General Information
1998 Spring Meeting
Hynes Veterans Memorial Convention Center
Boston, Massachusetts
May 26-29, 1998
(Tuesday through Friday)

• Sponsors
• Spring Meeting
• New Location for Spring Meeting - Boston!
• Program
• Something for Students
• Something for Everyone
• Abstract Submissions
• 1998 Spring Program Committee
• Program Committee
• Poster Presentation Guidelines
• Oral Presentation Guidelines
• For More Information

The American Astronomical Society, Solar Physics Division (AAS/SPD), established 1899, is the major professional organization in North America for astronomers and other individuals interested in astronomy.

The Geochemical Society (GS) encourages the application of chemistry to the solution of geological and cosmological problems.

The Mineralogical Society of America (MSA) provides a forum for individuals interested in mineralogy, crystallography, and petrology.

This meeting is expected to be the largest Spring Meeting ever, with an estimated 3,500 in attendance.

Boston is also a city rich in history, culture, and excitement. Boston's role in shaping American history is unique among all other cities. People are eager to see the places where the American Revolution was conceived and began; from the Boston Tea Party Ship to the Old North Church, history is on every corner in Boston. Boston's many museums, concert halls, theatres, nightclubs, and shopping areas are always buzzing with activity. With a wide array of diverse and interesting attractions, visitors to Boston are never at a loss for something to do.

All scientific sessions and exhibits will take place at the Hynes Convention Center, located at 900 Boylston Street in Boston. Section luncheons and receptions will be held at the Boston Marriott Hotel, adjacent to the convention center and connected via skywalk.

This meeting will cover topics on all areas of geophysical sciences, and therefore contributed papers on any topic in geophysics are encouraged. Because of the close ties between many aspects of geophysics, special steps are being taken to facilitate sessions involving multiple sections. These include the scheduling of Union sessions and the joint sponsorship of sessions by multiple sections.

The session summary will be published in the April 14 issue of Eos. Also, see the 1998 Spring Meeting Session Highlights for details about many of the sessions.

In addition, there are several named lectures at the 1998 Spring Meeting:

Daly Lecture: "Variations in Mantle Temperature and Composition: Inferences From Ocean Ridge Basalts" presented by Charles H. Langmuir

Langbein Lecture: "Land Ice on Earth: A Beginning of a Global Synthesis" presented by Mark F. Meier

Nicolet Lecture:"The Energetics of Ionospheres" presented byAndrew F. Nagy

Rachel Carson Lecture: "Relating Structure and Function in Marine Ecosystems" presented by Sallie W. Chisholm

Charney Lecture:"Chemistry, Radiation and Climate: What Are the Connections?" presented by James G. Anderson

Birch Lecture: "The Plate Tectonic Approximation: Plate Nonrigidity and Diffuse Plate Boundaries" presented by Richard G. Gordon

Cox Lecture: "Is It Worth Modifying the Geocentric Axial Dipole Model of the Time-Averaged Paleomagnetic Field?" presented by Dennis V. Kent

Don't miss this chance to attend scientific sessions targeting your specific needs and interests and to meet with your colleagues to review the latest developments in your field! The preregistration deadline is April 24, 1998. Register today via the interactive registration form.

Information is also available on special events and activities at the Spring Meeting. Go to the refregistration and housing information section for details.

We look forward to seeing you in Boston!

• AGU offers Outstanding Student Paper Awards. All first-author students presenting a paper are eligible to win. Winners receive a certificate and have their photograph and bio published in Eos.

• The AGU Student Travel Grant Program offers travel funds to a select number of AGU student members who are presenting a paper at the meeting and whose research is not supported by a grant or contract. In addition to reimbursement of advance registration fees, students in the United States may receive up to $250 and students outside the United States may receive up to $500. For more information and an application, please contact Ms. Wynetta Singhateh by e-mail: wsinghateh@agu.org or call 1-800-966-2481, ext. 310 or +1-202-939-3223.

• Special discount housing at Boston University is available to help students keep the costs of attending the meeting more reasonable.

