ASPET Annual Meeting Symposium Guidelines

Program Committee Timeline for Submission and Review of Symposia

ASPET Annual Meeting Speaker Reimbursement Guidelines

Guidelines for ASPET Colloquia

Guidelines for ASPET Support of Regional Chapter Meetings

GUIDELINES FOR THE ORGANIZATION OF A SYMPOSIUM

(Revised 7/1/2005) 
PDF Version

The American Society for Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics encourages the presentation of symposia on timely topics at its meetings. Symposia can be valuable for promoting scientific interchange and developing new concepts in a way that crystallizes thinking in particular areas. This particular format also helps investigators keep abreast of developments in fields that may not be intimately related to their own major research interests. The Program Committee is responsible for selecting symposia to be included in meetings of the Society.

Symposia may be submitted either through an ASPET Division or directly to the Program Committee. All other things being equal, preference will be given to symposia sponsored by Divisions and symposia planned and sponsored by multiple divisions are preferred. One does not need to be a member of a particular Division to submit a symposium through that Division. Proposals should be emailed either to the chair of a Division (for Division sponsorship) or directly to the ASPET office (non-Division sponsored) by February 15, using the  PDF form below.  

The Program Committee endeavors to select a program of symposia that cover the breadth of interests of ASPET members and that coordinate with programming offered by other societies who share ASPET's meetings. Consequently, the Program Committee initially discusses topics and ideas for symposia at its December meeting and reviews symposium proposals at its April meeting for the ASPET meeting to be held the following April. Proposals that need extensive revision following Program Committee review will be deferred for consideration for the following year.

When preparing a symposium proposal, organizers are encouraged to consider the following:

• Inclusion of 1-2 short talks by junior speakers selected from the contributed papers abstracts or from labs working in the area of the symposium topic.
• Inclusion of qualified women and minority speakers.
• Inclusion of a "translational" presentation bringing the basic science from "bench to "bedside."
• Topics applicable to multiple divisions, with joint sponsorship are encouraged. Organizers are encouraged to contact multiple divisions early in the planning process.

A. Deadline for Submission

Symposia proposals should be submitted either to the ASPET office or to an ASPET Division by February 15 for the meeting scheduled 14 months later (e.g. 2/15/10 for 2011 Meeting). A  sample symposium proposal  may be viewed online.

B. Content of Proposal for Symposium

Symposia may be initiated by any member of ASPET at any time by communicating with a member of the Program Committee, by submitting a proposal to the ASPET office, or by submitting a proposal to an ASPET Division. The proposal should present reasons as to why the symposium is desirable and give details on the proposal. The total time assigned for presentations and discussions should not exceed two and one-half hours per symposium. The following points must be addressed in the proposal:

1. Proposed Title
2. Justification of need for an ASPET symposium in the particular field: The number of symposia approved will be limited and the justification will be important in both the Division’s and the Committee's evaluation. Thus justification should include the timeliness of the topic and whether a similar symposium has been recently presented at a large scientific meeting at which ASPET members are likely to have been in attendance.
3. Format of the symposium: Each symposium is scheduled for 2 & 1/2 hours. The traditional format for a symposium consists of four (4) speakers giving 25-30 minute full-length talks plus 1-2 junior speaker giving shorter talks, with time for discussion between talks. Organizers may also wish to consider alternate formats, e.g. where the symposium starts with a one-hour keynote speaker on the topic, followed by two (2) full-length speakers and 1-2 junior speakers, still allowing ample time for discussion. The Program Committee encourages the inclusion of a component of translational research in each symposium.
4. Speaker Names/Talk Titles:  Names of ­proposed speakers, their professional affiliation, title of their presentations, approximate length of the talk and a one-two sentence synopsis of their topic. A maximum of two speakers from a single institution may be proposed. No more than four (4) speakers should be proposed for a two and one-half-hour symposium. Alternate speakers should be proposed and clearly designated as alternates. Organizers should NOT contact prospective speakers prior to their symposium proposal being reviewed by the Program Committee as the Committee may suggest changes. 
5. The intended year and meeting for the symposium.
6. Preliminary financial requirements, if any:  A total of $4800 per symposium is available from ASPET to offset the travel costs of the speakers in the symposium. This figure should be kept in mind when planning on foreign speakers (See Section D, below). Indicate if there are any plans to secure funding from an alternate source. Funds secured from outside sources may be used to supplement travel reimbursements or to provide for additional foreign speakers, according to the speaker reimbursement guidelines. Neither funds from ASPET nor those secured from outside sources may be used for speaker group lunches or dinners. 
7. Organizer and speaker contact information. Include mailing addresses, telephone numbers, and e-mail addresses for the proposed speakers and for the organizer.

