2008 JOINT RSA / ISBRA SCIENTIFIC CONFERENCE
CALL FOR SYMPOSIA/ABSTRACT PROPOSALS
and
IMPORTANT MEETING INFORMATION
The 2008 Joint RSA/ISBRA Scientific Conference will be held June 28-July 2 in Washington DC. The Lecture Series will be held on June 27 and 28. The Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder Study Group and satellite meetings will be held June 28. The RSA/ISBRA Conference will begin with the Opening Reception the evening of June 28 and end with the Closing Ceremony on July 2.The primary goal of the meeting is to provide a forum for alcohol researchers – from all disciplines – to present their latest findings and to learn about new research developments in an environment that will promote interaction at both the professional and personal level.
The Program Committee, co-chaired by Drs. Adron Harris, Peter Miller and Rajita Sinha, met during the 2007 RSA meeting to discuss program content and scheduling. The program will include plenary lectures, symposia, workshops, roundtable discussions, paper sessions and poster sessions. The Program Committee, whose members represent a wide range of scientific specialties, aims to develop a well-balanced, internationally-represented program that adequately represents the broad range of interests of the RSA and ISBRA memberships. To that end, it is important to note that the topics represented and the balance achieved in the overall conference program largely rests upon proposals submitted. The Program Committee would like to strongly encourage both junior and senior researchers to submit proposals.
The Program Committee invites RSA and ISBRA members (and non-members) to submit proposals for symposia, roundtables and workshops (see descriptions of formats below). We would like to see proposals covering new or developing areas of research in addition to the "classical" topics. As in past years, we strongly encourage proposals that bridge preclinical and clinical research that would attract society members with different interests. In addition to international representation, the Committee urges organizers of sessions to include participants (including junior investigators) from different institutions in order to provide diverse viewpoints. The Committee welcomes inclusion of non-member speakers.
Please see the individual forms (on this website) for details regarding the preparation of program proposals and abstracts for poster sessions. The deadline for receipt of program proposals and speakers’ abstracts is December 7, 2007. The deadline for receipt of individual abstracts is January 11, 2008. Those individuals or organizations interested in organizing a Satellite Meeting are required to present their proposals to the Program Committee (see the Satellite Meeting Form).
Specific information and guidelines for developing program proposals and submitting abstracts include:
> Note that RSA does not support travel or registration expenses for invited speakers. However, ISBRA has a NIAAA grant that will be used to cover partial expenses for non-US speakers. Once proposals have been reviewed, additional information about partial funding for non-US speakers will be provided to organizers of accepted proposals. These funds won’t be provided until after the meeting, therefore, it is important that you inform your speakers that they will be required to register for the meeting and make their own travel arrangements. All invited speakers will have two options - 1) register for the entire meeting at the member's rate or 2) if attending for only the day of their talk, register at the daily speaker rate - $75.
> Symposia submissions must be accompanied by an overall abstract that describes the theme of the symposia AND individual abstracts for each speaker using the SPEAKER abstract form. SPEAKER abstracts submitted as part of a proposal must be a complete abstract (must include data) and must be submitted online. Speaker abstracts that are part of a proposal are also due by December 7, 2007.
> Industry Sponsorship (for-profit corporation or a foundation of a for-profit corporation) of SYMPOSIA or ABSTRACTS will not be permitted. Other sponsorships need to be indicated on the proposal/abstract form.
> Note that oral presentations are limited to one per person. Therefore, when inviting your speakers please confirm that they have not already been invited to speak in another symposium, workshop or roundtable. No one person should be listed on more than one PROPOSED symposium/ workshop/roundtable. Presenting an introduction or being a discussant does not count as an oral presentation. The introduction and discussion should be an overview of the presentations – not a separate presentation.
> Non-RSA/ISBRA members may submit program proposals and abstracts, but an RSA/ISBRA member must sponsor each speaker or individual abstract.
> All oral presentations need to be PowerPoint – the Organizer and/or Chair of each session will be required to bring a computer and to have all of the presentations on one computer.
> On the individual abstract form there is a question asking whether or not you want your abstract to be considered for a Paper Session. In addition to the Poster Sessions, a few abstracts will be selected for Paper Sessions - the author will be asked to make a 12-minute oral presentation of their research (plus 2 minutes for Q&A). Slides should be limited to 3. The intent of the paper sessions is to encourage broader participation of members in the meeting (especially junior investigators, who will be given priority). The content will be driven by multidisciplinary approaches to timely research issues in the alcohol field. THOSE SELECTED WILL BE REQUIRED TO PRESENT THEIR PAPER AND POSTER PRESENTATION THOUGH NOT NECESSARILY ON THE SAME DAY.
> Poster presenters are required to register for the meeting. If the designated presenter will not be available, the principal author needs to locate a replacement to present the poster.
> All abstracts must be submitted online. If this is not possible contact the RSA Office for specific instructions.
> Authors must categorize their program proposals and abstracts using the Abstract Category List. This will help the Program Committee organize the sessions. Enter the number and letter of the most pertinent category in the space provided on the submission forms.
> Review criteria for abstracts include possible rejection. Be sure to follow all instructions. Abstracts should be well written, contain alcohol research data and should include a statement about the conclusion reached.
If you have any questions, comments or concerns please contact the RSA Office at 512-454-0022 or debbyrsa@sbcglobal.net.com.
We look forward to receiving your program proposals and abstracts.