2017 Theme: Serving Society Through Science Policy
To make decisions, societies rely on knowledge and multiple perspectives. Policies both within and outside science should be informed by the best available evidence. Science alone cannot translate knowledge into viable policy options; other factors include societal norms and cultural values. One aspect of science policy is advancing the practice of science: How do we continually improve scientific methods, mechanisms, and outputs to increase the value of science to society? Another aspect of science policy is providing the best available scientific evidence to policymakers, community leaders, and citizens. How can we most effectively provide scientific evidence that informs policy? What are the roles for scientists as individuals and for the scientific enterprise as a whole in the policy landscape? What emerging and established areas of science are essential to future policy decisions?
Proposal Submission
The AAAS Annual Meeting is the most important science venue for the growing segment of scientists and engineers interested in the latest advances and the influence of science and technology on how we live today. Thousands of leading scientists, engineers, educators, and policymakers interact with one another and with hundreds of members of the national and international media. The growing number of international attendees attests to the increasingly international nature of this gathering. Approximately 150 sessions spread across a dozen tracks are typically presented at the Annual Meeting.
The 2017 meeting will be held February 16-20 in Boston. Scientific session proposals are solicited beginning January 29, 2016. The deadline for submission is Friday, April 22, 2016 at 11:59 p.m. PT. Decisions will be announced in early July 2016 after the completion of external review and final selection by the AAAS Annual Meeting Scientific Program Committee. Proposal organizers are encouraged to be creative and to focus on the uniqueness and interdisciplinary nature of the Annual Meeting.
IMPORTANT: PLEASE READ
The AAAS Annual Meeting Scientific Program Committee is particularly interested in proposals that highlight the theme. However, proposals that are not directly related to the theme will be considered if they involve ground-breaking areas of research, new and exciting developments, or cross-cutting activities in support of science, technology, and education. Successful proposals are characterized by:
- Interesting, topical subjects that are thoughtfully developed and include capable and articulate speakers who represent the diversity of science and society (including disciplinary field, gender, ethnicity, geographic location, and institution).
- Proposals focused on specific projects or programs are discouraged, unless they significantly emphasize broader applicability
- Proposals that cover policy are expected to primarily focus on the cutting-edge aspects of the scientific research driving policy in that particular subject, rather than focusing wholly on the issues beyond the science.
Please see below for submission instructions, and pages 7-8 for the specific considerations provided to reviewers.
About AAAS
The American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) is the world's largest general scientific society and publisher of the journal Science as well as Science Translational Medicine, Science Signaling, and a digital, open-access journal, Science Advances. AAAS was founded in 1848 and includes nearly 250 affiliated societies and academies of science, serving 10 million individuals. Science has the largest paid circulation of any peer-reviewed general science journal in the world. The non-profit AAAS is open to all and fulfills its mission to "advance science and serve society" through initiatives in science policy, international programs, science education, public engagement, and more. For the latest research news, log onto EurekAlert!, the premier science-news website, a service of AAAS.
Instructions for Submitting Scientific Session Proposals
All proposals MUST be submitted on this site before Friday, April 22, 2016 at 11:59 p.m. PT.
The deadline for proposal submission is Friday, April 22, 2016 at 11:59 p.m. PT. Proposals will not be accepted after the deadline. All proposals will be peer-reviewed. Decisions will be announced in July. To receive notifications, please ensure that the following e-mail addresses will not be blocked: meetings@aaas.org, tlohwate@aaas.org, cjones@aaas.org, nmaylett@aaas.org, ekimbrel@aaas.org.
Follow these instructions carefully. The information you provide will be used by reviewers to evaluate and score your proposal. Incomplete proposals will be eliminated from consideration.
The AAAS Scientific Program Committee underscores that a successful proposal is characterized by interesting and timely topics that are thoughtfully developed and include capable and articulate speakers who represent the diversity of science and society, including disciplinary field, gender, ethnicity, geographic location, and institution.
SCHEDULING NOTE: When selecting speakers, please ensure that they are available to participate at any time from Friday, February 17 through the morning of Monday, February 20, 2017. Once the schedule for sessions is announced in the fall of 2016, it will be considered final.
LANGUAGE AND STYLE: Meeting attendees come from more than 50 countries. For language choice, use American English spelling and translations. For style, use The Chicago Manual of Style. Spell out all abbreviations and acronyms. Do not use "ALL CAPS" for the title of a symposium or the title of a speaker presentation.
A correct example:
A correct example:
Unlocking Plant Genetic Diversity for Food and Nutritional Security
AAAS reserves the right to edit all submissions for publication, as they will be published in the meeting program book and website. Modifications are sometimes made to improve clarity and encourage attendance.
