TampaInternational Airport (TPA) is about 30 miles from the TradeWinds Island Resorts. See Ground Transportation from Tampa International Airport.
St. Pete/Clearwater International Airport (PIE) is 20 miles from the TradeWinds Island Resorts, however there are very few flights servicing this airport. See Ground Transportation from St. Pete Clearwater International Airport.
Orlando International Airport (MCO) is approximately 120 miles from the TradeWinds Island Resort. See Ground Transportation from Orlando International Airport.
Airport Ground Transportation
New TradeWinds Resort Shuttle
How to Book Reservations are recommended at least 2 weeks prior to your travel date. To book, visit SuperShuttle and use discount code VSS26 for 10% off one-way or round-trip rides. This code is valid for bookings made between April 23–May 25, 2026, for travel dates May 11–May 25, 2026.
Arrival Instructions For arrivals on May 14th, drivers will be loading at the Blue Baggage Claim Door #127, directly across from the Delta Baggage belts. For all other arrival dates, your driver will contact you via text once you land with a curbside meeting location nearest your baggage claim belt.
TradeWinds Island Resorts 5500 Gulf Boulevard, St. Pete Beach, Florida 33706 (727) 367-6461
From the North From I-75, take I-275 to Tampa and remain on it through Tampa and across Tampa Bay. Continue south on I-275 approximately 15 miles through St. Petersburg. Proceed from * below.
From the East Take I-4 west into Tampa. Stay in the left hand lane and follow the signs for I-275 South “To St. Petersburg” past downtown Tampa and across Tampa Bay. Continue south on I-275 approximately 15 miles through St. Petersburg. Proceed from * below.
From the South From I-75 take the I-275 exit “To St. Petersburg” (not Tampa), and over the Sunshine Skyway Bridge (toll). Proceed from * below.
From Tampa International Airport Follow the signs to I-275 South “To St. Petersburg” and across Tampa Bay. Continue south on I-275 approximately 15 miles through St. Petersburg. Proceed from * below.
From St. Petersburg/Clearwater Airport Turn left out of airport onto Roosevelt and follow signs to I-275 South through St. Petersburg, approximately 13 miles. Proceed from * below.
* Exit I-275 at the St. Pete Beach/Pinellas Bayway Exit (exit 17). Proceed west across Pinellas Bayway (toll) which takes you directly to St. Pete Beach and ends at Gulf Blvd. Turn right and the TradeWinds Island Resorts is on the left side of the street, about 1.5 miles north.
Friday, May 15, 2026, 7:30 – 9:30 pm, RumFish Beach
Save Friday evening for the spectacular VSS Opening Night Reception! The reception will take place on the beach and lawn at the RumFish Hotel from 7:30 – 9:30 pm.
Don’t forget your drink tickets, which can be found in the back of your badge. Your drink tickets are also good at Demo Night, Club Vision and Chill Vision. Friends and family may accompany you with the purchase of a Friends and Family Pass. See the Registration Desk to purchase passes.
Prepare to sink your toes into the sand and enjoy this fantastic event! Please
remember to wear your badge.
Each abstract is assigned a unique 4 or 5-digit number based on when and where it is being presented. Talk presentations are a 4-digit number and Poster presentations are a 5-digit number (the last two digits of a poster are the board number). See Abstract Numbering.
ATM
An ATM is located in the main lobby of the hotel. A second ATM can be found in the lobby of the Breckenridge Building.
Audiovisual Equipment for Talks
LCD projectors are provided in the talk rooms for giving slide presentations. Computers are NOT provided. Presenters must bring their own laptop computers and set them up BEFORE the start of the session in which they are presenting. Please review the Talk Presentation Instructions for more information.
For speakers who cannot bring a laptop, there is a loaner Windows PC laptop available in the talk room. Please make advance arrangements with Jeff Wilson at the VSS Registration Desk.
Baggage Check
Bags can be checked with the Bell Hop in the main lobby.
