I am being asked to participate in more than one symposium? Can I participate in more than one? Will this be a disadvantage in symposium evaluations?

You may participate in more than one proposal. If both proposals are accepted, you may only be a speaker in one of the symposia, so you will be asked to choose which one to join. The other symposium’s chair will be asked to select an alternative speaker.

Am I able to give more than one talk at the conference? Can I present a talk as well as a poster?

To ensure equity, presenters may not give more than one talk at the conference. For example, if you are in an accepted symposium you may not also present an open paper or a lightning talk. However, each conference participant may present one talk and one poster on the same topic.

I am working to prepare my abstract but I don’t have my full results yet. Can I submit an abstract describing the methods and approach but not a complete description of the results, with the understanding that the poster would include the results?

Since a major goal of the conference is to support junior trainees and provide professional development opportunities, we want to be as inclusive as possible with posters. Yes, it is OK to have an abstract that is a bit more generic, as long as the poster itself adequately describes the results.

What happens if my symposium proposal isn't accepted?

If your symposium is not accepted you will be invited to convert your submission to open papers or lightning talks as appropriate. These talks will still go through the review process by the committee. It is possible that the committee may make specific recommendations as to how to transform the symposium proposal to individual talks.

I received a travel award? How do I go about using it to book my travel?

Travel awards are awarded at the conference itself and are used to reimburse traveling scholars for their costs. Since they are funded by various sources including the NIH, there are strict regulations that have to be applied. Unfortunately, they cannot be awarded prior to attending the conference.

I am unable to reserve hotel rooms within the dedicated conference block at the conference rate? Are there any other alternatives?

Unfortunately, room in the block is limited and once the hotel is out of rooms, reservations have to be made at the full hotel rate. You may want to consider other more affordable options nearby. The Waterfront is located in the heart of beachfront Huntington Beach and there are a number of other hotels within a short walking distance.

Will there be professional development and networking opportunities available at the conference?

Yes! We will be announcing a number of professional development activities for early career scholars in the coming weeks. Stay tuned!