Session Organizer Information

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The sessions are available for FPS members to organize Industry Focus or Technical sessions around specific topics of interest. Depending on the size of the session, the session may span multiple 90-minute blocks. Options for session formats include panel discussion, presentation or a combination of panel discussion and presentations. The goal of the session organizers is to bring together a critical mass of people with expertise and interest in the topic. The critical mass of expertise at the conference should be assured by the combination of session organizers and panel members or invited oral presenters. By assembling this critical mass of expertise well in advance of the conference, the FPS IC organizers can better advertise and promote the sessions to increase session participation and its overall success.

 

Presentation sessions will be composed of invited oral presentations, offered oral presentations, and offered poster presentations. A combination of invited and oral presentations is recommended for each 90-minute block. In general, invited speakers are researchers who either have a recent significant contribution to the field that deserves to be highlighted at the conference, or someone with great knowledge in the field who can present the current state of the art and future directions. There will be a maximum of six oral presenters in each 90-minute block, with each oral presenter given at least 15 minutes for their presentation. Organizers also have the option to give invited oral presenters a 30-minute presentation. Offered poster presentations will be grouped together in the conference poster session held Tuesday evening. Offered oral presentation abstracts that do not fit into the 90-minute blocks should be offered a poster presentation. If there are last-minute oral presentation cancellations, the best posters should be offered an oral presentation to take the place of the cancelled presentation.

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Session Organizers' Responsibilities

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1. Submit a Session Proposal Form by August 31, 2020. The form includes the Session Title, Organizers, Type, Format, Scope, list of potential panel members, and number of 90-minute blocks requested.

2. Session organizers will be notified by the FPS IC planning committee by September 14, 2020 about the acceptance of their proposal. If any changes to the session proposal are needed, the planning committee will discuss them with the session organizers. 

3. Immediately after final approval of the session proposal, the symposium organizers should begin formally inviting presenters. By October 19, 2020, the symposium organizers must provide the planning committee with a list of panel members or speakers who have accepted the invitation to participate in the session. Panel members and invited speakers will be expected to register and attend the FPS IC.

4. On November 2, 2020, the general call of offered oral and poster presentations will be opened. The call will include the list of presentations sessions with their organizers, scope, and invited oral presentations. Technical symposium organizers are encouraged to promote their symposia through their networks. People may submit offered oral and poster presentations to any of the Presentation Sessions. There will also be a ‘general’ presentation session for any abstracts that do not fit in to the listed sessions. The call for offered presentations will close on January 11, 2021.

5. Session organizers will be given all offered abstracts submitted to their session by January 18, 2021. It is the responsibility of the session organizers to determine whether to accept an abstract and to choose the oral presentations to fit into their 90-minute session blocks. If a submitted abstract subject does not fit into the session, the organizers should notify the planning committee to transfer the abstract to another session. Depending on the number of abstracts submitted to each session, the planning committee may need to adjust the number of 90-minute blocks assigned to each session. The organizers must submit their decisions and tentative session block schedules by February 8, 2021.

6. By February 15, 2021 the offered presenters will be notified concerning the acceptance of their abstracts. The offered presenters have until February 22, 2021 to confirm their attendance. During this time, the session organizers will be notified if any of their presenters decline the presentation. If the presentation was an oral, the symposium organizers should immediately find a replacement.

7. All panel members and invited speakers must be registered by March 22, 2021.

8. For panel discussion, session organizers must indicate who will moderate each session block by March 29, 2021. The moderators should be a session organizer or a well-regarded researcher who can facilitate discussion and provide perspective during the session.

9. The FPS IC program will be finalized and posted on the website by April 5, 2021. If any of the panel members or invited speakers cancel after this date, the session organizers will be immediately notified and responsible for finding a replacement. Only presenters with paid registration or who have been in contact with FPS will be posted.

10. The FPS IC will be held June 14-17, 2021. Session organizers are expected to attend.