Business Center
The Business Center is located in the hotel lobby. Computer terminals are available in the Social Lounge (located in Royal Tern). A printer is available in the VSS Social Lounge.
Business Meeting
The VSS Business Meeting is Tuesday, May 19 12:15 – 1:15 pm in Talk Room 2. All VSS members are encouraged to attend. This is your opportunity to hear about VSS, ask questions, and give feedback.
Cashless Property
TradeWinds Island Resorts is now a cashless property with cash no longer accepted for payment throughout the properties. There is a “Cash to Card” machine at the RumFish Beach Resort. This machine works as a reverse ATM (without the fees) converting cash to pre-paid debit cards that can be used anywhere. Employee partners are still able to accept cash for gratuities, but they will not be able to make change onsite.
Certificates of Attendance
Certificates of Attendance will be available in your VSS account the last day of the meeting. If you require additional assistance, visit the Registration Desk.
Code of Conduct
The Vision Sciences Society (VSS) is dedicated to the open exchange of ideas and the freedom of thought and expression. We are committed to running a successful meeting that fosters collegiality and celebrates the international and interdisciplinary nature of the Vision Sciences community. These aims and goals require an environment that recognizes the inherent worth of every person and group, and that fosters tolerance, dignity, understanding, and mutual respect. To help ensure these goals, each presenter, speaker, and attendee must adhere to the Code of Conduct.
Community Table
Introduced in 2024, the VSS Community Table is located near the Registration Desk. Here, representatives from SPC, FoVea, Spark and Visibility will be on hand to share information about their communities as well as events happening at VSS. Stop by to learn more about newcomer gatherings or to find a VSS buddy.
Contact Us
If you need to reach VSS meeting personnel while at the meeting, VSS staff can be reached by email at or at the registration desk.
Disclaimer
The Program Committee reserves the right to change the meeting program at any time without notice. Please note that this program was correct at the time of printing.
Discord
The VSS Student and Postdoctoral Committee (SPC) has created a VSS server on the Discord instant messaging platform to facilitate communication among VSS attendees. You’ll find channels such as #accommodation, #ride-sharing, and #childcare-private helpful to find buddies or share resources. Channels such as #fovea, #visibility, #spark and #spc will facilitate networking with people from the various VSS communities. See the Registration desk to join the Discord server.
Drink Tickets
Each attendee will receive two “free drink” tickets which may be redeemed at the Opening Night Reception (May 15), Demo Night (May 18), or at either Club Vision or Chill Vision (May 19).
Exhibits
All exhibits are located in the Pavilion. See our list of Exhibitors.
Exhibit Hours Saturday, May 16, 8:00 am – 5:30 pm Sunday, May 17, 8:00 am – 5:30 pm Monday, May 18, 8:00 am – 12:30 pm Tuesday, May 19, 8:00 am – 5:30 pm
Exhibitor Setup and Tear down Setup: Friday, May 15, 4:00 – 7:00 pm and Saturday, May 16, 7:00 – 9:00 am Tear down: Tuesday, May 19, 5:30 – 8:30 pm
Fitness Center
There are fitness centers available at both the RumFish Beach and the Island Grand hotels. Both fitness centers are open 24/7 with a room key. The centers are available to attendees staying at either of the TradeWinds hotels.
Food Service/Catering
Complimentary coffee and tea, as well as a light continental breakfast is available each morning in the Garden Courtyard and the Pavilion. Coffee, tea, and refreshments will also be served each afternoon between afternoon talk sessions.
Your VSS registration includes the Opening Night Reception held on Friday night. The Reception will take place outdoors (weather permitting). Attendees may purchase a Friends & Family Pass, which will allow their guests to attend the food and social events.
Each attendee will be given two “free drink” tickets, good at the Opening Night Reception, Demo Night, and at Club Vision and Chill Vision.
The VSS schedule provides a generous two-hour lunch period on most days to take advantage of the beautiful surroundings and amenities of the TradeWinds Island Grand Hotel and the RumFish Beach Resort.
