Virtual Conference Participation
CIES 2020 will pilot a virtual extension of the conference in addition to its physical location in Miami, Florida to reduce the environmental costs of attending a conference (i.e., carbon footprint associated with air travel), as well as alleviate other barriers that hinder participation of CIES members in the annual conference. The goal is to make the conference more accessible and increase the diversity and equity in research among the CIES conference participants. We realize that a virtual extension of conference will not provide the same experience as an onsite conference, but we expect that this will nevertheless lead to new connections and a lively interaction between the participants. CIES 2020 will offer opportunities for two different forms of virtual participation:
CIES 2020 Hybrid Panels (during CIES 2020 Miami)
CIES 2020 will reserve space equipped with technology to facilitate hybrid participation and presentation of CIES members at the conference, i.e., where one or more presenters will join the panel in real time via videoconference technology while others will present onsite. As a CIES 2020 pilot, we will only accept hybrid panel proposals (group submissions, not individual papers), which directly address the conference theme. The goal is to help create cohesive panels that otherwise would not be possible given political, environmental, and other barriers. Proposals should explain why a hybrid format is necessary and how it will address both the conference theme and access/inclusion concerns. To make sure that hybrid panels are run effectively, please also explain how online/onsite interaction will be facilitated by the team of presenters and the audience.
CIES 2020 Virtual Conference (fully online between March 15 – April 5, 2020)
The virtual part of the conference will feature a series of submissions in the format of online presentations uploaded to the conference website and made available between March 15 and April 5, 2020. During this time, viewers will be able to ask questions and the presenters will have a chance to respond (for example, see The Lives and Afterlives of Plastic conference). We hope that during this exchange presenters and the audience will be able to form similar connections as they would if they were present in person at a conference. Videos of the presentations will be archived on the CIES 2020 website as a virtual conference. The conference program will feature presenters’ short biographical notes, including their research interests and expertise, to make their presence more concrete at the Miami conference. During this pilot stage, we welcome three types of submissions:
- Online Formal Paper Presentation (Individual)
- Online Formal Paper Presentation (Group)
- Online Poster Presentation
Online Formal Paper Presentation (Individual or Group)
Proposals for asynchronous, online formal paper presentations are submitted by individuals or groups to the general pool. Proposals should directly address the theme of the conference. Individual proposal submissions for formal paper presentations include a summary of up to 500 words. Group submissions for online formal panel sessions should include a summary of up to 1000 words, as well as summaries of up to 500 words for each of the individual formal papers included in the panel. Upon acceptance of the abstract, speakers will create a video of their talk with a maximum length of 15 minutes. Given the increase of relevant software availability, it is now possible, and relatively easy, to record a talk of good quality. Simple, user-friendly instructions on creating and submitting presentations for the conference will be provided upon acceptance of proposals. Authors will be expected to upload their video presentations by February 1, 2020 following the presentation guidelines provided by conference organizers upon acceptance of the abstract. To ensure quality, video submissions will be reviewed by the organizers and dependent on quality will be accepted for the final program of the Virtual Conference.
Online Poster Presentation
Poster sessions combine a visual summary of a paper/study with the opportunity for individualized, informal discussion of the presenter’s work. Individual poster presentations will be submitted as a PDF file and will be uploaded on the conference website. Online poster presentations will be available between March 15 – April 5, 2020, during which time presenters will receive questions from viewers and have the opportunity to answer thosequestions. Presenters may also share audio or visual files such as a recorded presentation with their repository submissions in the form of a QR code or link to the file on the poster. Submissions for online poster sessions include a summary of up to 500 words. Authors will be expected to upload their presentations by February 1, 2020 following the presentation guidelines provided by conference organizers upon acceptance of the abstract. To ensure quality, submissions will be reviewed by the organizers and dependent on quality will be accepted for the final program of the Virtual Conference.
Speakers of the Virtual CIES Conference will have the opportunity to attend presentations in two or three rooms for the entire conference in addition to the live-streamed keynotes and plenary panels. We will inform online participants about details of access upon acceptance of their presentation and conference registration.
In order to access the virtual conference space or participate in a series of online accessible CIES 2020 events, you need to be a CIES member for the 2020 calendar year and be registered for the conference.
If you have any questions about this pilot, please email cies2020@cies.uswith the subject line “VIRTUAL CONFERENCE QUESTION.”