• A student car pool/van pool program is also available to help provide financial assistance for transportation to the meeting.

• Career Opportunities at the Job Center. Looking for a new position? Come to the Job Center daily and view the job postings. Bring five copies of your resume for review by potential employers. All job candidates must be registered for the meeting.

• Graduate Forum: Earth and space science department representatives will recruit students for their graduate school programs in the Hynes Convention Center, Hall C, Tuesday, May 26, and Wednesday, May 27, from 8:30 A.M.-5:00 P.M.

• Geoscience Career Fair: Representatives of a select group of employers from industrial areas will be present to interact with students Thursday, May 28, from 11:00 A.M.-4:00 P.M. in Hall C of the Hynes Convention Center.

• Students receive a reduced registration fee to the meeting, and the 1998 Spring Meeting introduces a new registration category specifically for undergraduate students.

• Student members save even more! To request an AGU membership application and information, e-mail: service@agu.org or call 1-800-966-2481 or +1-202-462-6900.

• Job Center, to enhance job-hunting skills and strategies.

• On-Site Child Care Service, located in the convention center, for a nominal fee.

• Section Events, for increased contacts with your colleagues.

• Agency Night, an opportunity to meet and talk with Federal agency representatives.

• Honors Ceremony, to pay tribute to the 1998 AGU medalists and fellows.

• Exhibits, including AGU Books and Products.

• Geophysical Information for Teachers (GIFT) Workshop.

• Press Briefings and Media Workshops, opportunities to communicate science to a wider audience.

• Optional tours and activities in and around the Boston area.

General Information

An alphabetical listing of abstracts received to date is now available. Abstracts are listed in alphabetical order by the first author's last name.

This change in structure will allow a dedicated Spring Meeting Program Committee to concentrate on programming for just the Spring Meeting.

The following is the new Spring Meeting Program Committee, chaired by Tom Herring of MIT.

Atmospheric Sciences (A): Richard Arimoto, Carlsbad Environmental Monitoring & Research Center, New Mexico State University, Carlsbad, NM 88220-3575, Phone: +1-505-234-5501, E-mail: arimoto@cemrc.nmsu.edu

Geodesy (G), Erricos C. Pavlis, NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, Space Geodesy Branch, Code 926, Greenbelt, MD 20771-0001, Phone: +1-301-286-4880, Fax: +1-301-286-1760, E-mail: epavlis@Helmert.gsfc.nasa.gov *(see below)

Geomagnetism and Paleomagnetism (GP), Kenneth P. Kodama, Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences, 31 Williams Hall Drive, Lehigh University, Bethlehem, PA 18015-3188, Phone: +1-610-861-3663, Fax: +1-610-758-3677, E-mail: kpk0@lehigh.edu

Geochemical Society (GS), Bill McDonough, Earth and Planetary Sciences, Harvard University, 20 Oxford St., Cambridge, MA 02138, Phone: +1-617-496-2010, Fax: +1-617-496-0434 or +1-617-495-8839, E-mail: mcdonough@eps.harvard.edu

Hydrology (H), Stuart Rojstaczer, Department of Geology, Duke University, 103 Old Chemistry Building, Durham, NC 27708-0230, Phone: +1-919-684-3159, Fax: +1-919-684-5833, E-mail: stuart@geo.duke.edu

Mineralogical Society of America (M), Pamela C. Burnley, Georgia State University, Department of Geology, 340 Kell Hall, 24 Peachtree Center Ave., Atlanta, GA 30303, Phone: +1-404-651-2700 or 2272, Fax: +1-404-651-1376, E-mail: burnley@gsu.edu

Ocean Sciences (OS): Lisa C. Sloan, Department of Earth Science, University of California, Santa Cruz, Santa Cruz, CA 95064, Phone.: +1-408-459-3693, Fax: +1-408-459-3074, E-mail: lcsloan@rupture.ucsc.edu

Planetology (P), Bruce A. Campbell, National Air & Space Museum, CEPS Room 3785, Washington, DC 20560, Phone: +1-202-357-1424, Fax: +1-202-786-2566, E-mail: campbell@ceps.nasm.edu