TRAVEL SUPPORT: Organizers, speakers, and others participate in the program at their own expense or use funding secured by an organizer from a source that has been vetted by AAAS Meetings to avoid conflicts of interest. As a nonprofit organization, AAAS does not have the financial resources to fund travel expenses for the more than 1,000 program participants at each year’s meeting. However, one of the 24 disciplinary sections of AAAS may choose to authorize travel support for speakers, organizers, and discussants from their modest budgets. Funding is limited and typically provides partial support. Co-organizers and moderators are not eligible to apply for travel support unless they are acting as a moderator in place of an organizer who cannot attend the meeting.
Five Steps for Submission
1. Set Up Proposal
PART A: SELECT SESSION TYPE - NOTE CHANGES FOR 2017 PROPOSALS
Based on feedback AAAS has received and the decision of the Scientific Program Committee, there is no longer an option for 180-minute symposia. Two new session formats, in addition to the standard 90-minute symposium, have been added as options. Please select the desired session type and adhere to format specifications. The Program Committee reserves the right to accept a proposal contingent on altering the format.
There are now three session types: 90-minute symposium format; 90-minute discussion-focused format; and 15-minute "flash talk" format.
- 90-Minute Symposium Format: This is the standard symposium format. Symposium should be focused on topics and projects with broad appeal and relevancy. A moderated panel composed of 3 speakers give presentations (~20 minutes each), followed by a ~30 minute discussion/Q&A period.
- 90-Minute Discussion-Focused Format: This is a slight variation on the standard symposium format, intended to emphasize discussion and interaction with the audience. Topics where audience input on next steps is desired are encouraged to consider this format. A moderated panel of 2-3 speakers give short presentations (10 minutes each), followed by a longer (~60 minute) discussion/Q&A period. The moderator must be a skilled facilitator; moderator tips and advance support will be available.
- 15-Minute Flash Talk Format: Flash talks are intended to give individuals the opportunity to provide an introduction to a particular topic or area of research (one speaker only per submission). The Program Committee may group the flash talks by topic or cross-cutting theme, such that 3-5 flash talks may be presented consecutively, followed by a Q&A period with the audience.
PART B - ENTER SESSION INFORMATION
TITLE OF PROPOSED SCIENTIFIC SESSION
Title must include no more than 85 characters, including spaces. When preparing a proposal and the title of the session, organizers are encouraged to be creative and to focus on the interdisciplinary nature of the AAAS Annual Meeting. Please avoid jargon.
SUBMITTER E-MAIL ADDRESS
Please enter a valid e-mail address where messages can be received and accessed year-round. The submitter will immediately receive an e-mail confirming the initiation of a session proposal.
CATEGORY SELECTIONS
Please select the Primary Subject Category that best describes the overall nature of the symposium. This information is used by the Program Committee to help generate broader symposium tracks or sub-themes. Please select Secondary Subject Categories within which the symposium falls. This information is used to develop the cross-cutting General Subject Index contained in the Program Book.
SECTION MEMBER AFFILIATION
If applicable, indicate the primary AAAS section affiliation of the session organizer.
DISIPLINARY SECTIONS CONSULTED? (optional)
Indicate if your proposal has been discussed with an AAAS Section. Consultation is not required, however; sections can provide input to help strengthen a proposal, especially if an organizer is submitting for the first time. Consultation does not imply support or endorsement of a proposal. A list of sections and contacts are available at http://www.aaas.org/page/sections/.
SYNOPSIS
Provide a clear, succinct synopsis of your proposed symposium (up to 1,500 characters, including spaces) as it would appear in the meeting-program. Avoid the use of report or book references, abbreviations, or technical jargon. Do not repeat the meeting theme's title in a symposium synopsis. Past Annual Meeting programs are archived at http://www.aaas.org/annual-meeting/archives and can be a useful source of information.
Describe the subject, highlighting the scientific issues, innovations, or research to be addressed. Do not name or reference speakers or the titles of their presentations in the synopsis. Speakers are listed separately along with their presentation titles and descriptions .
Discussion-focused sessions are requested to include in their synopsis whether they plan to hold a moderated, full-group discussion or small group discussions, after the presentations.
RELEVANCE TO THEME OR SPECIAL RELEVANCE TO THE AUDIENCE
Describe how the proposed symposium relates to the theme (up to 500 characters, including spaces). Almost any topic in science and technology can be related to the theme, and submitters are encouraged to extend their reach by thinking internationally. However, the Program Committee will consider proposals that are not directly related to the theme if they involve ground-breaking areas of research, new and exciting developments, or cross-cutting activities in support of science, technology, and education.