The 5% discount does not apply to food or drinks at VSS events, such as the Opening Night Reception, or Grab and Go Lunches. Discounted pricing has already been applied to these functions.
Grab and Go Lunches The TradeWinds will offer a selection of reasonably-priced lunch items just for VSS attendees. Friday – Tuesday 11:30 am – 2:30 pm, in the Garden Courtyard
Friends & Family Pass
The Friends & Family Pass allows your family to enjoy our fun VSS social events. For $100.00, your travel companion can attend the Opening Night Reception, and enjoy all Coffee/Snack Breaks and the Daily Continental Breakfast! Passes are only $100.00 for guests and $40.00 for children ages 6 through 12. Children under the age of 6 are free. To purchase a Family & Friends Pass, please visit the VSS Registration Desk onsite.
Passes are required for entrance to all social events and meals, including the Friday evening Welcome Reception.
Note: The Friends & Family Pass does not cover entrance to the scientific sessions. For a guest pass to a scientific session, please inquire at the VSS Registration Desk. For more information, please see Guests below.
Guests
Guests are allowed complimentary entry into one VSS session to see the poster or talk of the person they are guests of at the meeting.
Guests must register at the VSS Registration Desk upon arrival and must be accompanied by a VSS attendee. Guests must wear their guest badge for entrance into the session they attend.
To attend social functions, including the Opening Night Reception, Coffee/Snack Breaks and Daily Continental Breakfast, attendees’ guests will need to purchase a Friends & Family Pass, available at the VSS Registration Desk.
Internet Access
VSS provides free wireless internet access in the meeting areas, guest rooms, and VSS lounges. In the VSS meeting space, connect to twgroup; password is Event5500!. In the hotel common areas, connect to the wireless network that automatically pops up. Click “Connect” when prompted, and once the TW website opens, you can close it and you’re all set.
If you did not bring your own computer, a limited number of laptop computers with free internet access are available for your use in both the Quiet and Social Lounges.
Lost and Found
The Lost and found is located at the VSS Registration Desk in the Grand Palm Colonnade.
Lounges
VSS offers two lounge areas exclusively for meeting attendees:
Quiet Lounge The VSS Quiet Lounge is designed especially for attendees who need a quiet place to read, work, silently meditate, or relax. There are two laptops available. The Quiet Lounge is located in the Compass room in on the second floor of the Grand Palm Colonnade. Quiet Lounge Hours: Friday: 7:00 am – 10:00 pm Saturday: 7:00 am – 10:00 pm Sunday: 7:00 am – 10:00 pm Monday, 7:00 am – 2:30 pm Tuesday, 7:00 am – 10:00 pm
Social Lounge The VSS Social Lounge features comfortable seating for relaxing and visiting with colleagues. There are two laptops and a printer available, as well as phone charging stations. The Social Lounge is located in the Royal Tern room on the second floor of the Grand Palm Colonnade. Social Lounge Hours: Friday: 7:00 am – 10:00 pm Saturday: 7:00 am – 10:00 pm Sunday: 7:00 am – 10:00 pm Monday, 7:00 am – 2:30 pm Tuesday, 7:00 am – 10:00 pm
Message Center
Messages for registrants can be left and retrieved at the VSS Registration Desk. A bulletin board will be available in the Grand Palm Colonnade for announcements and job postings.
Moderators
Please arrive at the meeting room 30 minutes prior to the start of your session to allow time for setup and to check in with your speakers. See Moderator Instructions.
Parking
Complimentary self-parking is available to all meeting attendees. Access is through the Island Grand guard gate. Valet parking is available at the TradeWinds Grand Island Resort lobby for an additional fee.
Phone Charging Station
Phone charging stations will be located at the VSS Registration Desk and in the VSS Social Lounge.
