Call for Special Session Proposals

94^th ESA Annual Meeting
Albuquerque, New Mexico
August 2 - 7, 2009

Call Open: October 9 - December 4, 2008

 

We invite proposals for special sessions at the 94^th ESA Annual Meeting. The meeting will be held August 2-7, 2009, in Albuquerque, New Mexico at the Albuquerque Convention Center.

Special Sessions complement the formal scientific program, providing an opportunity for presentations or extended dialogue and exchanges beyond what is usually possible in the regular scientific sessions. These sessions are not intended for the presentation of formal research papers, and they do not run concurrently with the symposium, organized oral, contributed oral, or poster sessions.

Special sessions do not conform to any single structure. They may, for example, involve one presenter, a series of lectures or a panel; a film, video or illustrated lecture; or a discussion. The Program Chair has the option of scheduling Special Sessions in the 75 minute time slot after the Opening Scientific Plenary on Monday morning, August 3 (10:15-11:30 am), or during the evenings of Monday August 3-Wednesday, August 5. Evening sessions run between 8-10 pm. To assist in assignment of a meeting room, you must indicate the expected minimum and maximum attendance. Special sessions may involve a ticket for a drink or refreshments for the participants, but it is important to list that in your proposal. NOTE: If refreshments are served, attendees will be required to pay a fee to attend the session in order to cover the cost of refreshments, unless the costs of these are covered by a sponsor for the session.

For examples of past special sessions, please consult the program schedule from the ESA Milwaukee meeting, held in August 2008.

Applications must be received on or before December 4, 2008, and be submitted using the online submission site at http://eco.confex.com/eco/2009/cfp.cgi

 

1. Evaluation Process and Criteria
2. Submission Procedure
3. If Your Proposal is Accepted
4. One Presentation and Organizer Limit Rules
5. Session Fees
6. Cancellation Policy
7. Application Format
8. Critical Dates

 

A. Evaluation Process and Criteria

Proposals for Special Sessions are reviewed and selected by the Program Chair in consultation with peers he may invite to assess proposals.Proposals may be from any area of science related to ecology, but those that pertain to the overall theme, Ecological Knowledge and a Global Sustainable Society, are especially encouraged. We also welcome proposals that explore connections with the social or natural sciences, or that are directed to ecological education at any level. The primary criteria for acceptance include scientific merit, probable interest by meeting attendees, and a clearly written and compelling description. Limits of space and time may make it impossible to accommodate all worthy submissions. The Program Chair has final authority for acceptance and scheduling for any proposed special session.

 

B. Submission Procedure

All proposals MUST follow the format of the online proposal submission form. Incomplete or inaccurate information provided on these forms may result in the proposal not being accepted. Information requested includes complete contact information for all co-organizers, a description (250 word maximum), a summary sentence (50 word maximum), and a list of speakers/panelists, if appropriate. The description should include a justification for the session as per the evaluation criteria listed above. If there is a sponsoring group/agency for the session, this should be mentioned in the session description or summary.

All sessions must have a lead organizer who serves as the primary contact, who will be readily available by email and phone in the months leading up to the meeting, and who is expected to be present at the session. A secondary contact is also required.

 

C.If Your Proposal is Accepted

All organizers will be notified of the acceptance of their proposal by January 15, 2009. If accepted, your session description will be posted on the annual meeting website and a summary sentence will appear in the printed program. The description and summary sentence should be written with particular attention to attracting attendees and submitted in the correct format on the website proposal submission form available through the ESA website. Other contributors and their topics can be mentioned in the description, but there is no space for a detailed agenda.

 

D. One Presentation and Organizer Limit Rules

Note that the organizers and/or speakers during a special session are not precluded from also being first author or presenter on a poster, contributed oral, organized oral, or symposium talk.

To promote diversity of sessions and topics, no person will be permitted to organize more than two workshops or special sessions at the 2009 Annual Meeting.

