Science Without Walls
2024 AAAS ANNUAL MEETING
February 15-17, 2023
Denver, Colorado
CALL FOR WORKSHOPS
Deadline: Sunday, May 7, 2023, 11:59 p.m. PT
Workshops will not be accepted after the deadline.
In an ideal world, powerful scientific discoveries would emerge from collaborations built on expertise that crosses disciplines, provoke audacious concepts, and drive impactful applications. Bold ideas would be sought, funded, and celebrated. Students and trainees of all backgrounds and life experiences would receive education that conveys the wonder of science and the power of evidence-based reasoning. Incentives and rewards during graduate and postdoctoral training, and throughout professional academic careers, would motivate and promote creative thinking and risk-taking. Our scientific culture would embrace diversity and those from underrepresented backgrounds, prioritizing the inclusion of a rich blend of perspectives that would drive innovation, and accelerate discovery and application.
Instead of this ideal, however, today’s scientific enterprise is fragmented by blockades large and small, intentional and inadvertent. Our science enterprise persists at a moment when the global community is confronted by existential challenges in health, energy, environment, food, and security. Those challenges will be met only by breakthrough scientific discoveries and coordinated, directed delivery of transformative technologies, unconstrained by conceptual, social, economic, or bureaucratic boundaries. Indeed, it is encouraging that despite the barriers, some revolutionary strategies and technologies that promise impacts in those challenge areas are on the horizon; we shall be stimulated in learning of some of those at this meeting. To advance toward Science Without Walls, the theme of the 2024 AAAS Annual Meeting, we shall explore a wide range of problem areas, and aspirations, and proposals for addressing them.
For the full theme statement, please click here.
GENERAL INFORMATION
WORKSHOPS OF INTEREST
Workshops are aimed at students or scientists focused on seeking STEM careers and/or sharpening or supplementing their skills. They should be instructional or informational and are not a place to discuss scientific findings. They should be structured in a dynamic way, providing the opportunity for attendees to participate in 1-2 activities over the 60-minute time period, with concrete takeaways and a downloadable handout with guidance on the topic covered in the session.
The 2024 Annual Meeting will be held in-person only.
Once the workshop proposal is accepted, in order to participate in the meeting, all panelists will need to sign a recording waiver (sample).
Successful workshops have at least one of the following goals:
- Highlighting opportunities or resources available to enhance or augment their careers
- Exploring a variety of career choices and routes for people who are pursuing or already have scientific or engineering degrees
- Assisting students, scientists, or engineers with communicating about science
- Helping students, scientists, or engineers with life and work skills and issues such as assessing their own skills, abilities, and interests; managing dual-career relationships; sustaining a healthy work-life balance; and planning for retirement
- Advising on ways to improve the culture of the scientific community, making it more inclusive and equitable to its members and society at large.
- Informing the community about scientific advocacy strategies and opportunities.
AUDIENCE
Based on previous registration data, here is the overall profile for Annual Meeting attendees:
- The top work sector categories are 60% from the academic sector, 11% Government, and 9% Research. AAAS is very interested in receiving proposals that draw from the Industry sector.
- 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: 25-34 years, 35 to 44 years, 45 to 54 years, 55 to 64 years, and 65 years or over.
SESSION SET UP
Each Workshop will be provided with:
- An LCD projector and screen
- One Projector and accompanying screen
- A head table with seating for the presenters and at least 2 mics.
- One corded mic on a stand for audience questions and answers.
*A final equipment list will be sent with acceptance notifications.
Arrangements and costs for upgraded or additional equipment (for example, TV, CD/DVD player, Internet connection, laser pointer, additional microphones) are the responsibility of the organizer and will not be billed to AAAS.
TIMELINE
COMMUNICATION
To receive notifications and updates, please ensure that the following email addresses will not be blocked: meetings@aaas.org; cjones@aaas.org; nmaylett@aaas.org, and aaas@confex.com.
NOTE ON LANGUAGE: For language choice, use American English 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 WORKSHOP PROPOSAL
Read these instructions carefully first, then click the “submit” button in the sidebar. Incomplete proposals will be eliminated from consideration.
