We are looking forward to the 2021 ASECS Annual Meeting!
Here’s a brief welcome message from ASECS President Bill Warner and Executive Director Lisa Berglund: https://www.asecs2021.org/message-from-pres-and-ed
Although we regret that our Society cannot meet in person in Toronto as originally planned, we are pleased to be gathering in our first Online Meeting, 7-11 April 2021. We can still enjoy spirited scholarly conversations and good fellowship. Our Program includes:
180 Panels, Roundtables, and Workshops
Three Plenaries: the Clifford Lecture and two Presidential Addresses
Awards Ceremony and Business Meeting
Publisher’s Exhibit Hall with opportunities for one-on-one meetings with representatives
A Social Wall where participants can connect with one another
The Doctor Is In mentoring program with a Social Wall
A Concert and a Farce
Cocktail and coffee hours, Business Meetings,
Affiliate and Caucus gatherings, including the Women’s Caucus Luncheon
Here’s some preliminary information:
Annual Meeting Website and App
The 2021 Annual Meeting Website is www.ASECS2021.org, where you can find the most current information on the Meeting and registration. After you register, you will receive information on how to access the Online Annual Meeting platform. Registration will open on February 16.
New this year! An Annual Meeting conference app is in development and will be made available shortly before the Meeting.
Program Information and Deadlines
The draft of the meeting Program is available here: https://www.asecs2021.org/online-meeting-program. Chairs have been asked to review their sessions and submit corrections or questions to asecscorrections@gmail.com. Changes must be received by February 19 to appear in the printed program. The Program is posted in .pdf format on the Meeting website. This version will be updated as needed, including during the Meeting.
The printed edition of the Program may be purchased for $7.50. Place your order on the registration form. Orders received after March 15 cannot be guaranteed to arrive by the first day of the Meeting.
Membership and Registration
Only current members of ASECS or of ISECS-affiliate societies may present at the Annual Meeting. Join or renew your membership by February 19 to remain on the Program. Visit https://asecs.press.jhu.edu/membership/join or use the link on the Meeting registration form, which will become available on February 16.
Annual Meeting Format
Programming will begin daily at 11:00 am EST and run through 6:00 or 7:30 pm EST. Our conference platform uses Zoom for sessions and breakout groups. Early access to the platform will be made available prior to the Annual Meeting, to allow participants to familiarize themselves with the site.
Sharing Material in Advance and Pre-Recording
We originally stated that all paper sessions would need to be pre-recorded. However, in the months since that announcement was made, societies like ours have learned a lot about successful online meetings. Following new best practices, pre-recording presentations is now optional; we do strongly recommend it for anyone with an unstable internet connection, or for panel chairs who wish to ensure that time limits are strictly observed. Guidelines for recording your presentation using Zoom (and adding captioning, if you wish) will be available on the 2021 Annual Meeting website. Information will be forthcoming for chairs or panelists who wish to upload a .pdf or PowerPoint presentation in advance.
Training
Training for session chairs will be provided in a Zoom meeting on March 5, 2021, 11 am – 12 pm EST. You will be given instructions on managing your sessions, including screen-sharing. If you are a chair and have not received an invitation to this training session, please contact the Business Office. The Training Session will be recorded and available to those who are unable to attend the live training session. All sessions will also be staffed by a representative of the Business Office.
Recording
One great advantage of the online format is that the entire meeting can be recorded, and sessions will remain available for conference registrants to view for a month after the meeting ends. We hope this will reduce the frustration of finding that a must-see panel was scheduled at the same time as your own paper. Information on accessing recordings will be provided at the conclusion of the meeting.
Affiliate Societies and Caucuses
Affiliate societies and caucuses are invited to host breakout groups during the Affiliates and Caucuses Cocktail/Coffee Break on Thursday, 2:50-3:30 pm EST, and may hold their business meetings in breakout sessions on Saturday, 3:55-4:55 pm EST. Please inform the Business Office if your group would like to organize one of these events.
New this year! Affiliates and Caucuses will have weblinks on the conference platform. Please send the current link to your organization’s website and a logo if you have one to the Business Office, and it will be added to the conference platform. (If we don’t hear from you, we will use the material we have on file.)
We know you have many questions and even anxieties about online meetings. So do we! But we are doing the best we can to make this new experience as smooth and comfortable as possible. Please don’t hesitate to contact us at asecsoffice@gmail.com if we can help in any way. We are discovering many exciting ways to enhance our Annual Meetings and are eager to share them with you. See you in April!
Lisa Berglund and Aimee Levesque
ASECS Office
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