We are really excited about the 2018 Annual WSSA meeting to be held at the Crystal Gateway Marriott in Arlington, VA on January 29 – February 1,2018.
WSSA members are invited to submit proposals for symposia. The deadline is June 23, 2017.
The WSSA Board of Directors will have the difficult task of deciding which proposals to accept for the program. The board will evaluate the proposed symposia based on the justification, the target audience, publication plans and the completeness of the proposal agenda and budget.
Symposia organizers are strongly urged to consider publication of the symposium papers in one of the WSSA’s journals. Publication will be one of the factors considered in selecting symposia for the meeting. Organizers should make it clear to invited speakers that a publication is required if that is the original intent.
Please see the guidelines listed below for symposia funding from WSSA. Requests for travel support can be made for non-members only.
Symposium proposals can be emailed directly to Scott Senseman ([email protected]). If you have any questions, feel free to email or call Scott at 865.974.8033.
SYMPOSIUM PROPOSAL
Outline of the Proposal Form
2018 Annual WSSA Meeting; Arlington, Virginia
Title:
Organizers:
Contact Person:
Phone:
Email:
Justification and Objectives (approximately 300 words):
Target Audience:
Publication or Outreach Plans associated with symposium presentations:
Associated Section(s):
Length of Proposed Program:
Proposed Titles and Speakers:
Budget Requested: Please specify the expenditure of the funds as opposed to submitting an overall amount. The more detailed the budget, the better the WSSA Board of Directors can evaluate the proposal.
GUIDELINES FOR DISPOSITION OF WSSA FUNDS FOR SYMPOSIA EXPENSES.
Funds are available to support symposia approved by the WSSA Board of Directors for the upcoming meeting. These funds can be used by the symposium organizers, working in conjunction with the Program Chair, for expenses incurred in securing speakers. The following guidelines are intended to help the symposia organizers and the Program Chairs in allocating available funds. For a half‐day symposium, the maximum allowable budget will be $5000 of which up to $1000 can be used for symposium publication costs. For a full-day symposia the maximum allowable budget will be $6,000 of which up to $2,000 can be used for symposium publication costs. The funds will be allocated as necessary to partially cover travel speaker expenses. Members of the WSSA who agree to present symposium papers will not be offered travel funds except in dire emergencies to be determined by the Program Chairs. An example of such a circumstance would be a WSSA member who is a renowned expert in the field of the symposium topic but who has no source of funds to attend the annual meeting in question.
No honoraria will be offered to any speaker. No more than three nights lodging will be offered to non-member symposium speakers. All symposium speakers who are not members of WSSA will be offered free registration at the annual meeting and a free ticket to society events (other than tours) during that week. Funds for reimbursement of some, or all, travel expenses (travel, meals, and lodging) will be made available to non-member symposium speakers on the basis of need, availability of funds, and the value of the speakers to the program.
Room rates at the Crystal Gateway Marriott for the 2018 meeting will be $204 per night plus applicable taxes. If less than the maximum allowable funds ($5000 for the half-day; $6,000 for a full day) are used for speaker travel expenses. Chairs should contact their intended speakers and determine their financial needs for participation. This information should be incorporated into the budget for the proposed symposium. Symposium proposals must be submitted to the Program Chair by June 23, 2017.
The WSSA Board of Directors will evaluate the submitted proposals and decide which symposia will be funded. The Program Chair will inform the organizers of the symposia selected for funding. Symposium organizers that receive funding can then proceed with offers of funding to non-member speakers. In no event should symposium organizers make commitments for more funding from WSSA greater than what was approved by the board.
Symposium organizers are free to seek additional or alternate funding sources if symposia budget limits are insufficient to cover travel expenses for non-member speakers.
Symposia organizers should consider publication of symposium papers in Weed Science, Weed Technology or Invasive Plant Science Management.
Scott Senseman, 2018 Program Chair,
WSSA President-Elect