A symposium is a focused meeting on a subject of current or continuing interest that is organized by a section or a Technical and Research (T&R) Committee/Panel with the assistance of a host section. Some examples of symposia are:
- The Sailing Yacht Symposium - a biennial event held on alternate years by the Chesapeake and New England Sections in the first quarter of the year.
- The Marine Engineering/Naval Ship Design Symposia - biennial events sponsored by the Chesapeake Section in alternate January of a given year that the New England Section hosts the Sailing Yacht Symposium.
- The-Propellers Symposium - a program sponsored by T&R Panel M-16 hosted by the Hampton Roads Section that offers this every three years.
- The California Joint Section Meeting - a symposium held in the third quarter of each year and sponsored on a rotating basis by the Northern California, Los Angeles Metropolitan, and the San Diego Sections.
A symposium's principle purpose is to bring expert authors on a given subject together to share their knowledge and expertise with an audience. A symposium can provide a forum for discussion of an important report or results of research of importance to the advancement of the profession.
The sessions of a symposium may highlight various aspects of a topic, and should provide for audience participation.
