Call for Discussion Panel Proposals

Deadline: Tuesday, July 14, 2020 11:59 p.m. PT

Proposals will not be accepted after the deadline

Understanding Dynamic Ecosystems

2021 AAAS Annual Meeting
February 8-11, 2021
Online

We are embedded in a variety of ecosystems, including the environments that we inhabit and the many social systems in which we live and work. Finding ways of maintaining the stable balance of these ecosystems in the face of rapidly changing circumstances is critical for our advancement.  Drawing on a multitude of scientific perspectives, this Annual Meeting seeks to feature diverse ways of understanding the complexities and dynamics of biological, physical, social, and economic systems across scales, as well as strengthening and activating new connections to address underlying problems in various spheres. These challenges facing contemporary society will provide the opportunity to creatively harness science, engineering, technology, and policy to promote sustainable change.

Research topics which may be addressed include:

• COVID-19
• Toxins and pollution remediation
• Artificial intelligence, robotics, nanotechnology, and human-machine interface applications
• Modeling—traditional methods to quantum computing
• Weathering extreme climate and geological changes
• Microbiomes
• Genetic engineering challenges
• Social ecosystems
• Systems of interaction and community-building both in-person and virtually
• Invasive species

General Information

The AAAS Annual Meeting Scientific Program Committee is particularly interested in proposals that connect to the theme. However, proposals not directly related to the theme will be considered if they involve ground-breaking areas of research, new and exciting developments or new angles for approaching a topic, or cross-cutting activities in support of science, technology, and education. See the Proposal Review Considerations section for the information provided to reviewers.

New Virtual Session Format

The 2021 AAAS Annual Meeting is going virtual. Gathering virtually will allow us to extend the length of time for discovery of new research, discussions with presenters and participants, and create more flexibility as you design your meeting schedule.

We are replacing a single 90-minute session with three pre-recorded videos attendees can watch in advance of live programming. The videos will highlight each speaker’s presentation and include customized Q&As with respondents who have knowledge of their work. All videos will be pre-released on a staggered schedule by track starting at the end of January. Then, there will be a 35-minute live panel session with the speakers, moderators, and respondents, where attendees will have the opportunity to submit questions to be answered in real time. There will be virtual spaces for post-session discussions as well.

In the past, we have not offered recordings for speakers. In 2021, speakers will be able to have their videos for digital portfolios after the conclusion of the conference period.

Successful proposals are characterized by:

• Newsworthy and timely topics with broad relevance for the interdisciplinary AAAS audience.
• Representation of the diversity of science and society (including disciplinary field, gender, ethnicity, geographic location, and institution).
• Demonstration of ground-breaking research results and evidence of conclusions, or interesting new angles for approaching a topic.
• 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.
• Proposals focused on promoting specific projects or programs are discouraged, unless they significantly emphasize broader applicability.

Audience:

Based on previous registration data, here is the overall profile for Annual Meeting attendees:

• Top work sectors: 60% from the academic sector, 11% Government, and 9% Research. AAAS is very interested in receiving proposals that draw from the industry sector and/or include industry panelists as well.
• 85% have advanced degrees, with 50% holding PhDs.
• 50% identified as male, 45% as female, and 5% non-binary/prefer not to answer
• The age groups are equally spread between the following groups: 25 to 34 years, 35 to 44 years, 45 to 54 years, 55 to 64 years, and 65 years or over.

With the conference convening virtually, these demographics may shift somewhat, but we are expecting an audience that is enthusiastic about advances in science and technology.

Scientific Session Format Description

The scientific session format should be focused on topics and projects with broad appeal and relevance.

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 session participants.

Communication

To receive notifications and updates, please ensure that the following email addresses will not be blocked: meetings@aaas.org; agreene@aaas.org; cjones@aaas.org; nmaylett@aaas.org, and aaas@confex.com.

NOTE ON LANGUAGE: The language of the meeting is American English, including spelling and translations. Spell out all abbreviations and acronyms.

*AAAS reserves the right to edit all submissions for publication, as they will be published in the online meeting program, pocket guide, and app. Modifications are sometimes made to improve clarity and encourage attendance.