CONFLICT OF INTEREST
AAAS requires clear disclosures from all presenters at its Annual Meeting regarding any affiliations, funding sources, or financial holdings that might raise questions of bias or be perceived to have potentially influenced presentation content. You will be asked to confirm that there are no known conflicts of interest for your speakers or list conflicts of interest. Speakers will also be asked to provide this information at a later date.
DIVERSITY STATEMENT
The Program Committee is particularly interested in symposium proposals that include representation of women, international scientists, and underrepresented minorities. Organizers are strongly encouraged to include such participants as this is a consideration in the selection of symposia by the Program Committee. After proposal selection, if your proposal is conditionally accepted to be included in the Annual Meeting program, the Program Committee may suggest ways to modify the composition of the session to ensure greater diversity among symposium participants.
2. Add/Edit People
EXPLANATION OF ROLES
Please note: If the organizer or co-organizer will also be participating in the session, each separate role must be entered into the system (e.g., organizer and moderator).
Organizer/Submitter
A session may have only one organizer. The organizer is the primary person responsible for shaping the topic, coordination, and recruitment of participants. The organizer serves as the primary contact for all communications with AAAS Meetings. It is the responsibility of the organizer to submit the proposal to AAAS and ensure that participants, including the co-organizer(s), receive all information relevant to their inclusion in the proposal and in the Meeting if the proposal is accepted. After proposal acceptance, as necessary, the organizer may suggest addition, removal, or replacement of participants. However, the organizer is responsible for providing, in a timely manner, information regarding any proposed new participants and reason for the change to AAAS for final approval.
Flash talks have a submitter (as they are not organizing a full panel). The submitter may or may not be the speaker.
Speakers
*90-minute symposia are required to have three (3) speakers. 90-minute discussion-focused sessions may have two (2) or three (3) speakers. Speakers must not all be from the same institution.
*Flash talks have only one (1) speaker per proposal submission. The speaker and submitter may be the same person, or they can be different people. A hyperlink to a video of the speaker giving a talk is requested, if possible.
Optional Roles
Symposium Co-Organizer (optional)
Co-organizers may assist the organizer with lining up speakers and ensuring that deadlines are met by symposium participants. There is a maximum of one (1) co-organizers, in addition to the mandatory organizer.
Moderator
Moderators are optional for the symposium format, and required for the discussion format (no more than one moderator per session). AAAS encourages selecting moderators for their skill and experience in facilitating group discussions. The moderator provides a brief overview, introduces each speaker, and facilitates a general discussion by the audience and speakers through a Q&A session. Moderators do not make presentations, submit abstracts, or have a formal speaking role. Please refer to moderator guidance when selecting your moderator.
Discussant (optional)
A maximum of one (1) discussant for a 90-minute session. Discussants provide a brief review of, or counterpoint to, the main topics or issues covered by the panel. They do not make presentations, submit abstracts, or have a formal speaking role.
PARTICIPANT INFORMATION
You will be required to enter the following information for each individual:
- Name (confirm correct spelling)
- Job Title
- Affiliation (primary institution; confirm correct spelling)
- E-mail address (confirm address where messages can be received year-round)
- City
- State or Province (if applicable)
- Country
- Status (confirmed or invited)
- Complete mailing address
- Telephone number
Without correct contact information, AAAS will be unable to:
- Confirm participation.
- Communicate with speakers who apply for travel assistance.
- Send speakers information about AAAS Annual Meeting Newsroom requests
For each speaker include a final presentation title (up to 85 characters, including spaces); for example, Domains of Learning and Memory that Are Enhanced with Sleep in Adults. Also, describe the proposed content or perspective of the presentation in a few sentences (up to 500 characters, including spaces). This is crucial to the reviewers' understanding of why you are proposing a particular speaker.
Please do not submit CVs, biographical information, or formal abstracts for the presenters (beyond the short presentation description). A request to submit an abstract will be made after the Program Committee has made its program selections. While recognizing that some changes will occur, the committee reserves the right to reconsider sessions if there are speaker substitutions after acceptance of the original proposal.
Status: Invited or Confirmed. "Invited" means that you have contacted the speaker, and your invitation is under consideration. "Confirmed" means that the speaker has responded to your invitation and confirmed that he or she is both available during the dates of the meeting, and will participate if the proposal is accepted. After the program decisions are made, AAAS will send notifications to all speakers, whether invited or confirmed, to verify their status and request final confirmation.
