Call for Workshop Proposals

98th ESA Annual Meeting
Minneapolis, Minnesota
Minneapolis Convention Center
August 4 - 9, 2013

Call Open: mid September - November 29, 2012

We invite proposals for workshops for the 98th ESA Annual Meeting to be held August 4-9, 2013 in Minneapolis, Minnesota.

Workshops are sessions intended to convey specific knowledge or skills. They are not intended for the presentation of formal research talks. Workshops are frequently more interactive and informal than sessions within the formal scientific program, and they often involve extended discussion. Workshops may involve one or several leaders/presenters and may include computer-based or other hands on training. Workshop proposals should make clear what skills, tools, or insights participants might expect to gain from the session.

To avoid conflicts with scientific sessions, workshops are typically scheduled during the weekend or during lunchtime or evenings during the week. They are not scheduled concurrently with symposia, organized oral, contributed oral, or poster sessions. They may be scheduled concurrently with field trips and special sessions. Weekend workshops are held for full or half days (Saturday and/or Sunday) prior to the beginning of the formal scientific program. Weekend workshops may be linked with a scientific field trip. Proposals for lunch break or evening workshops during the week may also be submitted.

The program committee will take the proposed day and time into consideration during session scheduling but is unable to honor all scheduling requests. Accepted sessions will be scheduled to minimize topic overlap and as meeting space and logistics allow. Scheduling will be emailed to session organizers by mid February.

Workshops can be proposed for the following timeslots:

Weekend morning (8:00 - 11:30 AM; 3.5 hours) on Saturday or Sunday
Weekend afternoon (12:00 - 5:00 PM; 5 hours) on Saturday or Sunday
Weekend full day (8:00 – 5:00 PM; 9 hours) on Saturday or Sunday
Weekday lunch break(11:30 am - 1:15 pm; 1.75 hours) on Monday, Tuesday, or Thursday
Weekday evening (8 - 10 pm; 2 hours) on Monday, Tuesday, or Wednesday

Workshop structure is determined by the organizers. Organizers are asked to indicate minimum and maximum enrollments. Workshops may specify prerequisites for participation; however, they should be open to all meeting attendees, first-come first-serve, who meet these prerequisites. Workshops may have a registration fee to cover A/V or other equipment and preparation costs.

Note: ESA will not reimburse workshop organizers for any expenses. Costs may be covered by a group or organization underwriting the session. If so, this must be made clear in the proposal.

For examples of past workshops, please consult the program schedule from the 2012 Annual Meeting in Portland, Oregon.

Applications must be received on or before November 29, 2012, and be submitted using the online submission site at http://eco.confex.com/eco/2013/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, Equipment, and Registration Limits
6. Cancellation Policy
7. Application Format
8. Critical Dates

 

A. Evaluation Process and Criteria
Proposals for workshops are reviewed and selected by the Program Chair in consultation with peers s/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, “Sustainable Pathways: Learning From the Past and Shaping the Future”, 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 and justification. Limits of space and time may make it impossible to accommodate all worthy submissions.

B. Submission Procedure
All proposals MUST follow the format of the online proposal submission form. Incomplete and inaccurate information provided on these forms may result in the proposal being rejected. Required information includes: complete contact information for all co-organizers; a description of the workshop, explaining its purpose and general structure (250 word maximum); a summary sentence (<50 words); and a list of speakers/panelists, if appropriate.
All sessions must have a lead organizer who serves as the primary contact. The lead organizer should be readily available by email and phone in the months leading up to the meeting and is expected to be present at the meeting. 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 17, 2013 and the day and time of their session by February 14, 2013. If accepted, your workshop description will be posted on the Annual Meeting website and the title and summary sentence will appear in the printed program. The title, description, and summary sentence should be written with particular attention to attracting attendees and should be submitted in the correct format through the proposal submission form. Contributors and their topics can be mentioned in the description, but there is no space for a detailed agenda.

We encourage workshop organizers to provide additional appropriate information to registered participants prior to the meeting; however, it will be your responsibility to distribute it to them. To facilitate this distribution, ESA will provide you with a list of registrant email addresses approximately 2 to 3 weeks before the meeting.

D. One Presentation and Organizer Limit Rules
Note that the One Presentation Rule does not apply to workshops and special sessions. Organizers, leaders and participants in workshops and special sessions are not precluded from also being the presenting author or coauthor of a poster or contributed oral, organized oral, or symposium talk. They may also organize a special session or a second workshop. To promote diversity of sessions and topics, no person will be permitted to organize more than two workshops and/or special sessions at the 2013 Annual Meeting.

E. Session Fees, Equipment, and Registration
All workshops held during a lunch or evening session Monday - Thursday will be free and open to all attendees if no food, refreshments, or special equipment, including internet access, were requested by the organizer. These requests must be noted at the time of proposal submission. Meeting attendees will not be required to include these workshops in their meeting registration, and organizers will not know in advance how many people plan to attend.

