2008 Ocean Sciences Meeting: Media Advisory 1
News Media Registration is Open;
Book Hotel Rooms Now;
Abstracts Available Online
Orange County Convention Center, Orlando, Florida, 2–7 March 2008
Contents of this message:
- About the Ocean Sciences Meeting
- News Media Registration Information
- News Media Registration Form
- Book Hotel Rooms by 4 February 2008
- Abstracts and Schedule Available Online
- Who's Coming
About the 2008 Ocean Sciences Meeting
This year's meeting will offer a wealth of new science regarding the planet's oceans and Earth's water wherever it is found, from mountain peaks to deep ocean trenches.
As many as 4,000 scientists from around the world are expected to attend the meeting, where they will present and discuss the latest findings in ocean acidification, the causes and consequences of sea-ice loss, Everglades restoration impacts, marine ecology, river-ocean interactions and many other fields.
We are in the process of organizing a series of press conferences to bring some of the most important new discoveries to reporters who cover the meeting. These will be described in subsequent advisories.
Approximately 1,500 oral sessions and more than 1,600 poster presentations are planned for Monday, 3 March to Friday, 7 March 2008 at the Orange County Convention Center (West Building) in Orlando, Florida. Poster presentations will take place Monday-Thursday evenings to avoid overlap with oral sessions.
Four scientific organizations sponsor the 2008 meeting: The American Society of Limnology and Oceanography (ASLO), the American Geophysical Union (AGU), the Estuarine Research Federation (ERF), and The Oceanography Society (TOS). This year, ASLO has the lead role in organizing the meeting.
News Media Registration Information
International reporters: If you are neither a citizen nor a permanent resident of the United States, you need a visa to cover meetings in the U.S. This applies also to reporters from countries in the Visa Waiver Program, who do not need visas to visit the U.S. as tourists. For current information, see the official State Department web site.
News Media registrants receive a badge that provides access to any of the scientific sessions of the meeting, as well as to the Press Room. No one will be admitted without a valid badge.
News Media registrants who have preregistered will pick up their badges at the Exhibitors/News Media registration window in the main registration area on Level 1 (street level) of the West Concourse (that's in the West Building). Please be prepared to show identification (see below).
If you have not preregistered, you may fill out a News Media Registration Form, available at the Exhibitors/News Media window, presenting appropriate identification. Your badge will be made on site.
Registration hours are: Sunday 13:00–21:00, Monday-Friday, 07:00–17:00.
Eligibility for press registration is limited to the following persons:
- Working press employed by bona fide news media: must present a press card, business card, or letter of introduction from an editor of a recognized publication.
- Freelance science writers: must present a current membership card from NASW, a regional affiliate of NASW, CSWA, ISWA, or SEJ; or evidence of by lined work pertaining to science intended for the general public and published in 2007 or 2008; or a letter from the editor of a recognized publication assigning you to cover 2008 Ocean Sciences Meeting.
IMPORTANT NOTE: In a change from other recent Ocean Sciences meetings, neither public information/public affairs officers nor other communications staff of scientific societies, educational institutions, or government agencies may register for this meeting as News Media. For information about registration fees and deadlines, see http://www.aslo.org/meetings/orlando2008/registration.html (Early registration at reduced rates ends 31 January 2008.)
Likewise, representatives of publishing houses, for profit corporations, and the business side of news media must register at the main registration desk at the meeting and pay the appropriate fees, regardless of possession of press-eligibility documents mentioned above. They are not accredited as News Media at the meeting.
News Media Registration Form
The News Media Registration Form is set up for online submission only. Go to http://www.agu.org/meetings/os08/os08pressreg.html
The last day to preregister online is Thursday, 28 February 2008. However, only registrations received by Wednesday, 13 February, are assured to generate a badge awaiting your arrival. Pre-registrations received after 13 February will be transmitted to Orlando, but badges won't be printed until you arrive. You may also register onsite (see above).
Book Hotel Rooms by 4 February 2008
Ten hotels are offering rooms to Meeting attendees at prices ranging from $79 to $199 per night, plus tax. The deadline for booking at these rates is 4 February 2008. However, it is important to make your reservations as soon as possible, as March is a busy time in Orlando. Some Meeting hotels have already filled up. For further information, see http://www.aslo.org/orlando2008/hotels.html
Abstracts and Schedule Available Online
The meeting website is http://www.aslo.org/orlando2008/index.html. Use the navigation bar on the right of the site's web pages to find the online abstracts and schedule, other information on meeting activities and lodging, and news-media information. A search function that will allow automated searches of abstracts by title, author, and keywords is expected to go live soon on the meeting website.
Who's Coming
The online list of journalists who have preregistered for the Meeting is updated daily and may be seen at http://www.agu.org/meetings/os08/os08media.html
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