Lincoln, Nebraska, July 12-16, 2026

We are thrilled to announce that AAS 2026 will be held on the University of Nebraska-Lincoln campus in Lincoln, Nebraska, July 12-16th, hosted by the Hebets Lab.

Please take a moment to pre-register

The University of Nebraska–Lincoln (UNL), a public land-grant research university, is the state's oldest university. The beautiful City Campus, situated in the heart of downtown, includes the University of Nebraska State Museum, located in Morrill Hall, which is the state’s premier museum of natural history, and the Sheldon Museum of Art, which houses a comprehensive collection of nearly 13,000 artworks. East Campus (just 3.5 distance away) hosts the International Quilt Museum and the Lester F. Larsen Tractor Museum. Other nearby destinations include the Museum of American Speed for automotive history, the beautiful Sunken Gardens, the Lincoln Children’s Zoo, and Wilderness Park.

Fly into Lincoln Airport (LNK), about 8 miles away from campus, or Omaha's Eppley Airfield (OMA), about an hour’s drive. For train travelers, the Amtrak station is located in downtown Lincoln, minutes from UNL's City Campus. Driving, Lincoln is about 1 hour from Omaha, 2.5-3 hours from Kansas City, and around 3 hours from Des Moines.

Early registration will open in February, with member fees set at $400, $250 for student and retired, $500 and $350 for nonmembers. Family members and UNL-faculty/student pricing will also be available. Prices will rise sharply as the date grows near. 

Registration will include all presentations, the opening reception, closing banquet and auction, and some meeting swag, as well as the AAS soccer match, tallgrass prairie evening and dinner, and the pre-meeting Eight-Legged Encounters festival for early arrivals.

Attendees will pay for their own dorm housing, T-shirts, and post-meeting excursion costs.

Talks, breaks, and poster sessions will all take place in the Nebraska Union on City Campus.

Affordable dorm housing (both single and double rooms) is available in the University’s suite-style halls University Suites, ~0.3miles to the Nebraska Union. We have blocks of discounted rooms at the Embassy Suites and Drury Inn (both ~0.5 miles to Nebraska Union), and there are several other hotels in downtown Lincoln as well as Airbnb Lincoln.

Arrival and check-in Sunday, July 12th – (early arrival may be necessary if volunteering in Eight-Legged Encounters).

Eight-Legged Encounters – The meeting will kick off with this community science festival hosted at the University of Nebraska State Museum's Morrill Hall (see https://youtu.be/IwABnOgUp2A). Everyone is welcome to participate as a volunteer or a participant. Those intending to volunteer will likely need to arrive Saturday evening (July 11th), as set-up and training will begin at 10 am the 12th. The event will run from around noon to 3 pm on July 12th.

Opening Reception – will be the evening of July 12th in Morrill Hall from ~6-8 pm (appetizers provided), with the graduate student social to follow at a location TBD.

Talks and poster sessions – Monday to Wednesday, July 13th, 14th, 15th.

Post-meeting excursion – Thursday, July 16th: a trip to Omaha's Henry Doorly Zoo and Aquarium, with potential behind the scenes tours, OR a bioblitz at UNL's Research Station, Reller Prairie. (extra cost; vote for your preferred activity when you pre-register)

Sunday, July 12th – Opening reception and graduate student social (appetizers provided)

Monday, July 13th – First-ever AAS soccer match: Mygalomorphs vs. Araneomorphs

Tuesday, July 14th – An evening in the Tallgrass Prairie at Spring Creek Prairie Audubon Center (dinner provided)

Wednesday, July 15th – Banquet and auction (dinner provided)

Don’t forget to bring you arachnid-themed books, shirts, trinkets, and memorabilia for the auction, to help raise funds for student research!

Excited? Pre-register now!
(pre-registration is not a commitment to attend)