C. Review Process

Proposals submitted to a Division will be reviewed by the Division leadership for Division sponsorship. Proposals accepted by the Division will be forwarded to the Program Committee in rank order. Proposals submitted directly to the ASPET office will be forwarded directly to the Program Committee. The Program Committee will review all proposals when it meets in April. The chair of the Program Committee will contact each symposium organizer promptly with feedback from the committee. If the symposium is approved, or approved with minor modification, the chair of the Program Committee will provide further instructions concerning modification of the proposal, follow-up correspondence with speakers, finalization of the program and date of the symposium. Proposals requiring extensive revision will be deferred for consideration the following year.

A timeline for the submission, review and organization of symposium is available.

D. Financial Assistance from ASPET

No honoraria are provided. Up to $4800 per symposium is available from ASPET to support travel for speakers. A speaker is defined as someone who speaks for at least 20 minutes. Speakers from North America will receive up to a maximum of $1000 and foreign speakers will receive up to a maximum of $1500 reimbursement towards travel with receipts. ASPET provides complimentary registration for speakers and moderators in addition to the $4800 per symposium. Funds are to be used for reimbursing speaker travel and lodging only. They may not be used for speaker group dinners or lunches. Junior speakers giving short (10-15 minute) talks will be given complimentary registration but no travel reimbursement. Symposium organizers and chairs who are not speakers will be given complimentary registration but no travel reimbursement. For more detailed speaker reimbursement guidelines, click  HERE .

E. Scheduling of the Symposium

Speakers should plan to be available to present their proposed symposium during any of the four days of the meeting. While specific requests for scheduling will be considered, if it is not possible to meet those requests, the session may not be scheduled into the upcoming meeting.

Download the PDF Submission Form.  When you have completed it, email it to the ASPET office and it will be forwarded to the appropriate Division.

PDF Symposium Submission Form  

Guidelines for the Organization of an ASPET Colloquium

PDF Version

The American Society for Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics encourages the presentation of colloquia on timely topics, in conjunction with its annual or regional meetings, or as separate events. The Program Committee is responsible for approving proposals for ASPET-sponsored colloquia.

Colloquia are one-to-two day comprehensive overviews of a particular area of research. They may be held immediately before or after the annual meeting, in conjunction with a regional meeting, or independently. Organizers of colloquia held in conjunction with the annual meeting are strongly encouraged to include a poster session to enable students and young scientists to participate in both the colloquium and the meeting.

A. Deadline for Submission

Colloquium proposals may be submitted at any time, but must allow at least eight (8) months lead time for organizing and promoting the colloquium. For colloquia being proposed in conjunction with the annual meeting, organizers must submit their proposals no later than March of the year preceding the proposed meeting date. This will allow the Program Committee to evaluate all proposals for colloquia together with the symposia to insure a well-integrated program for the annual meeting.

B. Content of Proposal for Colloquia

Colloquia may be initiated by any member of ASPET at any time by communicating with a member of the Program Committee or by submitting a proposal to the ASPET office. The communication should present reasons as to why the symposium is desirable and give some details on the proposal. The following points should be addressed:

1. Proposed Title
2. Justification of need for an ASPET colloquium in the particular field. The number of colloquia approved will be limited, and the justification will be important in the Committee's evaluation. Thus justification should include the timeliness of the topic and whether a similar course has been recently presented at which ASPET members are likely to have been in attendance.
3. Speakers/Talk Titles.  Names of proposed speakers, their professional affiliations, titles of their presentations, and a one-two sentence synopsis of each topic.  A maximum of two speakers from a single institution may be proposed. Alternate speakers should be proposed. It is not necessary, and sometimes not desirable, to contact prospective speakers prior to submitting a symposium proposal as the Program Committee may suggest changes.
4. The intended year and meeting for the symposium.
5. Organizer and Speaker Contact information.  Mailing addresses, telephone numbers, and e-mail addresses for the proposed speakers and for the organizer.