Photographing/Videotaping Presentations
Unless otherwise noted, photographing and videotaping posters and talks is permitted at VSS. Presenters who do NOT wish to be photographed or videotaped should indicate this by displaying our “No videos and photos” image on their poster or the title slide at the beginning of their talk. The image can be downloaded from the VSS website or you can pick up a printed version at the Registration Desk.
Poster Sessions
All poster sessions are held in Banyan Breezeway and the Pavilion. The last three digits of your poster number indicate the number of your poster board. See Abstract Numbering.
Posters should be put up at the beginning of a session and taken down at the end. Abstracts not presented at the meeting will not be published in the Journal of Vision. See Poster Presentation Instructions.
Please be courteous and take down your poster promptly at the end of the session so that the board is empty when the next presenter arrives to put up their poster.
Push pins are available for your use and are located in the Banyan Breezeway and Pavilion.
Printing
Need your poster printed? The local UPS store offers a variety of services.
Quiet Lounge
See lounges.
Registration
The Registration Desk is located in the Grand Palm Colonnade. The Registration Desk is open during the following times:
Thursday, May 14, 4:00 – 7:00 pm Friday, May 15, 7:00 am – 6:00 pm Saturday, May 16, 7:30 am – 6:45 pm Sunday, May 17, 7:30 am – 6:45 pm Monday, May 18, 7:45 am – 2:30 pm Tuesday, May 19, 7:45 am – 7:30 pm
Shipping
To ship your poster or other items home from the meeting, ask for the Concierge at the front desk of the TradeWinds Island Grand.
Social Lounge
See lounges.
Spa Services
The BodyWorks Spa is located at RumFish Beach Resort inside the Loggerhead Building. The Spa is open Daily from 9:00 am – 5:00 pm. For appointments call 727.363.2348 or extension 6019 from your room. Appointments must be made 24 hours in advance.
Speakers
Please arrive at the meeting room 30 minutes prior to the start of your session to allow time for setup and to check your presentation. Please see Talk Presentation Instructions.
Before the VSS annual meeting, we will offer one virtual pre-meeting event for attendees who are new to VSS. This session will take place on Monday, May 4 and is designed to help first-time participants get a feel for the meeting, learn about key events and locations, and understand how to navigate the venue and activities once onsite.
To accommodate participants across time zones, we have reserved two session options:
3:00 am EDT
12:00 pm EDT
These two time slots should work well for attendees joining from both eastern and western regions.
We encourage you to join the VSS Board of Directors for the Annual Business Meeting. During this meeting, the VSS leadership will provide an overview of the Society and the outlook and priorities. The board will continue discussions about the future venue locations and share the feedback we received from the latest membership survey.
The Business Meeting is an opportunity for VSS members to ask questions of the VSS Board of Directors and bring up issues of concern to the general membership.
You may send questions before the start of the Business Meeting to .
VSS board members Krystel Huxlin and Anya Hurlbert will be stepping down this year. Four candidates, nominated by the membership and selected by an independent Nominating Committee, will compete in pairs for the two open positions.
Each newly elected Director will serve a four-year term on the VSS Board of Directors. Responsibilities of the Board include scheduling the Annual Meeting, implementing and monitoring VSS policies and budget, fundraising, and other VSS-related activities.
How to Vote
Log in to your MyVSS Account. In the 2026 Board of Directors Election section, click the Vote button. You must be a current Regular or Postdoc Member to vote. Other membership types will not see the 2026 Board of Directors Election section on their account home page.
Voting closes April 24, 2026 (11:59 pm latest time zone on earth).
Katja Dörschner received her PhD in 2006 in Experimental Psychology from New York University, USA. After a post doc period at the University of Minnesota, she started a position as Assistant Professor at Bilkent University, Türkiye, in 2008. In 2014 she received a Humboldt Foundation Sophie Kovalevskaja Award and funding to move to Giessen and establish a research group at the Justus Liebig University (JLU). At JLU she was appointed Professor in 2019. She is currently coordinating a European Marie Skłodowska Curie Doctoral Network focusing on the ‘Perception of materials, objects and spaces through active EXPLORAtion’ (EXPLORA). In her research, Dr. Doerschner combines psychophysics with tracking methods, computational approaches, virtual reality, and fMRI to uncover and understand the mechanisms that enable humans to perceive intrinsic object qualities, such as material and shape.
