Invitation to submit proposals for working groups for inclusion in the LTER All Scientists Meeting September 2009. PROPOSALS ACCEPTED UNTIL 1 JULY 2009.  Times requested for working groups will be prioritized by submission date.

INTRODUCTION

The triennial All Scientists Meeting provides an opportunity for LTER researchers to meet and interchange ideas. One important part of this meeting is the development of working groups focused on specific topics and goals. These working groups are bottom up activities; anyone in the LTER Network can propose a working group. The ASM Program Committee invites you to submit proposals for working groups using the guidelines given below. 

MEETING STRUCTURE

The 2009 ASM will take place from September 14-16, 2009, in Estes Park, CO. Working groups will be scheduled in the afternoon on the 14th and during morning and afternoon sessions on the 15th and 16th. The duration of working groups can be between one and six hours. Two hour working groups will fit best within the scheduled time blocks. See the draft program at http://asm.lternet.edu.

TIMETABLE

Based on past experience, the Program Committee will accept most proposals for working groups. In a few cases, overlap between working groups may result in a request to merge groups or modify content. Therefore, it is in your best interest to submit your working group proposal early in order to allow the Program Committee to sort out any redundancy. We will follow the schedule shown below.

• 1 April 2009 – Opening date for submission of working group proposals
• 1 July 2009 – Closing date for submission of working group proposals
• 15 July 2009 – Confirmation of working groups sent to organizers
• 15 August 2009 – Final program posted

GUIDELINES FOR PROPOSING A WORKING GROUP

Proposals for working groups must be submitted via a web-based form at http://asm.lternet.edu. Proposals that do not include all required information will not be considered. The Program Committee will use the information you provide to determine which working groups will be selected and scheduling for selected working groups. By submitting a working group proposal, you are making a commitment to attend the ASM and organize the working group you propose. In addition, you are making a commitment to provide information about the results, participants, and products of your working group after the ASM and in the future as requested. Tabs on the web form that is being used to submit your proposal will also allow you to provide this required information when it is available.

Click on the login link to submit your proposal. If you are not listed in the LTER Personnel Database, please follow the instructions for having your name added to the database. When submitting a working group proposal, the principal organizer must provide full information on the working group as requested in the web form. In addition, the principal organizer must select from four working group formats that would best serve the working group theme. These formats are information exchange, brain storming, product oriented, and ancillary (see below). 

A tab on the web form also permits the organizer to add content in the form of ancillary URL web links, or attachment of files such as handouts, graphics, PowerPoint presentations or text material for use during the working group’s session. Organizers are encouraged to use this for information to participants before and during the meeting. A FINAL REPORT at a minimum IS REQUIRED from all working groups. This and all products resulting from the working group should be appended to the working group submission following the meeting. This material will be used for evaluation of any potential post-ASM follow-on activities.

All proposals submitted will be available for view on this web site, and all ASM participants are urged to review the proposals already submitted before proposing a different working group. If a working group along similar lines to your intended proposal already exists, please contact the principal organizer of that working group and offer to be considered as an official participant, rather than submitting a similar working group idea. 

On 1 July 2009, the web site will close to further submissions. The ASM Program Committee will then review all the proposals submitted, and select the topics to cover as many themes as practical, reduce overlap between themes, minimize potential conflict between concurrent sessions and maximize the usefulness of the ASM to the LTER participants. The number of concurrent sessions will depend upon the number of working group proposals received, number of people who express an interest in attending a particular session, and room size and availability. 

FORMATS FOR WORKING GROUP SESSIONS. 

1. Information exchange: This might follow a symposium format and consist of a variety of talks from researchers from different LTER sites describing current work on a particular theme, or research that might be incorporated in the LTER research in the future. The principal organizer will solicit talks on the proposed theme and organize the schedule of talks within the overall program structure and the number of sessions available after the timetable is determined. The principal organizer can include time for discussion etc. as they consider appropriate.
2. Brain storming: General discussion group potentially with a mix of short introductory remarks and scene setting followed by brain storming on the proposed theme. Principal organizers to deliver introductory remarks and/or solicit others to participate in the initial development of the brain storming session and to chair the brain storming discussion as they deem appropriate.
3. Product oriented: Working group with the primary objective to produce a specific product which might include a paper for publication, proposal for cross site research, or policy document of recommendations for LTER, NSF, and ESA etc.
4. Ancillary meetings: Ancillary meetings are requested by specific LTER interest groups (e.g.. data managers, graduate students, education representatives) that need time to themselves. These meetings will likely be scheduled outside of the regular meeting agenda.