Seismology (S), Rob Van der Hilst, Department of Earth, Atmospheric, and Planetary Sciences, MIT, Room 54-514, Cambridge MA 02139, Phone: +1-617-253-6977, Fax: +1-617-258-9697, E-mail: hilst@mit.edu

Space Physics and Aeronomy (SPA), Chair: Edmond C. Roelof (SH), Applied Physics Laboratory, Johns Hopkins University, Johns Hopkins Rd., Laurel, MD 20723-6009, Phone: +1-240-228-5411, Fax: +1-240-228-6670, E-mail: edmond.roelof@jhuapl.edu; Committee Members: Odile de La Beaujardiere (SA), Office of Polar Programs, National Science Foundation, 4201 Wilson Blvd., Suite 755, Arlington, VA 22230, Phone: +1-703-306-1029, Fax: +1-703-306-0648, E-mail: odelabe@nsf.gov; Thomas E. Moore (SM), Interplanetary Physics Branch, Lab for Extraterrestrial Physics, NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, Code 692, Bldg.2, Rm. 138, Greenbelt, MD 20771, Phone: +1-301-286-5236, Fax: +1-301-286-1683, E-mail: thomas.e.moore@gsfc.nasa.gov

American Astronomical Society/Solar Physics Division (SPD), Chair: Stephen Kahler, Chair, Solar Physics Division, Phillips Lab/GPSS, 29 Randolph Rd., Hanscom AFB, MA 01731-3010, Phone: +1-617-377-9665, E-mail: kahler@plh.af.mil; Committee Member: John Thomas, Vice Chair, Solar Physics Division, Dept. of Physics and Astronomy, University of Rochester, Rochester, NY 14627, E-mail: thomas@me.rochester.edu

Tectonophysics (T), Garry D. Karner, Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory, Palisades, NY 10964, Phone: +1-914-365-8355, Fax: +1-914-365-8156, E-mail: garry@lamont.ldgo.columbia.edu; Committee Members: Jerry Mitrovica, Dept. of Physics, University of Toronto, 60 St. George St., Toronto ON M5S 1A7, Canada, Fax: +1-416-978-7606; Mathilde Cannat, University of Pierre & Marie Curie, Lab Petrologie Magmatologie, 4 Pl Jussieu Tour 26, Paris 75252, France, Phone: +33-1-44275192, Fax: +33-1-44273911, E-mail: mac@ccr.jussieu.fr *(see below)

Volcanology, Geochemistry, and Petrology (V), James A. Tyburczy, Department of Geology, Arizona State University, Box 871404, Tempe, AZ 85287-1404, Phone: +1-602-965-2637, Fax: +1-602-965-8102, E-mail: jim.tyburczy@asu.edu *(see below)

*Mineral and Rock Physics: The sections of G, T, and V are including a member of the Mineral and Rock Physics Technical Committee to assist in planning some sessions. Pamela C. Burnley is a subcommittee member for these sections and will be organizing sessions related specifically to rock and mineral physics: Pamela C. Burnley, Georgia State University, Department of Geology, 340 Kell Hall, 24 Peachtree Center Ave., Atlanta, GA 30303, Phone: +1-404-651-2700 or 2272, Fax: +1-404-651-1376, E-mail: burnley@gsu.edu

• With submission of your abstract to the 1998 Spring Meeting, you agreed to present your paper on the day, time, and in the mode of presentation assigned by the Program Committee. You have been assigned to a POSTER session at the time listed on your acceptance letter; this cannot be changed.

• Schedule times given in the abstract volume are subject to change without prior notice. Check the At-Meeting Program and the Addendum for any program changes.

• Place the title of your paper prominently at the top of the poster board to allow viewers to identify your paper easily. Indicate 1) the presentation number of the abstract, 2) title, and 3) author(s) names. Highlight the authors' names and address information, in case the viewer is interested in contacting them for more information.