My Vision for VSS
I will support VSS in continuing to be a community where scientific excellence, methodological rigor, and the highest ethical standards form the foundation of every endeavor. I am committed to promoting VSS’s friendly, inclusive atmosphere, which empowers members at all career stages to collaborate openly, share ideas without restraint, and feel welcomed regardless of background. I aim to advance VSS’s science communication efforts so that our discoveries reach and enrich society, creating a reciprocal relationship in which our research not only pushes the frontiers of vision science but also gives back to the public that supports us.
Karen Schloss is an Associate Professor in the Department of Psychology and the Wisconsin Institute for Discovery at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. She directs the Visual Reasoning Lab and serves as the Associate Chair of Undergraduate Studies in Psychology. Karen received her BA in Psychology from Barnard College, her PhD in Psychology from the University of California, Berkeley with Stephen Palmer, and continued in Berkeley as a Postdoc before becoming an Assistant Professor of Research at Brown University. In 2016, Karen joined the faculty as an Assistant Professor at UW-Madison. Her research investigates how people interpret meaning from visual features, focusing on color and perceptual organization, with the goal of making visual communication more effective and efficient. Her work has been funded by multiple grants from the National Science Foundation, including an NSF CAREER award in 2018. She was awarded the Steve Yantis Early Career Award from the Psychonomic Society and served as an Associate Editor at the Journal of Experimental Psychology: General from 2022-2024.
Karen is deeply committed to serving the Vision Science community. She co-founded Females of Vision et al. (FoVea) in 2015, which aims to increase the visibility, impact, and success of women in vision science, while creating opportunities for everyone who seeks to participate in the field of Vision Science (indicated by the “et al.”). She has held leadership roles in FoVea since its inception. In 2021 she co-founded Mentoring Envisioned in partnership with other members of FoVea, SPARK, and Visibility to develop a community of near-peer mentoring and increase inclusivity within the VSS. She has also served on the VSS Diversity and Inclusion Advisory Board since 2021, the VSS Abstract Review Committee since 2022, and the Demo Night committee from 2014-2020 and 2023. Extending outside of VSS, Karen is currently the President of the Configural Processing Consortium, which unites scientists studying configural/holistic perception and cognition, with an emphasis on perceptual organization. Karen has attended every VSS for the past 20 years, and is driven to support the continued success of the society and its members.
My Vision for VSS
I view the interdisciplinary nature of VSS as a unique strength of the society and I would seek opportunities to continue fostering this strength. In recent years, there has been a surge in efforts to further build our interdisciplinary community through dedicated workshops such as PhiVis (Philosophy of Vision Science) and VISxVISION (Vision Science and Data Visualization Research), and the new Applied Vision Science meeting. I will work towards increasing efforts to facilitate interdisciplinary discussion and collaboration, while ensuring the society continues to promote the evolution of the field and highlight new and emerging areas of research. I will also work to increase bridges between VSS and other vision-related professional societies (e.g., ARVO, ECVP, International Color Vision Society, Society for Philosophy and Psychology, IEEE Visualization) to broaden multi-way dialogues across disciplines.