 

E. Session Fees

An important note regarding funds: Acceptance of your proposal does not obligate ESA beyond assuring you of a meeting space and inclusion in the printed program. We stress especially that no ESA funds are available for honoraria, refreshments, or travel expenses for special session participants. Further, meeting registration is not waived. ESA will not reimburse session organizers for expenses. Anyone participating in any capacity in a special session must be registered for at least one day. Organizers are responsible for making these facts clear to persons they invite to participate.

 

F. Cancellation Policy

Once a special session has been accepted and listed online, it imposes a serious burden to cancel it. Do not submit a proposal if you are uncertain that you will be able to fulfill your obligation to organize and conduct the session. Once a special session is accepted by the Program Chair, cancellation by the session organizers will preclude the organizers from being allowed to submit any proposals for special sessions for the 2010 ESAannual meeting.

 

G. Application Format

Please note this information must be entered on the website proposal submission form. It is provided here only to assist you in planning your submission. Also, note that the website format may differ slightly from the format listed here. All information requested must be submitted.

 

DEADLINE FOR APPLICATION RECEIPT: DECEMBER 4, 2008

 

Components of a Special Session Proposal

• Title of the session
• Description of the session (250 words max.)
• Summary sentence (50 word max.)
• Names and contact information for the lead organizer, a secondary contact and any co-organizers
• Expected minimum and maximum number of participants
• Proposed starting and ending times:
  10:15 - 11:30 AM (Monday only) or 8 - 10 PM (Monday, Tuesday, or Wednesday)
• Preference of day for this session:
  Monday, August 3 - Wednesday, August 5
• Anticipated equipment needs:screen, LCD projector, dedicated laptop computer, slide projector, overhead projector, flip charts, VCR and monitor, Internet connection (note that provision of an internet connection cannot be guaranteed and incurs additional fees)
• Room set-up desired: theater, conference, hollow square, rounds, other
• Outside underwriting of special session fees and/or group or agency sponsors for the session (if any)
• Is the session intended to follow a symposium or organized oral session? If so, which one?
• Is the session linked to a business meeting or mixer of any ESA Section, Chapter, or other group? If so, which one?

 

You MUST submit your proposal using the website proposal submission form. You will be notified electronically concerning receipt, review, and acceptance of your proposal, using the return e-mail address that you provide. The notice of receipt will include a reference number that you will need to retain. If the return email address is incorrect, you will not be notified. If you do not hear from the Program Chair or the Program Assistant regarding receipt of your proposal by December 15, 2008, please contact Aleta Wiley to confirm that your proposal was received. You may view your proposal by accessing the website and entering your proposal number. The website and proposal number will be provided to you when we acknowledge receipt of your proposal. The complete scientific program should be on the ESA website by May 15, 2009, by which date each accepted proposal organizer or submitter should check for the exact time and location of her/his session. Organizers are responsible for notifying all participants in her/his session concerning the date, time, and place of the session.

SUBMIT PROPOSAL HERE

 

H. Critical Dates

December 4, 2008: Deadline to submit Special Session proposals

December 15, 2008: Contact Aleta Wiley if you have not received confirmation of your submission

January 15, 2009: Notification of proposal acceptance sent to organizers

February 19, 2009: Notification of date, time, and location of special sessions sent to organizers

May 15, 2009: Final scientific program published. Organizers should check time and location of their session and notify their presenters.

 

For further information, consult the ESA web page (http://www.esa.org/albquerque) or contact the Program Chair, Scott Franklin, or the Program Assistant, Aleta Wiley.

Scott Franklin Program Chair School of Biological Sciences University of Northern Colorado Greeley, Colorado 80639 Phone: 970-351-2921 Fax: 970-351-2335 Email:

Aleta Wiley Program Assistant Ecological Society of America 1990 M Street, NW, Suite 700 Washington, DC 20036 USA Phone: (202) 833-8773 x 218 Fax: (202) 833-8775 Email: