Events Topics:

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Cosmos in the Classroom

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Abstract Submission Guidelines

The regular deadline for abstracts passed on April 23. However, we are still accepting late abstract proposals until May 28, on a space available basis. After the program committees consider all the proposals that were submitted on time, they will see how many sessions or papers can be fit. The sooner you get a late abstract in, the sooner it can be considered. No abstracts will be accepted after May 28.

We invite abstracts in several categories for the two symposia. For a description of the categories see the pages describing the Cosmos and Earth & Space Science EPO programs.

Proposals for abstracts must be submitted via the web and cannot be sent by mail or e-mail. Please fill out the abstract form carefully since the program committee will be rating the proposals based only on the information you provide. Note the word limits for abstracts (300 words) and outcomes (100 words). Many abstract submitters are more comfortable composing the text for these in a word-processing program in advance and then copying it onto the web form.

Anyone who submits an abstract (as lead author) is expected to register for and attend the full conference. At these meetings, where ongoing networking and discussion is so large a part of the benefit, we strongly encourage people to be present for the entire program.

Limits on the Number of Abstracts Submitted

For the Cosmos symposium, you may be the lead author on only one poster paper, one workshop, and one special interest group (one of each). It’s fine to be the co-author or co-presenter on other papers or sessions. (Making a presentation on an invited panel or session does not count against these limits.) The reason for these requirements is to give everyone a chance to present in the limited time of the meeting.

For the Earth & Space Science EPO symposium, you may be the lead author on only one poster paper and one oral session: a ten-minute oral paper or a workshop or a special interest session proposal.

We expect more good proposals for sessions than we can accommodate. If this happens, the Program Committee may have to reject some proposals or suggest that oral sessions be presented as posters instead.

Poster Papers

Posters should fit within an area of 4 feet by 4 feet. Electrical power is not available, and there are no tables below your poster, so you may want to arrange everything to fit within the area of the poster itself.

There will be special oral sessions where poster paper authors will have the option of introducing the topic of their poster for one minute to whet the audience’s appetite. Please practice so you can fit your remarks into one minute (we will have a merciless master of ceremonies!)

Each day there will be some time set aside for poster papers only, and authors will be asked to stand by their posters during that time.

What Kind of Session Should I Submit an Abstract for?

The program committees for ASP Meetings recognize that “show and tell” is an important reason people come to conferences. It is natural to want to share the good work we are doing with others in the field. However, the committees feel that poster papers are generally the best way to do straightforward show-and-tell. (In Boulder, we expect posters to be up and available for reading for three days and to make time available during each symposium when there is nothing scheduled except poster papers. Poster presenters will also be part of a fun “one-minute abstract session,” where each lead author on a poster is given a minute to say something to draw attendees to the poster.) So if you simply want to describe your program or materials, please give strong consideration to doing a well-designed poster.

If, on the other hand, you:

• have developed an innovative program, set of materials, or technique for which a longer hands-on participatory session is appropriate

• are part of a consortium of institutions doing a national program for which you are seeking other participants or whose materials you want to train others to use

• have a multi-institutional panel that illustrates different approaches to the same issue or technique

then we encourage you to propose a one-hour workshop.

Finally, if you would like to see a facilitated discussion of an issue which affects a significant group of people in the field and for which many individuals may have found a different solution, we suggest you propose a one-hour special interest group session.

For Cosmos, such special interest groups may consist of people with the same teaching situation (lab instructors, part-timers, teachers of astrobiology courses) or with the same challenge (having to write student learning outcomes, trying to run an on-campus planetarium in difficult economic times.)

For the Earth & Space Science EPO Symposium, special interest group meetings can be about a research area, new audiences, responding to some grant agency requirements, etc.

Since we have very limited time for special interest group meetings, please make your abstract as clear and general as possible.

How To Write an Effective Abstract and Outcomes Statement

Your abstract should give a concise summary of what you propose to do or say in your session or paper. It should be written so people not familiar with your work can understand it. It may contain a web site URL for more information, although you should not rely on a reader actually visiting that web site before the meeting. The software being used for abstracts will truncate your text after the limit is reached, so please take the word limit seriously.

Your outcomes statement should not be a continuation of your abstract. You should instead explain what skills or information the participants in your session or readers of your paper will take away from the experience. You can use bullet points instead of complete sentences. For oral sessions, you may want to discuss how your contribution will move us forward as professionals and what activities in our community of practice will result.

NOTE: When you submit an abstract, you will receive a receipt and a separate registration number for that abstract. Registering an abstract is NOT the same as registering for the meeting. You will still need to register for the meeting.

Cosmos Share-A-Thon Does Not Require Abstracts

If you are just bringing materials for the room at the Cosmos meeting where we will exchange syllabus and other course materials, you do not need to submit an abstract or make any kind of reservations. Just bring copies of the materials with you. We will let everyone know later what the expected attendance is and how many copies to bring.

Proceedings

The EPO Symposium will publish a proceedings through the ASP Conference Series as it has in past years, to provide a record of the symposium and a ready reference for both those attending and those unable to attend. It also provides a publishing opportunity to all those submitting an abstract and making a presentation during the symposium. (A special reduced price pre-publication cost of $45 is offered to all attendees, and may be selected on the registration form.)

Please go the proceedings page for submission and editorial details. Note the paper submission deadline of September 1, 2010, approximately four weeks after the symposium.

Any questions? Please direct them to: 2010meeting {at} astrosociety.org