At the same time, I will work to expand VSS’s ongoing efforts to build an inclusive and supportive community, in which all vision scientists have opportunities to participate and thrive. As an international society, there is a need to explore innovative ways to facilitate connection and participation without reliance on international travel. Toward this goal, VSS is already developing virtual events to take place in the months preceding and following the VSS Annual Meeting (e.g., Virtual Symposia, Meet the Professors, and Connect with Industry). I will help facilitate these plans while also partnering with FoVea, Visibility, SPARK, and the Student-Postdoc Advisory Committee (SPC) to develop online versions of their activities (e.g., FoVea Workshops, Visibility Gatherings, Mentoring Envisioned Insights near-pear mentoring, SPC Workshops) to ensure they advance science, build community, and support professional development in the online platform. I will also explore opportunities to link virtual VSS events with in-person activities situated in regional “hubs” around the world. It will be especially important to provide meaningful virtual opportunities for junior members of our community who are just beginning to build their professional networks, as forming new connections in virtual settings can be far more challenging than maintaining existing connections. To further increase participation, I will be committed to identifying and pursuing financial support for early career members to attend VSS and explore additional ways to highlight and amplify their work. Finally, as VSS is experimenting with a new venue in 2027, I will work with the society to evaluate the outcomes of VSS in Seattle and continue identifying venues and formats for VSS that will maximize participation and access.
Geoffrey Aguirre is a neurologist who studies human visual perception and neural representation, with a particular focus on clinical disorders. His work combines several techniques, including functional MRI, psychophysics, and advanced stimulus spectral control.
Geoffrey completed his MD and PhD—and subsequent clinical training—at the University of Pennsylvania. His early research examined the organization of extrastriate visual cortex for the representation of object categories, combining patient data with fMRI to study face, object, and topographical representation. He has studied the effects of congenital vision loss upon the structure and function of visual cortex, and helped develop an atlas of retinotopic organization tied to cortical surface topology. He is currently working to understand the mechanistic basis of discomfort from bright and flickering light (photophobia). These studies use spectral control of stimuli to target the melanopsin-containing ipRGCs, as well as measurements of the human visual diet.
Geoffrey has worked to support trainees throughout his career. He is the Associate Director of the UPenn Neurology residency program, is PI on training grants (a T32 and UE5), and is co-Chair of the Burroughs-Wellcome Foundation scientific advisory committee for career development awards. In 2023 he received the Graduate Medical Education Mentorship Award from the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine. He is the past-Chair of the NBVP (formerly SPC) NIH study section. He is a Fellow of Optica and has served on the organizing committee of its Fall Vision Meeting. He is a former member of the editorial board of the Journal of Vision, and has served on the VSS abstract review committee for many years.
My Vision for VSS
My highest priority is ensuring that the annual meeting remains a place where vision scientists at all career stages are able to encounter and present high-quality, innovative research. It is essential that early-stage investigators have a strong role in shaping the content and direction of the meeting if the society is to remain impactful and relevant. I am also eager to build upon recent efforts to increase the relevance of the society to our scientific lives apart from a once-a-year meeting. Career development, industry and clinical alliances, and scientific advocacy are all areas in which the Vision Sciences Society may contribute to the work of our membership.
Cong Yu received his BA in Psychology from East China Normal University in 1985 and his PhD in Psychology from the University of Louisville in 1995, mentored by Ed Essock. After postdoctoral training at the University of Houston with Dennis Levi and at UC Berkeley with Stanley Klein, he served as principal investigator at the Institute of Neuroscience, Chinese Academy of Sciences, and later as professor at Beijing Normal University and Peking University. He is now Professor of Psychology at Zhejiang University in Hangzhou, China.
Cong’s research follows two complementary lines. One uses human psychophysics to study visual perceptual learning and its applications, as well as letter recognition/crowding and perceptual organization. The other, more recent line uses two-photon calcium imaging and artificial neural networks to study population activity in the early visual cortex of awake macaques and its contribution to foundational psychophysical phenomena. Together, these two lines of work reflect his longstanding interest in how visual systems learn, organize, and represent information.
Cong has been a deeply committed member of the vision science community. He has served on the editorial board of Vision Research since 2006, co-founded the biennial International Workshop on Perceptual Learning, was a member of the VSS Abstract Review Committee from 2011 to 2021, chaired the organizing committee for the Asia-Pacific Conference on Vision (APCV 2013), and now serves on the VSS David Teller Award Committee. He values VSS as an international community that brings together researchers across approaches, career stages, and regions, and he is especially enthusiastic about supporting the next generation of vision scientists while helping the field continue to grow in openness, rigor, and global reach.