1. SET UP WORKSHOP
PROPOSED TITLE (Maximum of 80 characters including spaces)
When creating a title, keep in mind that meeting attendees may be more likely to attend a workshop with an interesting 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 and will receive all notifications post-submission.
CATEGORY SELECTION
Please select the Primary and Secondary Subject Category 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.
MEMBER AFFILIATION
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. The list of AAAS Sections can be found here.
WORKSHOP DESCRIPTION (Maximum of 750 characters including spaces)
Provide a clear, succinct description of your proposed workshop, including the value it will have for career development. Describe the subject, highlighting the questions, career development issues, or needs to be addressed. How is the workshop relevant to career development or knowledge of science’s relationship to society? What are the core ideas that will be shared with the audience and key takeaways? In what ways will the audience be involved? This synopsis will appear in the online program.
NEWSWORTHINESS
Highlight how the topic will be newsworthy. Is it relevant to current events? Is the discovery new or unexpected? How could it impact the public’s lives?
AUDIENCE
Each year, we welcome an audience that is enthusiastic about advances in science and technology. Based on previous registration data, here is the overall profile for Annual Meeting attendees:
- The top work sector categories are 60% from the academic sector, 11% Government. and 9% Research. AAAS is very interested in hearing proposals that draw from the industry sector.
- 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.
Please identify the intended audience(s) for your workshop. Select all that apply.
- High School
- Graduate Student
- High-School Teacher
- Program Administrator
- Mid-Career Scientist
- Undergraduate
- Postdoctoral Scholars
- College and University Faculty
- Early-Career Scientist
- Late-Career Scientist
AUDIENCE INTEREST STATEMENT (Maximum of 2,000 characters with spaces)
What will participants take away from this session? What can they immediately put in use as a result of attending this session?
PARTICIPANTS
Tell us who will present content and briefly describe what each person will present or discuss.
You may not exceed 2000 characters (including spaces)
HANDOUT MATERIALS
AAAS requires presenters to provide materials to participants through electronic means.
2. KEYWORDS
Please select (3) three to (5) five keywords that best describe the overall nature of the proposal. This information is used to ensure that reviewers are assigned correctly. To improve matching, there is now only one write-in option. The full list of subject categories and keywords can be found here.
3. ADD/EDIT PEOPLE
SCHEDULING NOTE:
When submitting please ensure everyone involved in your workshop will be able to participate any time between Friday, February 16 through Saturday, February 17, 2024.
Once the schedule is announced in the fall of 2023, it will be considered final.
Explanation of Roles
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 information to confirm participation and registration for the meeting.
Coordinator (required) (Maximum 1)
- The coordinator is the primary person responsible for shaping the topic, coordination, and recruitment of participants.
- The coordinator serves as the primary contact for all communications with AAAS Meetings staff and must ensure that participants receive all information relevant to their inclusion of the proposal in the meeting if the workshop proposal is accepted.
- After workshop proposal acceptance, the coordinator 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.
Co-coordinator (optional) (Maximum 1)
- Co-coordinators may assist the organizer with lining up presenters and ensuring that deadlines are met by workshop participants.
Presenters (required) (Minimum 1, Maximum 3)
- Each workshop can have up to three (3) presenters.
4. SUBJECT CATEGORIES
Please select the Primary and Secondary Subject Categories as well as (3) three to (5) five keywords that best describe the overall nature of the proposal. This information is used to ensure that reviewers are assigned correctly. To improve matching, there is now only one write-in option. The full list of subject categories and keywords can be found here.
5. 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.
REGISTRATION AND SUPPORT
Workshop session participants (Coordinators, co-coordinators, and presenters) participate in the AAAS Annual Meeting at their own expense or use funding secured by workshop organizers. By submitting a workshop proposal, organizers and presenters agree to register and pay meeting registration fees if the workshop proposal is accepted.
REVIEW CONSIDERATIONS: WORKSHOPS
The following are considerations 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.
- 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 presenters present topics from which dynamic discussions can develop?
- Consider overall merit and the importance of including the proposed session in the program. Presenters 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 a 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.