FIVE STEPS TO FOLLOW TO SUBMIT A PROPOSAL 

Read these instructions carefully first, then click the “submit” button in the sidebar. Incomplete proposals will be eliminated from consideration.

STEP ONE: Set Up Proposal

Proposed Title (Maximum of 80 characters with spaces)

• Avoid jargon; keep in mind that session attendees may be non-specialists.
• Ensure that a keyword for your presentation is used in the first three words in the title.

SUBMITTER EMAIL ADDRESS
Please enter a valid email address where messages can be received and accessed year-round. The submitter will immediately receive an email confirming the initiation of a session proposal and provided a link for returning to and editing your submission. Note that the session organizer will become the primary point of contact for the session rather than the submitter.

CATEGORIES AND KEYWORDS
Please select the Primary and Secondary Subject Categories as well as three to five keywords that best describe the overall nature of the proposal. This information is used to ensure that reviewers are assigned correctly and so that the Program Committee can generate broader scientific session tracks or sub-themes.

SYNOPSIS

• Provide a clear, succinct synopsis of your proposed scientific session as it would appear in the meeting program.
• Emphasize what the audience should take away from the session.
• Do not name speakers or the titles of their presentations in the synopsis.
• Avoid the use of report or book references, abbreviations, or technical jargon.
• Past Annual Meeting programs are archived at http://www.aaas.org/annual-meeting/archives and can be a useful source of information.

NEWSWORTHINESS
Highlight how the material would be newsworthy. Is it relevant to current events? Is the discovery new or unexpected? How could it impact the public’s lives?

RELEVANCE TO THEME OR TO THE AUDIENCE
Describe how the proposed scientific session relates to the theme or to the AAAS Annual Meeting audience (up to 500 characters, including spaces). Please note, 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.

Organizers will be asked to confirm that there are no known conflicts of interest for the panelists or list conflicts of interest. Speakers will also be asked to provide this information at a later date.

DIVERSITY STATEMENT
AAAS selection process leans towards proposals that bring together a variety of points of view on the material presented in the session. This includes scientific discipline, gender, race and ethnicity, institutions, and geographic locations.
Check off the following categories of diversity represented in the proposed session:

• Scientific discipline
• Gender
• Race and ethnicity
• Institution
• Geographical area
• [Optional] Career stage

STEP TWO: Add/Edit People

Scientific Sessions are required to have three (3) speakers. Only three (3) speakers will be credited in each session and able to register in this category. Speakers must not all be from the same institution.

SUPPORT NOTE:

Scientific session presenters and organizers attend the AAAS Annual Meeting at their own expense using their own equipment or use resources secured by the organizers. By submitting a workshop proposal, organizers agree to register and pay meeting registration fees if the proposal is accepted. 

SCHEDULING NOTE:

When selecting your moderator, three (3) speakers, and respondents, please ensure they are available to participate at any time between Monday, February 8 through Thursday, February 11, 2021. Once the scientific session schedule is announced in the fall of 2020, it will be considered final.

EXPLANATION OF ROLES

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 staff. It is the responsibility of the organizer to submit the proposal to AAAS and ensure that participants receive all information relevant to their inclusion in the proposal and in the meeting if the proposal is accepted. After proposal acceptance, the organizer is responsible for providing, in a timely manner, information regarding any changes in participants and reason for the change to AAAS for final approval. No changes will be made to the session unless communicated directly by the organizer.

Speaker
As a key player in conveying of the overall topic of the session, the speaker shares his/her/their unique research with the audience.  Each panel will have 3 speakers.  It is required that each speaker work with the session moderator and a designated respondent to record a 20-minute video highlighting their work and findings.  In addition, all the speakers, respondents, and moderator must participate in a live panel discussion during the conference dates. 

Respondents
Respondents need to be subject area experts who are able to ask thoughtful and investigative questions about a speaker’s presented work. Each session can have up to 3 respondents, but only one per speaker.  Respondents cannot be from their assigned speaker’s institution.

