Call for Pre-Conference Workshops
Submission Deadline: March 31, 2014

CLICK HERE to submit proposal. - Deadline has passed

We are excited to offer Pre-Conference Workshops as a part of the ACES 2014 Conference. If you have attended ACES in the past, please note that this year the admission to pre-conference workshops will be INCLUDED in the conference registration fee. We hope that this change will allow for more people to attend these valuable training sessions and provide added value to your conference experience.  Following are instructions and information on how to propose an ACES 2014 Pre-Conference Workshop.

Workshops provide an informal setting where participants have the opportunity to discuss technical topics and engage in an active exchange of ideas. Workshops should offer professional development/educational opportunities for conference participants. Workshops may be research-focused (e.g., insights on new methodologies in research), specific place-base studies (e.g. Everglades restoration) or education/ skills-focused (e.g., developing case studies for use in teaching, or new techniques in industries).

Workshop organizers will be responsible for inviting speakers, ensuring their participation, ensuring submission of preliminary texts and structuring and leading the discussion sessions. Acceptance will be primarily based on an evaluation of the workshop's potential for generating useful results, relevance, expected level of interest in the topic and the organizers' ability to lead a successful workshop.

Workshops will meet the following criteria:

1. Approval by the conference organizers.
2. The workshop must be fiscally self-sustaining.
3. All proceeds in excess of expenses will go into the overall conference account.
4. It is assumed that workshops will be held in one room.  Other arrangements must be approved in advance.

Workshop Time Allowance

Limited time and meeting space is available for conference workshops. ACES 2014 plans to accept 4-8 proposed workshops on key topical issues/concepts. Time allotted for workshops will be either 3 hours for a half-day workshop, or 6 hours for a full-day workshop. Be sure to indicate the amount of time you think you will need to conduct the workshop when developing the workshop proposal. If you have questions about developing presentation and programmatic format for the workshop, please contact Frank Casey, Conference Chair at ccasey@usgs.gov or Jasmine Garcia, Conference Coordinator at j.garcia@ufl.edu.

NOTE: The conference organizers reserve the right to refuse proposed workshops if time/space are limited, and to cancel any workshop if deadlines are missed by workshop organizers.

1. Submission Requirements

Workshop proposals should provide the following information:

1. Provide a Workshop Title and a brief description of the workshop, specifying the goals and the technical issues that will be its focus, and a workshop agenda outlining presentation format. Remember, workshop titles are critical - most people make decisions about what workshop to attend based solely on the title.  Please choose carefully.
2. Include a brief discussion of why the workshop is of interest and to whom. What is the target audience? Who would benefit most from the proposed workshop?
3. Include the names, postal addresses, phone numbers and email addresses of the proposed workshop organizer(s) including the name of the primary contact for the proposed workshop. Note: All details for the workshop will be finalized via communications with only this individual.
4. A description of the qualifications of the workshop organizer(s).
5. A list of tentatively confirmed speakers and/or proposed invited presenters/panelists.

If Accepted

1. Workshop Presenters/ Organizers will need to follow conference instructions for presentation submissions and all deadlines.
2. Workshop Presenters are encouraged and allowed to submit individual abstracts for inclusion in the book of abstracts, however this is not required as a final workshop description describing individual presentations and the final agenda will be required of the workshop organizers. 
3. All workshop presenters and organizers are expected to register for the conference and pay the applicable fee to attend. Financial support for travel is not available for organizers or presenters.
4. Workshop organizers must produce a final Workshop Summary and email this as an
   MSWord document to the Conference Coordinator Jasmine Garcia.
   No later than January 9, 2015. CLICK HERE to view an example of a Workshop Summary.

2. Submission Format

1. MSWord Document
2. Maximum of five, 8 ½” x 11” pages.
3. Full Contact information for Workshop Organizer(s) should appear at end of workshop proposal.
4. A list of invited and confirmed workshop presenters and panelists in the workshop description, along with their contact information (address, email address, phone number, etc.).

3. Important Dates for Workshops

ACES 2014 organizers will be responsible for the following:

1. Providing a meeting place and logistical support for the workshop including audio visual equipment, within the confines of the standardized meeting sets as space allows.
2. Publicizing the workshop on the conference web site and in conference materials.
3. Determining the workshop date and time (Workshop organizer constraints will be accommodated to the greatest possible extent).