• Prepare all diagrams or charts neatly and legibly beforehand, in a size sufficient to be read at a distance of 5 feet. Type should be at least 1 inch (2.5 cm) high. Use creativity by using different font sizes and styles, perhaps even color. Double-space all text. Use different colors or textures for each line or bar contained in your graph or chart.

• Organize the paper on the posterboard so that it is clear, orderly, and self explanatory. You have complete freedom in displaying your information in figures, tables, text, photographs, etc. The presentation must cover the same material as the abstract. Label different elements as 1, 2, 3, or A, B, C. This will make it easier for a viewer to easily follow your display.

• Include the background of your research, followed by results and conclusions. A successful poster presentation depends on how well you convey information to an interested audience.

• Poster sessions will be held in Exhibit Hall C of the Hynes Convention Center.

• To locate your assigned posterboard, look for the board with your paper number on it. A diagram will be posted at the AGU Facilities Desk, and staff will be available to direct you to your posterboard.

• All posters should be placed on the posterboards between 0730h-0830h on the day of your presentation. Posters must remain up the entire day. Posters must be removed between 1700h-1800h. Posters remaining after 1800h will be removed by AGU. AGU will not be responsible for posters and materials left on poster boards after the stated hours.

• Place your poster on the side of the posterboard that is marked with your paper number. Dimensions of the useable work area are: 4 feet high by 6 feet high, less the one-inch frame. The background color of the board is cork.

• You are required to be present at your board for at least one hour during your scheduled presentation time. Presenters of A.M. sessions should be present between 0900h-1100h; presenters of P.M. sessions should be present between 1400h-1600h. Leave a message on your board detailing the hours you plan to be at your presentation. After the session, leave a note on your posterboard as to where you can be reached, in case someone wishes to discuss your research further.

• Audio-visual (AV) equipment is available to enhance your poster presentation. You may request either a VHS video cassette player or a personal computer (IBM-compatible or Macintosh). AGU will provide this equipment to you for a fee of $60 when your order is received by April 30, 1998. Equipment may be used only during your active session time (A.M. or P.M.) and not for the entire day.

• To place your order, complete the enclosed AV order form enclosed with your acceptance letter, and send to AGU with payment by April 30, 1998. Even if you already indicated your desire for such equipment on your abstract, you must complete the order form and send payment for this equipment.

• If you plan to bring your own computer, you still must complete the AV order form to request an electrical outlet or table. There is no charge for this equipment when ordered by April 30, 1998. Orders placed on-site are subject to availability and will incur a fee.

• A limited number of internet connections will be available. Indicate your request for internet access on the enclosed AV order form. There is no charge for an internet connection, with the rental of a PC. The fee for internet access is $60 if you bring your own computer. Orders must be placed by April 30, 1998. On-site orders for internet are not available.

• The AGU Facilities Desk will be located in Exhibit Hall C in the Hynes Convention Center. AGU staff will be available to assist you.

• Pushpins, tape, and scissors will be available. Additional supplies may be available, however, if you have special needs for your poster presentation, we suggest you bring those supplies with you to the meeting.

• Questions about AV equipment should be directed to the AGU Facilities Desk.

• With submission of your abstract to the 1998 Spring Meeting, you agreed to present your paper on the day, time, and in the mode of presentation assigned by the Program Committee. You have been assigned to an ORAL session at the time listed on your acceptance letter; this cannot be changed.

• Schedule times given in the abstract volume are subject to change without prior notice. Check the At-Meeting Program and the Addendum for any program changes.

• Contributed papers will have 10 minutes for presentation and 5 minutes for the discussion and changeover time; some invited papers will have 15 minutes for presentation. Session presiders will hold you to this time.

• Cover the same material as reported in the abstract.

• Write your talk in advance so that your ideas are logically organized and your points clear. At the very least, write a detailed outline of your presentation. Cover only the few essential main points, and leave the details for your publication.

• Rehearse. If possible, give your talk to one or more colleagues, and ask them for suggestions for improvement. If the talk runs longer than the allotted time, eliminate the least essential material and rehearse again.

• Give an opening statement to acquaint the audience with the nature and purpose of the study.

