Call for proposals for special sessions

The organizing committee is soliciting proposals from conferees for special sessions. These sessions present a privileged occasion to deepen and broaden topics that you believe have not yet received the attention they deserve. In spirit of the conference, we encourage participants to size this opportunity to free themselves from the traditional thinking frame by further exploring inter-disciplinary approaches that consider public health and socioeconomic factors, therefore better reflecting the complexity of environmental problems and their effect on our societies.

The goals of the special sessions are (1) to enhance the international exchange of information on specific topics, (2) to encourage the development of broader, inter-disciplinary researches using the ecosystem approach, or to enhance critical synthesis of information on specific topics and (3) to increase conferee participation in development of the technical program. The organizers anticipate that the program will contain about 20 to 25 special sessions.

Two formats for special sessions are available. The first would include from four to six platform papers, along with a spatially clustered module of at least 4 accompanying poster papers in a linked poster session. The second format would be composed of poster papers, spatially clustered in a module of 6 to12 posters.

Preparation and Submission of Proposals

Applications for special sessions must be submitted by email in MS Word format to
Dr. Zhonggen Li: mercury2009@mails.gyig.ac.cn, under the subject title "Special sessions proposal", by August 31st, 2008. Proposals for special sessions should provide the following information.

1.  Title of the proposed session (maximum of 10 words).
2. Principal Organizer of the session (name, institution or affiliation, complete mailing      address, phone, fax, and e-mail).
3.  Co-organizers of the session (names, institutions or affiliations, complete      mailing addresses, phone, fax, and e-mail).
4. Moderator of the session (name, institution or affiliation, complete mailing address,      phone, fax, and email).
5. A brief Synopsis of the session (maximum of 50 words) for possible posting on the      conference web site.
6.  Session Description, including background information, goals, objectives, and importance      to conferees (maximum of 400 words).
7.  The Preferred Format of the proposed session, either (a) combined platform & poster      or  (b) poster only. Organizers can also specify that either of the two session formats      would be acceptable. (Note: The conference organizers will allocate premium space and      times to  poster presentations, to enhance the stature of posters on the conference      agenda.)
8.  Presenters and tentative titles of papers.

For combined platform & poster sessions: A list of four confirmed speakers and tentative titles (with affiliation, complete address, phone, fax, and email for each speaker) for the platform component, and a list of at least four tentative titles and presenters (with affiliation, address, phone, fax, and email for each) for the poster component.

For poster-only sessions: A list of tentative titles and presenters (with affiliation, address, phone, fax, and email for each) for a module of at least six poster papers.


Logistics and Guidelines

1. A limit of one platform presentation (total during the conference) will be allowed for each conferee. Similarly, an individual is allowed to be an organizer (principal organizer or co-organizer) for only one special session. Session organizers should alert invited speakers in special sessions that the "One-paper" rule will be in effect for platform (oral) presentations and ensure that the speakers they recruit have not promised to speak in another proposed session.

2. As a courtesy to the proponents of other submitted proposals and to the conference organizers, session organizers are expected to obtain firm commitments from their invited speakers before submitting their proposal.

3. Moderators are responsible for introducing presenting authors, moderating the session, and ensuring that it remains on schedule.

4. The first paper in each session, regardless of format, should begin with an introductory overview of the session topic, to set the stage for the other papers.

5. Twenty (20) minutes will be allocated to each platform presentation. Speakers are encouraged to allocate at least 3 minutes of this time to questions from the audience.

6. The conference organizers are unable to provide any financial assistance, stipend, travel assistance or lodging to session organizers or participants. Organizers of special sessions should communicate this to all participants.

7. Decisions on proposed special sessions will be made by September 30th, 2008. If the Steering Committee declines a proposal, the conference organizers may offer the option of presenting the proposed papers in an alternative forum at the conference.

8. If a proposal is approved, the synopsis of the session will be posted on the web site before the conference to stimulate interest and promote attendance of the session.

9. The organizers of approved sessions should ensure that each speaker submits an abstract via the Abstract Submission web site by the October 31st, 2008 deadline for submission of abstracts. Abstracts should not be submitted by any other means. An individual presenter should contact the principal session organizer if his/her situation precludes use of the conference web site for abstract submission.

10. The Steering Committee reserves the right to add contributed platform and poster papers that closely fit the session topic to a special session.

11. The technical program will be posted on the conference web site by April 10th, 2009. The Principal Organizer of each approved session is responsible for checking the program schedule and communicating the date, time, and place of the session to all session participants.

Ranking Criteria

Proposals for special sessions will be reviewed, evaluated, and ranked by the Steering Committee, and the most suitable proposals will be accepted. Preference will be given to special session proposals that

1. have multi-national proponents and broad international or geographic coverage of the      session topic,
2.  are pertinent to the overall theme of the conference,
3. privilege multi-disciplinary researches, in accordance with the conference's ecosystem      approach, or focus on a defined hypothesis, question, problem, or issue,
4.  facilitate critical synthesis on the topic,
5.  address topical areas that are under-represented on the program,
6.  provide balanced coverage and perspectives,
7.  are well prepared.

The conference organizers discourage the submission of proposals focusing on a single study site or project. For example, a proposed session on "Bioaccumulation of methylmercury in world rivers" would receive a much higher ranking than a proposed session on "Bioaccumulation of methylmercury in the Mississippi River."


Publication

Participants in special sessions are encouraged to consider preparing and submitting multi-authored synthesis papers, as well as the individual papers presented in these sessions, for publication in the refereed technical products associated with and emanating from the conference.


For further information, please contact
Dr. Zhonggen Li
Institute of Geochemistry
Chinese Academy of Science
Guiyang city, Guizhou, China
Email: mercury2009@mails.gyig.ac.cn
Phone: +86-851-5890446