Registrants of workshops held on the Saturday or Sunday preceding the Conference will be assessed a fee to cover meeting space. This fee will be higher if the organizer requests food, refreshments, or special equipment, including internet access.

All workshop proposals must indicate minimum and maximum participation. Your specification of the minimum number of participants is important. ESA will cancel your workshop if the minimum is not met. We will make this decision in early July based on the registration in your workshop at that time. All cancellation decisions will be made in consultation with the organizers, so it is critical that we have appropriate contact information for the organizers during late June/early July. If your workshop meets its minimum registration, you are expected to proceed with the workshop. In late July, organizers will receive a roster of registered attendees for any workshops requiring registration.

An important note regarding funds: Acceptance of your proposal does not obligate ESA beyond assuring you of a meeting space and inclusion in the meeting program. We stress especially that no ESA funds are available for honoraria, refreshments, special A/V needs, internet access, or travel expenses for workshop participants or organizers. Furthermore, meeting registration is not waived. ESA will not reimburse workshop organizers for expenses related to the workshop. Anyone participating in any capacity in a workshop 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 workshop has been accepted and listed online, cancellation imposes a serious burden. Do not submit a proposal if you are uncertain that you will be able to fulfill your obligation to organize and conduct the workshop. Once a scheduled workshop reaches the minimum registration, cancellation by the workshop organizers will preclude the organizers from being allowed to submit any proposals for workshops for the 2014 ESA Annual Meeting.

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

DEADLINE FOR APPLICATION RECEIPT: NOVEMBER 29, 2012

 Components of a Workshop 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
• Minimum and maximum number of participants
• Preferred date and timeslot
• Weekend morning (8:00 - 11:30 AM; 3.5 hours) on Saturday or Sunday
• Weekend afternoon (12:00 - 5:00 PM; 5 hours) on Saturday or Sunday
• Weekend full day (8:00 – 5:00 PM; 9 hours) on Saturday or Sunday
• Weekday lunch break(11:30 am - 1:15 pm; 1.75 hours) on Monday, Tuesday, or Thursday
• Weekday evening (8 - 10 pm; 2 hours) on Monday, Tuesday, or Wednesday
• Anticipated equipment needs: screen, LCD projector, dedicated laptop computer, slide projector, overhead projector, flip charts, VCR and monitor, Internet connection. NOTE: Provision of an internet connection cannot be guaranteed and incurs additional fees. These fees are typically substantial (as much as $650 per computer per room).
• Room set-up desired: theater, conference, hollow square, rounds, other. In order to give priority to paper sessions, it is unlikely we will be able to provide room setups other than theater style for the weekday lunchtime (11:30 AM - 1:15 PM) workshop time slots. The weekend and evening time slots are typically more flexible in regard to room setup options.
• Food and beverage requested for your workshop. NOTE: Charges to session attendees are increased if the organizers wish to serve food.
• If applicable, underwriting of workshop costs (food, materials, A/V, internet, registration, etc.) by a group or agency. Include name and amount to be contributed.
• 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 by email 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 receive the notifications. If you do not hear from the Program Chair or the Program Coordinator regarding receipt of your proposal by December 6, 2012, please contact Jennifer Riem 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.

A list of accepted workshops will be available on the ESA website when registration opens in the spring (typically late April or early May). The organizer should check for the exact time and location of her/his workshop. For workshops requiring registration, a list of names and emails of registrants will be provided to organizers by late July. As a courtesy to workshop participants, organizers should plan to notify all workshop leaders and participants of the date, time, and place of the workshop and any materials/activities they are expected to bring or prepare.

SUBMIT PROPOSAL HERE

H. Critical Dates
November 29, 2012: Deadline to submit workshop proposals.
December 6, 2012: Contact Jennifer Riem if you have not received confirmation of your submission.
January 17, 2013: Notification of proposal acceptance sent to organizers.
February 14, 2013: Notification of date, time, and location of workshops sent to organizers.
Late April, 2013: List of workshops posted to ESA meeting site. Organizers should check time and location of their session and notify their scheduled participants.
Late July, 2013: Registrant lists emailed to lead organizer (if registration is required for your workshop).

For further information, consult the ESA web page (http://www.esa.org/minneapolis) or contact the Program Chair, Deborah Peters or the Program Coordinator, Jennifer Riem.

Dr. Debra P. C. Peters USDA ARS, Jornada Experimental Range Jornada Basin Long Term Ecological Research Program New Mexico State University Las Cruces, NM USA 88003 Phone: 575-646-2777 Fax: 575-646-5889 Email: debpeter@nmsu.edu

Jennifer Riem Program Coordinator Ecological Society of America 1990 M Street, NW, Suite 700 Washington, DC 20036 Phone: (202) 833-8773 x 218 Fax: (202) 833-8775 Email: jennifer@esa.org