Citizen Science Association


C*Sci 2023 Call for Symposia

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-The call for symposia submissions is now closed-

Symposia Overview:

The CSA Program Committee invites submissions for curated conversations that advance a proposed topic of importance in the field. 

In line with this emphasis of this year’s event, the Committee will prioritize submissions that:

  • Illuminate one of the conference strands, and speak to cross-cutting priorities
  • Include contributors and ideas from multiple backgrounds and perspectives
  • Provide well-grounded insights in an engaging session format

CROSS-CUTTING PRACTICES:

Our event is centered around practices. All proposals should address one of the following cross-cutting STRANDS and speaks to two or more PRIORITY PRACTICES.

STRANDS: (submit to ONE of these)

  • Discoveries and Frontiers
  • Honoring Traditions
  • Opening Science
  • Connecting People and Place
  • Research to Action / Environmental Justice

PRIORITY PRACTICES: (choose TWO or more)

  • Strategies for Successful Science
  • Designing for Action and Impact
  • Practices for Justice, Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion
  • Building Relationships and Community Trust
  • Integrity in Data Ethics

Symposia spaces in the schedule are limited and are therefore highly competitive. The deadline for proposal submissions is November 18th, at 11:59 PM EST.  

Planning your submission

Symposia spaces in the schedule are limited and are therefore highly competitive. Should multiple proposals be submitted on similar topics, you may be asked to consider a combined session. Therefore, we encourage those interested in submitting to explore collaborations with others interested in the topic.

Evaluation process and criteria

All proposals will be reviewed and ranked by the CSA Conference program committee for how the proposal addresses a STRAND and speaks to two or more PRIORITY PRACTICES.

Symposium proposals will also be assessed using the following criteria:

  • *Illuminate one of the conference strands, and speak to cross-cutting priorities
  • *Include contributors and ideas from multiple backgrounds and perspectives
  • *Provide well-grounded insights in an engaging session format
  • Appeal to a broad audience from different disciplines, roles, and experience levels
  • Focus on practices that advance a big topic, idea, or challenge within c*science 
  • Present something that is a distinct and novel contribution to the field
  • Provide clear grounds for the insights shared (e.g., based on decades of experience, user testing, evaluation data, etc.)
  • Offer a clear outcome for the session (what people will take away, how your session will make a difference)
  • Propose a topic and structure well suited for a symposium
  • Address issues related to Justice, Equity, Diversity and Inclusion
*Indicates priority criteria.
  • Include contributors and ideas from multiple backgrounds and perspectives
    • Think about this as an opportunity for a conversation across people and perspectives who may otherwise never be heard together – and why/how that can be powerful. This could look like:
      • Community leaders, students, and academics
      • Non-profit organizations, agencies, and philanthropists
      • Subject matter experts from different fields and who wouldn’t normally cross paths.
  • Provide well-grounded insights in an engaging session format.
    • Well-grounded insights mean providing a clear basis for trust in the information or recommendations you share. This could be from (but isn’t limited to):
      • decades of lived experience
      • data from evaluation or research (quantitative, qualitative, or interpretive)
      • syntheses that show a convergence of ideas
    • An engaging session format could be, but need not be limited to:
      • Panel presentations and discussion
      • Storytelling
      • Ignite sessions
      • Fishbowl event
      • [Your idea here] 

We also encourage, but don’t require, proposals that indicate plans for post-conference dissemination. Ideas may include, but not be limited to, a white paper, live polls with published dataset of results, a Youtube video summary), and action-oriented outcomes.

 

How to Submit?

The call for submissions is now closed.

Download a copy of this planning guide for a list of questions to submit using the online submission form. When you are ready to submit, click here to submit your proposal.

Individual presenters in your symposium are not required to submit a presentation title or abstract, but you will be required to add the names, affiliations, and contact details for all contributors who have confirmed their willingness to take part in your session. Involvement in the session (should it be chosen) requires in-person participation – symposia will not support remote or pre-recorded contributions.

Abstracts must be in English; submitters will have the option to include session information in additional languages.

The deadline for proposal submissions is November 19th, at 11:59 PM EST.  All submissions must be made through the online form. Abstracts submitted after the deadline cannot be considered (there will be no extensions provided for this call). Applicants will be notified of acceptance status by early December. Presenters from symposium submissions that are not accepted may reapply for individual talks/posters.