic to the NSF CEDAR community in the plenary session in the first year and provide updates in the 2nd & 3rd, and a summary after year 3. 

Each year one new grand challenge workshop is selected by the NSF CEDAR Science Steering Committee. List of Grand challenge workshops.

Current Submitted Workshop Proposals

Workshops will be posted online in May.

Submit a Workshop Proposal

Student workshop attendance support

NSF CEDAR supports many students to attend the NSF CEDAR workshop. 

For students enrolled in a US institution and traveling from a location within the United States, financial support will consist of registration fee, roundtrip travel to the NSF CEDAR workshop venue, and housing. For students enrolled in an institution outside the US, financial support will consist of registration fee and housing.  To be eligible students need to apply for support by March 13, 2026. Students will be notified in April if they have been selected to receive support. See Student Travel Support Selection Criteria.

Apply for Student Travel Support

Poster session

CEDAR will have two poster sessions allowing you to present and discuss your work with the community. Anyone can submit up to two poster abstracts. For abstracts NOT submitted by students seeking support, the deadline for submission is May 8th, 2026.

Students applying for workshop travel support MUST submit a poster abstract by March 13, 2026. 

We encourage students to participate in the student poster competition. Students in the poster competition are required to upload their poster by the Thursday before the meeting starts. 

Check out the poster guidelines

Poster Size

Posters can have a maximum size of 4x4 feet (1.2x1.2m). Instructions will be send beforehand to the students. All others can upload their poster if they want to.

Submit a Poster

Dependent care grants 

NSF CEDAR helps community members with dependent care needs to attend the NSF CEDAR workshop.  Please read the dependent care grants information before filling out the form. 

Apply for a Dependent Care Grant

NSF CEDAR Distinguished Lectures, Prize Lectures, Early Career Lectures, and Science Highlights nominations

Information about the nomination criteria and process for each category can be found on the CEDAR Nomination Information Page.

Nominate a CEDAR Distinguished Lecture

Nominate a CEDAR Prize Lecture

Nominate a CEDAR Early Career Prize Lecture

Nominate a CEDAR Science Highlight

Hotel Booking

Hilton Des Moines Downtown

435 Park St
Des Moines, IA 50309

See more information about lodging and book lodging.
Last day to reserve in our block with the discounted rate is May 29th, 2026.
This hotel is connected to the Convention Center via the Skybridge throughout the city. 

Contact Information

For program information, please contact Liying Qian.

For logistics questions, please contact Maggie Payeur.