You are checked into your hotel. You have registered for the meeting and picked up your name badge. Now what? The ESA annual meeting can be simultaneously terrifying and exhilarating for student attendees. The objective of this special session is to welcome students and to provide them with the tools they need to ensure their ESA experience is positive and productive. We will begin with a short presentation discussing:

• How the ESA annual meeting is structured (e.g., the different types of talks, poster sessions, and social events) and how the meeting works.
• Strategies for identifying sessions most relevant to students’ scientific interests.
• Sessions and events particularly of interest to students.
• Effective and responsible uses of social media during the meeting.
• Strategies for avoiding burnout by the end of the meeting.

Critical to a productive meeting experience is being able to network with a wide range of people and forming relationships with other students from around the country. This is not a natural skill set for most people. We will provide some brief tips on how to start and maintain conversations and we will conclude the orientation with time for student networking over coffee. The session targets first-time meeting attendees but advice and discussion opportunities are relevant to all meeting participants. Feedback from past attendees suggest that everyone from first timers to seasoned ESA experts pick up useful tips and develop new skills at the Student Section Orientation.