My Vision for VSS
My vision for VSS going forward is for it to continue growing as a truly international and interdisciplinary community for vision science. What makes VSS especially valuable is not only the quality of the science, but also the openness of the exchange and the sense of connection across different traditions, methods, and generations of researchers. I hope VSS will continue to nurture excellent science, encourage broader participation from around the world, and support the next generation of vision scientists as the field evolves.
Club Vision, held on the last night of the meeting, is the final social event of VSS.
Wearing glowing or flashing accessories is a tradition for the party and we will again be distributing free glow-in-the-dark necklaces and bracelets. Feel free to also bring your own creative accessories.
This year we are returning to an old tradition, which brings forth the talent and musical cultures within our own community.
Some key details:
We are seeking a range of dance music styles, from Afrobeat to House to Zydeco (and anything else). In selecting DJs, we will seek a balance between variety and fun dance-ability.
All VSS members are eligible.
This is a volunteer gig, but there will be a small compensation.
Each DJ will play a 30-90 minute set (with some flexibility).
We will provide equipment, and you can let us know on the form if you have special requests.
Don’t miss the highlight of the VSS social calendar. We’ll see you at Club Vision!
Tuesday, May 19, 2026, 9:00 pm – 2:00 am, Palm/Sabal/Sawgrass
Chill Vision is on the last night of the VSS conference, created in response to member requests for a quieter alternative to the high-energy Club Vision.
Set in the intimate, lounge-like setting of Sabal/Sawgrass, Chill Vision offers a low-key, jazz bar vibe where attendees can wind down with soft music, casual conversation, and a comfortable atmosphere. A curated jazz playlist will set the mood—no live band, no loud beats—just a smooth backdrop for connecting with colleagues in a quieter setting. A bar will be available throughout the night.
We hope you’ll stop by Chill Vision to decompress, connect, and close out VSS in a more relaxed way.
Chill Vision is sponsored by Adaptive Sensory Technologies (AST).
Tuesday, May 19, 2026, 1:15 – 2:45 pm, Blue Heron, Snowy Egret and Spotted Curlew
To reflect the range of interests and career goals of VSS attendees, we are pleased to offer our popular ‘Connect with Industry’ event at VSS 2026. This is an opportunity for our members to interact with representatives of industry. Representatives from a range of organizations and industries will be present to discuss opportunities for vision scientists in their companies and to answer questions about collaborating with, and working within, their organizations. No advance sign-up is required.
Representatives from the following companies will be present to discuss opportunities for vision scientists in their companies and to answer questions about collaborating with and working within, their organizations.
Three 25-minute sessions will be scheduled (1:15– 1:40 pm, 1:45 – 2:10 pm, and 2:15 – 2:40 pm). Drop in for one, or stay for all time slots. Representatives will present an introduction to their company at the start of each session (1:15 pm, 1:45 pm, and 2:15 pm).
No sign-ups are required. Although light snacks will be served, please feel free to bring your brown bag lunch to enjoy during the event.
The Friends & Family Pass allows your friends and family to enjoy our many fun VSS social events. Your travel companion can attend the Opening Night Reception and enjoy all Coffee/Snack Breaks and the Daily Continental Breakfast!
Pass Pricing
$100 for each guest (maximum 2 guests per VSS attendee).
$40 for children ages 6 through 12. Children under the age of 6 are free.
To purchase a Friends & Family Pass, the registered VSS attendee should visit the VSS Registration Desk with guests to receive their passes. Passes are required for entrance to all social events and meals, including the Opening Night Reception.
Friends and Family Passes are non-refundable.
Note: The Friends & Family Pass does not cover entrance to scientific sessions. To bring a guest to a scientific session so they can see your presentation, please inquire at the VSS Registration Desk about a half-day Guest pass.
