CALL FOR ABSTRACTS

We welcome submissions for oral and poster presentations for the Fate of the Earth: Our Waters Symposium. The goals of the conference are to:

• Bring together scientists, students, specialists, practitioners, and community members to discuss sustainability;
• Explore the challenges and opportunities we face in enhancing human well-being while protecting the environment; and
• Highlight collaborations between MSU and partners that are focused on solving environmental problems, particularly those related to water.
• We seek abstracts that address the conference goals and are focused on this year’s theme: Our Waters.  Authors are encouraged to address collaborative, interdisciplinary, and/or engaged approaches to solving water problems, although any water-related topic is welcome.

General Information

By submitting an abstract, please make sure you or an alternate presenting author are committing to attend the conference and will give the presentation if the abstract is accepted. All presenting authors are required to register for the conference. Co-authors who are not presenting but contributed substantially to the study design, statistical analysis, or interpretation may be listed as a non-presenting author.

• Deadline for Abstract Submission
  • All abstracts must be submitted no later than 11:59pm Eastern on February 21, 2025. Submissions that are incomplete, late, or that do not comply with format guidelines will not be considered.
  • Abstracts may not be modified after the submission deadline during the review period. Presenting authors may make minor changes after an abstract is accepted.
• How do I submit my abstract?
  • Scroll down to the "Submit Abstract" button below. Please complete all sections of the submission form.
• What is the abstract word limit?
  • Abstracts are limited to 400 words, not including the title, list of authors, or speaker biography.
• Do I have to register for the conference if my abstract is accepted?
  • Yes. By submitting an abstract, please make sure you or an alternate presenting author are committing to presenting in-person and registering for the conference.
• When and how will I be notified of my abstract status?
  • Notifications will be sent by e-mail from the Conference Planning Committee by February 15, 2025. All authors will receive a formal communication that informs them of the Planning Committee’s decision. Authors of accepted abstracts will then be provided with additional instructions for presentations and posters.
• Can an abstract be submitted for this conference if it is also being submitted for another meeting?
  • Yes, the Planning Committee will consider an abstract submitted to another meeting.
• What types of presentation formats are available?
  • Oral and poster presentation formats are available. While the Program Planning Committee will attempt to honor the requested format for presentations, this may not always be possible.
• How many abstracts can I submit as a presenting author?
  • There are no restrictions on the number of abstracts you may submit.
• How many co-authors can be included on my abstract?
  • Please limit co-authors who contributed substantially to the study design, statistical analysis, or interpretation to no more than 15 people.
• Is a bio required for all authors?
  • Bio information is only required for presenting author(s). The bio should not exceed 100 words. If selected for an oral presentation, this information may be utilized by the session moderator to properly introduce you.
• How do I know if my abstract was submitted?
  • You will receive a confirmation email from [the conference planning committee or specific contact].

PRESENTATION FORMATS

While the Conference Planning Committee will attempt to honor the requested format for presentations, this will not always be possible. For oral presentations, an option is available to select consideration for the poster presentation format if the Planning Committee cannot accommodate your preferred format.

Oral Presentations:

• Findings are presented on a specific topic with the opportunity for audience Q&A. Presentations will be approximately 15 minutes, with 5 minutes for audience Q&A.  Please note that presentation times may be revised depending on the number of abstracts submitted. Up to two presenting authors are allowed and preference will be given to those who are presenting with a partner (collaborator, stakeholder, manager, decisionmaker, etc.) for the submitted abstract. Individually submitted contributed oral presentations will be scheduled in a session with other abstracts that have similar themes.

Poster Presentations:

• Posters will be displayed for the duration of the conference. Presenting author(s) are required to attend the evening poster session on March 20th at 5:00 pm to present their submission and provide Q&A to session attendees.

SUBMISSION GUIDELINES

•  Abstracts are limited to 400 words, not including the title and speaker bio. The abstract should include:
• Goals: Clearly state your goals and objectives. Where appropriate, specific research questions and hypotheses should be clearly articulated.
• Methods or approaches used: For abstracts reporting on a research project, the specific methods used should be summarized; for more conceptual, theoretical, applied, or other projects, the general approach or framework should be summarized.
• Key findings: Cleary summarize key outcomes or contributions; these may be quantitative results or qualitative outcomes or knowledge produced.
• Conclusions: Conclude with one or more take-home messages.
  • The results, outcomes, or knowledge may be preliminary, but they may not be vague. Concluding statements such as “to be completed” should be avoided.

TITLE GUIDELINES

• Use a concise title that summarizes the content of the abstract.
• Titles should be about 185 characters long.
• Do not use abbreviations or acronyms, unless they are widely accepted by the field.