Summer Meeting Session Proposal Information and Deadlines
Please consider the following deadlines when proposing a session for the 238th meeting in Anchorage, Alaska.
Table of Contents:
Special Session Information
- Special Sessions are provided for any AAS member to propose.
- Each Special Session is a 90-minute block of time. Special sessions, however, they are structured, should focus on a single theme or connected themes and be organized by an AAS full member.
- A Special Session can consist of a series of talks or a panel discussion, or a combination thereof.
- Special Session proposals should include a list of suggested and confirmed speakers. The speaker list should be representative of the diversity of the astronomical community.
- The Special Sessions will be scheduled in parallel with the mid-morning or mid-afternoon oral sessions.
- Special Sessions are not the appropriate channel for future missions and facilities to interact with attendees. Workshops, Splinter Meetings and/or displays in the Exhibit Hall are the channel for these future-oriented activities.
- Federal agencies, national observatories or missions and other similar groups who wish to present policy and budget information or solicit feedback from their grantee and user communities should utilize Town Hall sessions.
| Date | Description |
|---|---|
| 3 Dec 2020 | Special Session Proposal Deadline |
| 17 Dec 2020 | Acceptance Letters Sent out |
| 7 Jan 2021 |
Speaker List Deadline |
| 27 Jan 2021 |
Speakers sent notification they are invited to submit their abstract to a Special Session |
| 10 Mar 2021 | Special Session Speaker Abstract Deadline Speakers in Special Sessions will submit their abstract by this date. |
| 25 Mar 2021 | Session Building Deadline Session organizers will receive session building information starting on 10 October, allowing them to organize speakers and accept or decline contributed abstracts. Session building must be complete by this date, at 12 noon ET. |
Meeting-in-a-Meeting Session Information
- Meetings-in-a-meeting highlight focused themes in observational and/or theoretical astrophysics, which can include (but are not limited to) new results from current space missions and ground-based facilities.
- Meeting-in-a-Meeting organizers can propose 2-7 sessions on a common theme, each of which are 90 minutes long.
- These sessions will be scheduled in parallel with other special and contributed sessions at the AAS meeting: 10:40 am-12:10 am and/or 2:50 pm-4:20 pm, for a total of 3 available hours each day.
- The organizers may follow any format they like but are strongly urged to start the meeting with an introductory talk for non-specialists.
- Submitted proposals should have close to a final confirmed speaker list and session description. The list of speakers should be representative of the diversity of the astronomical community.
- Session organizers will receive Session Building links a few days before the Session Building deadline, so please be prepared to complete this process within the few days that are allocated. Each session of your meeting-in-a-meeting will have its own Session Building Link, so please access all links that are sent to you.
- Each session will have the standard A/V equipment: LCD Projector, Screen, Laptop, Microphone, and Podium.
| Date | Description |
|---|---|
| 3 Dec 2020 | Meeting-in-a-Meeting Proposal Deadline |
| 17 Dec 2020 | Acceptance Letters Sent Out |
| 7 Jan 2021 | Speaker List Deadline Please submit your full and confirmed speaker list by this date, including all speaker affiliations. Once the speaker lists are received, we will send each speaker a link for abstract submission. |
| 10 Mar 2021 | Meeting-in-a-Meeting Speaker Abstract Deadline Speakers in Special Sessions will submit their abstract by this date. |
| 25 Mar 2021 | Session Building Deadline Session organizers will receive a session building link allowing you to organize speakers and accept or decline contributed abstracts. Session building must be complete by this date, at 12 noon ET. |
Town Hall Session Information
- Town Halls are intended for federal agencies, national observatories, and major current and future missions and facilities to present policy information and to solicit feedback from their user communities
- Current missions and facilities should request Special Sessions to present scientific results
- Representatives of future missions and facilities may interact with meeting attendees via Workshops, Splinter Meetings, and/or displays in the Exhibit Hall.