• Speak slowly and clearly. Word choice should be simple: Use active words, short sentences. Words should reinforce visual material.

• Out of consideration for the other speakers and the audience stay within your allotted time. This is essential to ensure adequate time for questions and discussion and adherence to schedule.

• Use the public address system and speak into the microphone toward the audience at all times. When using the lavalier microphone clipped to your lapel, if you turn your head away from the microphone it may be difficult for the audience to hear you. If you need to see what is being shown on the screen, have pictures or copies at the speaker's rostrum.

• Slides and viewgraphs must be well designed, simple, and readable by everyone in the audience. It is worthwhile to use professional preparation services, if available.

• Use as few slides and viewgraphs as are really needed and can be discussed in the time allotted. As a general rule, one for each 1 or 2 minutes of presentation is all that will be effective.

• Devote each slide and viewgraph to a single fact, idea, or finding. Illustrate major points or trends, not detailed data. Do not show long or complicated formulas or equations. Each slide should remain on the screen at least 20 seconds.

• Use the absolute minimum number of words in title, subtitles, and captions. Remember that standard abbreviations are acceptable.

• Use bold characters. Do not use fancy serifs. A rule of thumb for the minimum height of readable lettering (size) is 3 millimeters on finished slides. Do not make slides from illustrations or tables that were prepared for publication. They are rarely satisfactory. A good way to test your material is to stand away 1 foot for every inch of original copy width. If you can't read it from that distance, then your audience will not be able to read it either when it is projected.

• Table Preparation: Do not use more than three or four vertical columns; six to eight horizontal lines. Any more and the information will not be readable. Do not use ruled vertical or horizontal lines. They distract the eye and clutter the slide. Whenever possible, present data by bar charts or graphs instead of tables. Colored graphs are very effective.

• Graph Preparation: Generally, do not use more than one or two curves on one diagram; three to four as maximum but only if well separated. Label each curve; do not use symbols and legend. Do not show data points unless scatter is important.

• Color adds attractiveness, interest, and clarity to slide and viewgraph illustrations and should be used whenever possible. If you use color, remember that contrasting colors are easier to see.

• Use 2" x 2" paper or plastic mounted slides, designated for a 35mm slide projector. Be sure that they are clean and in good physical condition.

• Critically examine every slide and viewgraph, and try out the entire set under adverse light conditions before using them at a meeting. It is sometimes impossible to provide excellent light conditions at meetings.

• Mark a large positioning dot or make a notch in the lower left hand corner of each slide when it is laid flat so it may be read; rotate 180o for loading into a carousel. A notch makes it easy to see that all slides are in correct position in a tray. Number every slide in proper sequence, as you wish them shown. This is important, because slides may be dropped or become disarranged. Check your slides in a Slide Viewer prior to the start of your session.

• An introductory and concluding slide and viewgraph can much improve the focus of your talk.

• Each oral meeting room will be equipped with two 2" x 2" (35mm) slide projectors, two overhead (viewgraph) projectors, an electric pointer, and two screens. If you require additional equipment, a fee will apply. Please contact AGU's Meetings Department by April 30, 1998, at 1-202-462-6910, ext. 242, or by e-mail at: eterry@agu.org to receive information on audio-visual equipment for oral sessions or to place additional equipment orders.

• Slide viewers will be located in the Session Prep Area located in Exhibit Hall C of the Hynes Convention Center. Speakers may preview slides between 0730h-1800h Tuesday through Friday. Assemble your slides in one of the carousel trays provided for your convenience. In the session room, place the carousel (labeled with your name and sessions number) on the slide projector just prior to your presentation. After the presentation, you must remove the slides and leave the carousel tray on the projector cart or return it to the Session Prep Area.

• If you would like to preview your viewgraphs, you may use one of the overhead projectors set in a meeting room either before 0815h or during the lunch break from 1215h-1315h.

AGU Meetings Department
2000 Florida Avenue, N.W.
Washington, DC 20009
Phone: 1-800-966-2481 or +1-202-462-6910, ext. 215
Fax: +1-202-328-0566
Web Site: http://www.agu.org

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