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Great Smoky Mountains National Park Science Colloquium
March 12, 2020 @ 9:00 am – 4:00 pm EDT
Learn about research taking place in the Smokies from the scientists working there at the annual Park Science Colloquium. This event is free and it’s an excellent opportunity to learn about the biodiversity of the Smokies and chat with regional scientists about our local national park.
Event details
General information: The Park Science Colloquium comprises over a dozen talks by scientists about work being conducted in Great Smoky Mountains National Park and the surrounding region.
Timing: 9:00 AM to 4:00 PM on Thursday, March 12, 2020
Location: The Park Vista Hotel in Gatlinburg, TN (map)
Food and drink: Coffee will be provided and there will be a one-hour lunch break. The Park Vista has a restaurant and there are lots of food choices closeby in Gatlinburg.
Schedule and abstracts:
Registration: This is a free event and open to the public, but we kindly as that you register so that we can accommodate attendees.
Information for presenters
Submit a talk or poster
Call for submissions: We welcome you to submit a presentation or poster about your research that is either actively taking place in Great Smoky Mountains National Park or that is of significance to the Smokies, and that is at a stage in analysis where a full picture of the research can be presented. Note: due to time constraints, we may not be able to fit all submitted talks.
Submitting a presentation or poster: To submit your work for consideration in the Colloquium, please email your title and author information to Will (will@dlia.org) and Paul (paul_super@nps.gov) by Friday, January 31. Submitters will be notified by Friday, February 7 as to their acceptance in the Colloquium. Accepted presenters will be asked to submit an abstract (250 words max) to will@dlia.org and paul_super@nps.gov by Friday, February 21.
Deadlines
| Friday, Jan 31 | Deadline to submit the title and author information for your presentation or poster to will@dlia.org and paul_super@nps.gov |
| Friday, Feb 7 | Submitters will be notified of their acceptance |
| Friday, Feb 21 | Deadline to submit your abstract to will@dlia.org and paul_super@nps.gov |
| Wednesday, March 11 | Recommended: Save time by uploading your presentation to Dropbox at this link by this date |
Helpful information
Time slots: Presentation slots will be 15-20 minutes (including time for questions), depending on the number of abstract submissions we receive. We will send you a finalized schedule close to the event. A podium with microphone will be provided and you won’t be able to see “presenter view” on your presentation (sorry!).
Presentation format: Talks should be PowerPoint (PPT or PPTX) or PDF. Presentations set to wide-format (16:9) will make the best use of our wide screen. Please let us know if you require a different file format or would like to include a video with sound and we will try to accommodate. FYI, presentations will be displayed from a Windows computer via Microsoft Office 365.
Presentation content: Please note that many in the audience will have advanced degrees, but few will have advanced degrees in your topic, so plan to provide a bit of explanation of technical jargon and stay away from acronyms.
Presentation upload: Speakers may upload their presentations to this Dropbox folder (preferred, and preferably by Wednesday, March 11) or bring them on a USB flash drive the morning of the event. Like to make last-minute changes to your presentation? No problem! You may upload multiple versions of your presentation to the Dropbox link (up to the morning of the colloquium) and we’ll use the latest at the colloquium. Note: this is just a time-saving measure; presentations will not be made public without your consent.
Posters: Posters may also be presented at the Colloquium. Please see submission instructions above. Posters can be any size under 48″ wide by 48″ high. We’ll provide a stand and fasteners.
Smokies Science Teacher Workshop
During the Science Colloquium, we will be holding a free workshop for science teachers (grades 5-8). The teacher workshop will be held concurrently with the Colloquium from 2:00-4:00 PM at the Park Vista, but teachers are encouraged to attend the entire Colloquium to learn about the science taking place in the Smokies. The workshop will include an iNaturalist “field session” and a data analysis activity with iNat data. Please download the iNaturalist app (App Store, Google Play) to your phone or other mobile device and create an account prior to attending the workshop. Workshop space is limited. Email julie@dlia.org by February 28th to RSVP.
Workshop materials
- Please download iNaturalist to your phone or other mobile device beforehand: (App Store, Google Play)
- Additional materials and resources will be posted here closer to the workshop