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FAQs

There are some common questions we have received about the conference. We will continue to place those questions (and the answers) here for you as they come in.

  1. I have never been to a virtual conference before. How does it work?

  2. I have never attended a virtual conference before. How much time should I allocate in my schedule to get on-line?

  3. I am presenting a poster at the conference. Do I need to write to you when I will be at the poster?

  4. I am a poster presenter. I understand that the poster sessions are asynchronous, but I hope to be at my poster a lot to interact with people as they visit. Is there a way that visitors will know that I am on-line and that they will therefore get a quick reply?

  5. Can I post a message to a poster if the presenter is not in?

  6. Flash Player Questions:

  1. I have never been to a virtual conference before. How does it work?

    A virtual conference is similar in many respects to a traditional one. It is a time for interchange of ideas, talking and networking with colleagues, and sharing and learning from other projects engaged in similar work. There are also a few critical differences. You don't have to fly anywhere or keep to a pre-set agenda. There is no jet lag, and no hotel bills. You can get on-line, anytime of day or night and read what your colleagues have said and communicate with them. If you are on-line at the same time as other colleagues, you can send them an instant message and have an immediate conversation. Most of the conference, however, is asynchronous which means that you can leave comments, queries and replies and they will be answered when your colleagues come on-line.

    Like a traditional conference, we have a keynote speaker, Deborah Loewenberg Ball. Unlike at a traditional conference you will not be able to hear him deliver her whole speech, but rather you can print it or read it from the screen at your convenience. Deborah Ball has provided an audio introduction as well so that you can hear her a little as well.

    After reading the Keynote, please join the discussion of the keynote which will be moderated by Deborah Loewenberg Ball. This is also similar in many ways to a discussion that might take place in a traditional conference. One advantage that a virtual discussion offers is that you can read and post at any time of day. Some people find that they prefer writing a comment or query to asking it in front of an audience. We have invited our discussants Judi Fonzi, George Hein and Jim Stigler to join in the dialogue and to share their perspectives. Most important, we encourage you to join in, and let your voice be heard. As this discussion will continue over a one week period it will be important to log in regularly so that you can follow the discussion as it unfolds.

    One of the most important parts of any conference is learning from and with our colleagues. We have created an interactive Poster Hall in order to facilitate this type of interaction. Twenty-three LSC projects share the lessons they have learned about sustainability. They have each created a poster where they discuss their original goals, reflections from their project, promoters and inhibitors to sustainability, suggestions for projects starting out and questions for the community. We hope that each registrant will take the time to communicate with the presenters (and with other participants who visit each poster) by posting to the discussion attached to each poster.

    We have three panels as well. These panels are led by members of the LSC community who have grappled with a particular concern to many of the LSCs. Read the panelists short papers and then interact with the discussion giving your perspective, comments or questions.

    Our Discussants Deborah Loewenberg Ball, Judi Fonzi, George Hein and Jim Stigler will share their reflections with us as the week progresses. You can read these in the Discussants Reflect area of the site.

    The resources section provides some additional resources suggested by our panelists and discussants.

    Feel free to visit the Instant Message Center in the Lounge. You can send and receive messages from other participants who are on-line at the same time as you.

    Don't forget to send us Feedback by visiting the Info Center. We want to hear and learn about your experience participating in this virtual conference! Let us know how it feels similar, better or worse than a traditional one. This is our first time hosting such an event and we will be learning with you.

    This Conference is supported by a grant from the National Science Foundation (ESI0088027).
    All comments, papers, and remarks represent opinions of the participants and are not necessarily shared by the Foundation.
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  2. I have never attended a virtual conference before. How much time should I allocate in my schedule to get on-line?

    The most important thing is to SIGN ON FREQUENTLY. Try to arrange to get on every day during the conference even if it is only for a half an hour. This will let you follow and participate in discussions, and to engage interactively with poster presenters, keynote presenter, discussants and panelists and with each other. We suggest allocating between five and eight hours in total over the one-week period to participate.

    The conference will run from May 13th to 23rd.

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  3. I am presenting a poster at the conference. Do I need to write to you when I will be at the poster?

    You do not need to tell to us when you will be on. Most of the conference will be asynchronous. That means that people can leave a message, question, or comment for you when you are not on-line, and you will be able to see it and respond to it whenever you get on. This allows you to communicate at 3:00 AM if that is your preference. BUT IT IS VERY IMPORTANT TO GET ON-LINE FREQUENTLY DURING THE CONFERENCE, so that visitors will feel that you are interacting. It is best if you can get on-line every day even if it is only for a half hour. If you are traveling or cannot get on-line for several days, then you will have no choice but to read the messages and queries when you get home.

    Besides the posters you will want to get on frequently to be engaged with the keynote discussion being moderated by Deborah Loewenberg Ball, and to engage with the discussants and panelists. We suggest allocating between five and eight hours in total over the one-week period.

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  4. I am a poster presenter. I understand that the poster sessions are asynchronous, but I hope to be at my poster a lot to interact with people as they visit. Is there a way that visitors will know that I am on-line and that they will therefore get a quick reply?

    Yes. When visitors first come into the poster hall, if you are present a purple human outline will be visible behind your poster.

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  5. Can I post a message to a poster if the presenter is not in?

    Absolutely, and please do. Posting will enrich the dialogue not only for the presenter but for all visitors to the conference. The presenter will see your query or comment when they next sign on and other visitors to the poster may want to answer your comment or query as well.

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