2015 Sanctuary Currents Symposium
We Want You! The Rise of Citizen Science
Saturday, April 25, 2015
9:00 am – 3:30 pm
Call for Research Posters Announcement (PDF)
Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary invites the submission of abstracts for the Research Poster Session at the 2015 Sanctuary Currents Symposium. Share your research with leaders in marine science, education, and conservation. Posters that address the theme of citizen science are especially encouraged; however, submissions may be from all types of coastal and marine research in the Sanctuary.
The theme of this year’s symposium is We Want You! The Rise of Citizen Science
Any management of the marine environment is only as good as the quality (and quantity) of the monitoring data that support it. Traditionally, monitoring of the marine environment was the unique purview of trained academic and government agency scientists. However, with the proliferation of environmental problems, increased awareness of the general public, and the simultaneous decrease in financial support for monitoring at both state and federal levels, the role of citizen scientists is on the rise. Come join us for a lively discussion on what it means to be a citizen scientist. Keynote presentations will focus on topics ranging from programs focused primarily on education to those modeled closely on formal monitoring efforts, from the rocky intertidal to the open ocean. A poster session follows the presentations and an exhibit hall will provide attendees with many opportunities to get involved.
The Research Poster Session will be held from 12:30 – 2:15 pm.
Author must be present during the poster session.
Poster Size
Posters should be a maximum of 3 feet wide and 4 feet tall. If your poster is larger than this it will not fit on the easel and the excess will obscure neighboring posters.
Set-up
Posters must be set-up between 8:00 and 11:30 am, Saturday, April 25, 2015. Easels and pushpins will be provided. If you need a power supply, contact
sanctuarycurrents@gmail.com. If you require anything else, you must bring it yourself. Posters must remain up until 3:00pm, but removed no later than 4:00pm.
Poster Submission
If you create your poster with a program such as PowerPoint, it is often easy to print out a small version for sharing (e.g., 8.5×11” PDF). Such handouts are often useful for the audience and for other interested scientists. Electronic submission of a small version (8.5×11” PDF) of your displayed poster is required for publication on the MBNMS Currents Symposium website. Please send poster PDFs (8.5×11”) to sanctuarycurrents@gmail.com.
Poster Awards
If you are a student and are the first author on a poster, you are eligible for consideration of a student poster award. Poster Awards will be given at three academic levels: 1) Graduate Student, 2) Undergraduate Student, and 3) High School Student. Posters will be judged during the poster session and awards will be announced at the Symposium. Posters will be evaluated on their appearance and content as well as the ability of the presenter to communicate the details and context of the research. Keep in mind that this Symposium is a public event, although there will be many other scientists and students present. Posters will be judged on the ability of your poster design to communicate the content of your research. The criteria used for evaluating posters will be sent to accepted poster presenters and will emphasize innovative design and communication to a broad audience. To be considered for an award, please indicate your participation when you submit your abstract (instructions below).
Cancellation
Prior to submitting an abstract, an author should be confident that they will attend the Symposium. If circumstances prevent attendance, the first option should be to have a co-author make the poster presentation. If it is not possible to find another presenter, the author should notify sanctuarycurrents@gmail.com as soon as possible so that the program may be as accurate as possible.
Abstract Submission
Abstracts must include author names, author affiliations, a title, and should briefly summarize the objectives, results, and importance of the research. Only one poster per first (primary) author will be considered. Accepted abstracts will be included in the Symposium program.
Abstract Acceptance
Space is limited and a fixed number of abstracts will be selected from each of the following categories – graduate and undergraduate students, high school students, professional scientists (including agencies and NGOs). Abstracts will be reviewed and accepted according to the following criteria:
- Relevance of project content to local issues and/or National Marine Sanctuaries, especially the MBNMS.
- Innovative nature of the research topic and/or methods.
- Relevance to the Symposium theme.
Note: For additional guidance on the submission of multiple abstracts from high school groups, please contact sanctuarycurrents@gmail.com.
To submit an abstract:
Please email the following information to sanctuarycurrents@gmail.com no later than Friday, February 27, 2015. Abstracts submitted after this date will not be considered.
In the email, please include:
1) The abstract attached as a Microsoft Word document. Please format the abstract as Times New Roman and 12 pt font. Abstracts are limited to 250 words, not including title, authors, and affiliations. (See sample below.)
2) Indicate in the text if you would like your poster to be evaluated in the student poster award contest. If you would like to be eligible for an award, please indicate whether you are a graduate student, undergraduate student, high school student, or other. If you do not indicate this in your submission, you will not be evaluated by a poster judge.
3) Email contact information for the primary author.
Sample Abstract
Geeke, Comput R. (1), Yuneed Amac (1), and Aye Surfalot (2)
(1) Kelp Forest University
(2) California Department of Computers
VIRTUAL SURFING VERSUS VIRTUAL SCIENCE
Marine scientists in Monterey Bay, CA experienced a general decline in productivity during the 1999 academic year. One possible cause for this phenomenon is the advancement and integration of the various Computer Internet Systems. We compared work output, measured in hours spent writing, researching or at meetings, versus time spent “surfing the net” for ten randomly chosen scientists at each of three sites within the Monterey Bay area. Results demonstrate a significantly negative relationship between work output and time spent on “the net,” with rate of work output declining exponentially from the time of Internet installation. We conclude that scientists adept at “surfing the net” are less likely to produce rigorous scientific documents.
Location
The Symposium will be held at:
California State University Monterey Bay, University Center
Sixth Avenue, Seaside, CA
(831) 582-4111
For More Information on the Sanctuary Currents Symposium (including Program, Map, Parking) please click here