After speaker abstracts are added to a session proposal, Respondents can be added to those individual papers.

Moderator                                                                                                             
The moderator will appear on all recorded videos and in the live panel discussionTheir role will be to monitor time, pace, and tone of the session.

Information an organizer will need to provide for a successful proposal:

Presentation Titles and Descriptions

For each speaker, include:

- a presentation title (up to 80 characters, including spaces)

- describe the proposed content or perspective of the presentation in a few sentences (up to 500 characters, including spaces). This is crucial to 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). 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 the speaker has responded to your invitation and confirmed both that they are 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. Note that sessions with confirmed speakers are viewed as stronger than those where speakers have only been invited.

Co-Organizer (optional)
Co-organizers may assist the organizer of a 90-minute session with lining up speakers and ensuring that deadlines are met by session participants. There is a maximum of one (1) co-organizer allowed in addition to the mandatory organizer.

Moderator
Moderators are necessary for this format, but the organizer or co-organizer can serve in this role if desired. Moderators do not make presentations, submit abstracts, or have a formal speaking role.

Respondent  
A maximum of three (3) respondents are allowed—one respondent per speaker. Respondents are there to ask exploratory questions and provide a brief counterpoint to a speaker’s presentation. They do not make presentations, submit abstracts, or have a formal speaking role.  Depending on subject area expertise, one discussant can interact with all all of the speakers.

Note that respondents will need to be added to each presention following the addition of the speaker's information. 

PARTICIPANT INFORMATION

You will be required to enter the following information for each individual:

- Name (confirm correct spelling)

- Email address (confirm address where messages can be received year-round)

- Identify whether individual is a member of AAAS

- Job Title

- Status (Confirmed or Invited)

- Affiliation (primary institution; confirm correct spelling)

- Complete mailing address

- Telephone number

AAAS needs this to:

- Confirm participation and registration for the meeting;

- Communicate with speakers who apply for travel assistance;

- Or send speakers information about AAAS Annual Meeting Newsroom requests.

In order to participate in the virtual sessions, all panelists will need to agree to this waiver. 

STEP THREE: Keywords

To significantly assist in finding the appropriate peer reviewers for your proposal, please select between three (3) and five (5) keywords that best describe your proposal. To improve matching, there is now only one write-in option. The list of keywords can be found here. 

STEP FOUR: AAAS Sections

Select up to three (3) AAAS Sections that are related to your proposal's disciplinary areas. After you have confirmed proposal submission, a link to your proposal will be sent to section officers for informational purposes.

ORGANIZER AFFILIATION

If applicable, indicate the primary AAAS Section affiliation of the session organizer.

DISCIPLINARY SECTIONS CONSULTED? (optional)
Indicate if your proposal has been discussed with an AAAS Section. Consultation does not imply support or endorsement of a proposal. A list of sections and contacts are available at www.aaas.org/sections.

Drop down list of section choices

- Organizer Affiliated with AAAS Section

- Discussed with AAAS Session

STEP FIVE: Confirmation

Once you have entered the required information for Steps 1-4, review all the information you have submitted. If you need to make corrections, 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 email your questions or comments using the hyperlink for 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 or participants must be approved by AAAS.

Proposal Reviewer Considerations

The following are considerations 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?

Evaluate the topic:

• Is the topic timely and newsworthy?
• Is the topic too narrow or technical for a multidisciplinary audience?

Evaluate the content:

• Does it offer a unique opportunity to AAAS attendees that would not be available in another venue?
• Will speakers present topics from which dynamic discussions can develop?
• Consider overall merit and the importance of including the proposed session in the program.

Speakers should refrain from simply “teaching” the audience basic science and proposals focused on promoting specific projects or programs are discouraged unless they significantly emphasize broader applicability. Strong proposals include demonstration of research results and evidence of conclusions, rather than descriptions of projects or programs in earlier stages of development.

Evaluate the participants:

• Can they 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?
• Are they all “invited” or “confirmed”?

Overall Judgement:

Finally, make an overall judgment 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 judgment of each proposal, based on the particular nature of that proposal, and this can be reflected in your overall rankings.