3. Enter Keywords
KEYWORD SELECTIONS
Select a minimum of three (3) and up to five (5) keywords that best describe your proposal. These supplement the categories and help significantly with matching proposals to appropriate peer reviewers.
4. AAAS Sections
SECTION SELECTIONS
Select up to three (3) AAAS Sections that are related to your proposal's disciplinary areas. Please check the AAAS Section(s) relevant to your proposal's disciplinary areas. You can indicate one or more sections. After you have confirmed proposal submission, a link to your proposal will be sent to section officers for informational purposes. A list of sections and contacts are available at http://www.aaas.org/page/sections/.
5. Confirmation
Once you have entered all the required information for the people in your session (including a presentation description for each speaker), proceed to the Confirmation step. Review all the information you have submitted. If you need to make corrections to any information, just click on the appropriate step link in the left frame. Otherwise, click the "Submit" button at the bottom of the page. To log out, simply close your browser window. If you run into any problems, please e-mail your questions or comments using the hyperlink to Technical Support that appears in the Scientific Session Control Panel.
Additional Note: Once a proposal has been accepted into the program, any change to the session topic, number of speakers, or participants must be approved by AAAS.
Proposal Review Considerations: 90-Minute Sessions
The following are considerations that are provided to reviewers. Organizers should carefully follow the instructions for submitting their proposals, which will be evaluated for completeness and clarity. Incomplete proposals (including missing descriptions for the presentations) will not be reviewed.
- Evaluate the proposal in general: Is information adequate for evaluation? Does the proposal clearly describe the session? Is it well organized and coherent? More important, is the proposal complete?
- Evaluate the topic: Is the topic timely? Is it suitable for an AAAS Annual Meeting? Is the topic too narrow for a multidisciplinary audience? The AAAS Annual Meeting Scientific Program Committee is particularly interested in proposals that highlight the theme. However, proposals that are not directly related to the theme will be considered if they involve ground-breaking areas of research, new and exciting developments, or cross-cutting activities in support of science, technology, and education.
- Evaluate the content: Does the proposal cover ground-breaking areas of research, new and exciting developments, or cross-cutting activities in support of science, technology, or education? Does it present new or innovative ideas to attendees? Is it a policy-related proposal that presents the science underlying policy or addresses issues of significant importance to research, funding, or collaboration? Consider overall merit and the importance of including the proposed session in the program as well as whether the content is too specialized for an AAAS multidisciplinary audience.
- Evaluate the participants: Are they of a caliber to speak authoritatively on their topic? Is the panel composed of diverse organizations and institutions? Are the presentations integrated and coherent as a group? Does the panel present a balanced perspective?
- Finally, and most important, make an overall judgement about the relative merit of each proposal, expressed as a rank ordering of all the proposals you review, with 1 as the best, 2 the second best, and so on. This rank should be based on the previous four criteria, but it need not be from a mechanical arithmetic average of your communicated scores. Different criteria may figure more or less strongly in your judgement of each proposal, based on the particular nature of that proposal, and this can be reflected in your overall rankings.
Proposal Review Considerations: Flash Talks
The following are considerations that are provided to reviewers. Submitters should carefully follow the instructions for submitting their proposals, which will be evaluated for completeness and clarity. Incomplete proposals will not be reviewed. Flash talks are different from 90-minute sessions and will be evaluated separately. They are intended for one speaker to give a short, 15-minute talk on a specific topic or area of research.
- Evaluate the proposal in general: Is information adequate for evaluation? Does the proposal clearly describe the focus of the session? Is it will organized and coherent? More important, is the proposal complete?
- Evaluate the topic: Is the topic timely? Is it suitable for the AAAS Annual Meeting? Is the topic too narrow for a multidisciplinary audience? The AAAS Annual Meeting Scientific Program Committee is particularly interested in proposals that highlight the theme. However, proposals that are not directly related to the theme will be considered if they involve ground-breaking areas of research, new and exciting developments, or cross-cutting activities in support of science, technology, and education.
- Evaluate the content: Does the proposal cover ground-breaking areas of research, new and exciting developments, or cross-cutting activities in support of science, technology, or education? Does it present new or innovative ideas or approaches to attendees? IS it a policy-related proposal that presents thte science underlying policy, or addresses issues of significant importance to research, funding, or collaboration? Consider overall merit and the importance of including the proposed session in the program as well as whether the content is too specialized for an AAAS multidisciplinary audience.
- Evaluate the speaker: Are they of a caliber to speak authoritatively on their topic? Are they an effective communicator?