Winter Meeting Session Proposal Information and Deadlines

Table of Contents

General Guidelines

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.

Special Sessions are intended for observatories, missions, and facilities to present and discuss scientific results and plans, and for discussion of education and state-of-the-profession topics. They typically feature multiple speakers.

Future missions and facilities can utilize exhibits, Workshops, Splinter Meetings, or websites to provide information to the community.

Special Sessions

DATE DESCRIPTION
22 May 2020 Session Proposal & AV Deadline
Deadlines for Accepted Proposals
8 June 2020 Speaker List Deadline
Please submit your full and confirmed speaker list by this date, including all speaker affiliations.
12 June 2020 Acceptance Letters Sent Out
16 July 2020

Speakers sent notification they are invited to submit their abstract to a Special Session

28 August 2020 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.
6 October 2020 Special Session Speaker Abstract Deadline
Speakers in Special Sessions must submit their abstracts by this date.
23 October 2020
12 noon ET
Session Building Deadline
Session organizers will receive Session Building information, allowing them to organize speakers and accept or decline contributed abstracts. Session Building must be complete by this date, at 12 noon ET.

Special Session Reminders:

  • Special Sessions are intended for observatories, missions, and facilities to present and discuss scientific results and plans, and for discussion of education and state-of-the-profession topics. They typically feature multiple speakers.
  • We will contact session organizers by the first week in July regarding proposal status (accepted or declined).
  • Session speakers will be sent a link to submit an abstract to the special session. This link will allow the abstract to be directly submitted to the special session.
  • Session organizers will receive the Session Building link a few days before the Session Building deadline, so please be prepared to complete this process within the few days that are allocated.
  • Session organizers will automatically be assigned as their Session Chairs unless we are advised otherwise.
  • Each session will have the standard A/V equipment: LCD projector, screen, laptop (dual operating systems), microphone, and podium. Please see Standard Speaker Ready and Audio Visual Information for more details

Town Halls

DATE DESCRIPTION
22 May 2020 Town Hall Proposals due
Deadlines for Accepted Proposals
12 June 2020 Acceptance Letters Sent Out with catering menus and order form
28 August 2020 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.
2 October 2020 Catering Request Deadline
If your speakers require any additional A/V equipment than what is provided, please send that request to us by this date.

Town Hall Reminders:

  • 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.
  • We will contact Town Hall organizers by the first week in July regarding proposal status (accepted or declined).
  • Town Hall organizers will automatically be assigned as their Session Chairs unless we are advised otherwise.
  • Each Town Hall will have the standard A/V equipment: LCD projector, screen, laptop (dual operating systems), microphone, and podium. Please see Standard Speaker Ready and Audio Visual Information for more details.

Workshops (Proposal Form)

DATE DESCRIPTION
7 August 2020 Workshop Proposals and AV Requirement Deadline
Deadlines for Accepted Proposals
21 August 2020 Acceptance Letters Sent Out with catering menus and order form
2 October 2020 Catering Request Deadline
If you require any catering, please fill out catering form by this date. 

Workshop Reminders:

  • We will contact workshop organizers by the last week in August regarding proposal status (accepted or declined).
  • All workshop organizers, moderators, and attendees must be registered to attend the AAS conference at which the workshop is occurring.
  • Workshop organizers must be active Full Members of the AAS at the time of the conference.
  • Organizers are responsible for all costs associated with the workshop including, but not necessarily limited to: Administrative/Room fee, catering, A/V equipment, internet, phone services, and all applicable taxes and service charges.
  • Please be sure to place an A/V order with us if necessary, as workshops do not come with standard equipment.
  • Workshops will be posted in the online general schedule and published in the Meeting Program.
  • If you would like your workshop to be listed on the AAS Workshop Registration form, please indicate that on the form. Please note, to be included on the AAS Workshop Registration form there is a minimum $35 registration fee that applies to all attendees. Any registration fees collected towards your workshop will be applied to your balance (Logistics support staff, AV, etc.).
  • The Logistics Support Staff fee may be collected prior to the meeting. All other charges will be billed by the AAS to the organizer or sponsor following the meeting.

Splinter Meetings (Proposal Form)

DATE DESCRIPTION
4 September 2020

Proposal and AV Requirements Deadline

Deadlines for Accepted Proposals
18 September 2020 Acceptance Letters Sent Out with catering menus and order form
2 October 2020 Catering Request Deadline
If you require any catering, please fill out form by this date by this date.

Splinter Meeting Reminders:

  • Splinter Meetings are accepted continually, and are assigned on a first-come, first-served basis based on meeting room availability.
  • All Splinter Meeting organizers, moderators, and attendees must be registered to attend the AAS conference at which the splinter meeting is occurring.
  • Splinter Meeting organizers must be active Full Members of the AAS for the Splinter to be considered and placed in the conference.
  • Splinter Meetings can 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: Administrative/Room fee, catering, A/V equipment, internet, phone services, and all applicable taxes and service charges.
  • Please be sure to place an A/V order with us if necessary, as Splinter Meetings do not come with standard equipment.
  • If your Splinter Meeting is public, it will be posted in the online general schedule and published in the Meeting Program. 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.
  • The Logistics Support Staff fee may be collected prior to the meeting. All other charges will be billed by the AAS to the organizer or sponsor following the meeting.
  • Scheduling
    • Open Splinter Meetings are not scheduled in conflict with Plenary or Prize talks.
    • Mission or observatory Splinter Meetings are not scheduled in conflict with Town Halls (1:00 pm–2:00 pm and 6:30 pm–8:30 pm daily).