- Approved Town Halls will be scheduled for a 90-minute block during the day Monday - Thursday (schedule pending) or an evening 90-120-minute block in the evening. An evening Town Hall can be accompanied by a reception. The cost of any reception will normally be borne by the organizers of the Town Hall. Please contact the AAS Vice Presidents if you have any questions about topics appropriate for Town Halls.
| Date | Description |
|---|---|
| 9 Dec 2020 | Town Hall Proposal Deadline |
| 21 Dec 2020 | Acceptance Letters Sent Out |
| 18 Jan 2021 | Final Session Descriptions and Titles Due Sessions titles and descriptions are posted in the online general schedule and published in the Meeting Program. If your proposal text needs to be updated to be publication-ready, do so by this date. |
| 1 Apr 2021 | Catering Request Deadline If you require any catering, please fill out catering form by this date. |
Workshop Session Information
- Workshops typically focus on education and professional development, such as astronomy teaching and learning, job hunting, computer programming, and other types of skill building. Many involve interactive, hands-on activities. Workshops can be any length from 90 minutes to two full days and may be scheduled on the weekend before the meeting officially opens and/or on any regular meeting day(s). They are held in parallel with other workshops and sessions and can be scheduled during lunchtime (1:10 pm to 2:40 pm) as well.
- All Workshops will appear on the AAS meeting registration form, with a minimum registration fee of $35. We cannot program workshops without a registration fee. If you cannot agree to such a fee for some reason, please request a special session or splinter meeting instead.
- Please be sure to place an A/V order with us if necessary, as Workshops do not come with standard A/V equipment. Organizers are responsible for all costs associated with the Workshop including, but not necessarily limited to, the Logistical Support Staff fee, A/V equipment, phone services, catering and all applicable taxes and service charges.
- There is a Logistics Support Staff fee of $520/day for all Workshops. The registration fees collected from registered Workshop participants will be applied towards the Logistics Support Staff fee, A/V fee, and any other associated administrative fees.
| Date | Description |
|---|---|
| 9 Dec 2020 | Workshop Proposals and AV Requirement Deadline |
| 21 Dec 2020 | Acceptance Letters sent out with catering menus and order forms. |
| 1 Apr 2021 | Catering Request Deadline If you require any catering, please fill out catering form by this date. |
Splinter Meeting Information
Splinter Meetings will be accepted continually up until 19 February 2020 and are assigned on a first-come, first-served basis according to meeting-room availability.
- Open Splinter Meetings may not be scheduled in conflict with Plenary Sessions (Invited or Prize talks), but private Splinter Meetings may be.
- Plenary/Prize Talks scheduled Monday through Thursday at these times:
8:10 am to 9:20 am, 12:20 pm to 1:10 pm, and 4:30 pm to 5:20 pm (No plenaries on Thursday at this time). - Mission or observatory Splinter Meetings are not scheduled in conflict with lunchtime or Town Halls.
- Lunchtime/Town Halls are scheduled Monday through Thursday at these times:
1:10 pm to 2:40 pm - All Splinter Meeting organizers, moderators, and attendees must be registered to attend the AAS meeting at which the Splinter Meeting is occurring.
- Splinter Meeting organizers must be full members of the AAS at the time of the conference.
- Splinter Meetings may be either private or open and can range from just a few people to hundreds of attendees.
- Organizers are responsible for all costs associated with the Splinter Meeting, including, but not necessarily limited to, $520/day support staff fee, catering, A/V equipment, internet, phone services, and all applicable taxes and service charges.
- All catering orders are subject to a taxable service charge, and sales tax.
- If your Splinter Meeting is open/public, it will be posted in the online general schedule and published in the meeting program and mobile app. Closed/private Splinter Meetings are not published.
- All requests submitted after the deadline will be assigned based upon availability and will not be included in the meeting program or mobile app.
| Date | Description |
|---|---|
| 19 Feb 2021 |
Proposal and AV Requirements Deadline |
| 25 Feb 2021 | Acceptance Letters sent out with catering menus and order form |
| 1 Apr 2021 | Catering Request Deadline If you require any catering, please fill out form by this date by this date. |