ASPET Staff will work with the organizer to prepare a budget for the colloquium. Indicate if there are any plans to secure funding from an alternate source.

C. Review Process

After receipt of a proposal, the Program Committee will review the proposal. The chair of the Program Committee will contact each symposium organizer promptly with feedback from the committee. If the symposium is approved, or approved with modification, the chair of the Program Committee will provide further instructions concerning modification of the proposal, follow-up correspondence with speakers, finalization of the program and date of the colloquium.

D. Financial Assistance from ASPET

Colloquia are budgeted to be revenue neutral, i.e. the registration fees are set to cover the costs of the colloquium. ASPET staff will assist in preparing the budget. No honoraria are provided. Speakers are given complimentary registration and support for travel, per diem, and hotel to cover the length of the meeting. In all cases, the preliminary budget will include an amount of outside support to be raised by the organizers of the colloquium. At least half of the budgeted amount of outside support MUST be guaranteed by the December prior to the scheduled meeting, or the colloquium will be cancelled subject to review by the Program Committee.

E. Other Assistance

The ASPET office can assist in publicizing the colloquium, handling pre-registration, duplicating course material, and locating a site if necessary. For colloquia held in conjunction with the annual meeting, support in terms of arranging space, audiovisual support, meals and overnight accommodationsand registration will be provided. For all other venues, the organizer is responsible for on-site logistics support.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

These guidelines are effective as of July 1, 1998; modified December 13, 2006; modified June 12, 2008

GUIDELINES FOR ASPET SPONSORSHIP OF REGIONAL CHAPTER AFFILIATE MEETINGS

PDF version

 Financial support of up to $5,000/year for each of the annual meetings of ASPET’s affiliated regional chapters is available to support student awards and registration and travel for non-local speakers. ASPET funds should not be used to pay for honoraria as ASPET policy does not provide for honoraria for its own meetings. Regional Chapter Affiliates are encouraged to invite local undergraduate students to these meetings.

The following guidelines describe the process for review and approval of requests for funding from ASPET.

Criteria for Consideration

1. Request must be for the primary annual meeting of the regional Chapter affiliate. 
2. The meeting will not compete with any other ASPET meeting (e.g. EB or an ASPET-Ray Fuller Symposium) in terms of the meeting dates, and in terms of the subject matter within the same calendar year.

Application Process

1. Proposals may be submitted by ASPET members only. 
2. The  application form  must be completed in full. The summary section may include a “nearly final” outline of titles and speakers. Append any supportive documents (e.g., preliminary draft of program announcement, call for abstracts, surveys, CME forms, etc.). Keep the “Summary” and “Budget” sections to a total of two pages. 
3. Applications are to be sent to the ASPET Executive Officer, 9650 Rockville Pike, Bethesda, MD 20814-3995 or e-mail to ccarrico@aspet.org. 
4. Applications must be received at least 4 months in advance of the meeting.

Evaluation and Awards 

1. Applications will be reviewed by the Program Committee upon receipt of the application. Meetings will not be funded after the fact. 
2. Proposals will be evaluated both programmatically and strategically by the Program Committee. There is no guarantee that the entire $5000 will be approved. 
3. Recommendations for funding above the $5,000/proposal ceiling will be forwarded to ASPET Council, which has the authority to commit funds in excess of the ceiling. 
4. ASPET Council has the authority to permit exemptions to the above on a case-by-case basis (e.g., the dollar amount may be changed, depending on the number of applicants and availability of funds in a given year). 
5. Within 60 days following the meeting, the meeting organizing committee is responsible for sending to ASPET a copy of the final program of the meeting, an accounting of how the ASPET funds were spent, a summary of the audience evaluations (if available), and a breakdown of attendees (students, postdocs, other).

Effective Date: 1/1/2006