Society for Risk Analysis
2015 Annual Meeting
CALL FOR ABSTRACTS
Empires of Risk Analysis:
Science, Policy, and Innovation
6-10, December 2015
Crystal Gateway Marriott — Arlington, Virginia, USA
The Society for Risk Analysis (SRA) invites your abstracts for individual posters, poster platforms,
oral individual presentations, and symposia for the 2015 Annual Meeting to convene in the vicinity of
Washington, D.C., USA. The location is convenient to three airports (DCA, IAD, and BWI) and numerous rail,
road, and bike/pedestrian connections of the nation’s capital.
DEADLINE
Web submissions only - submission deadline is 20 May, 11:59 PM (EST)/8:59 PM PST. The website for
submission of all abstracts is: http://birenheide.com/sra/2015AM/form.php, which can also be reached
from www.sra.org.
Absolute Deadline, No Exceptions – applies to poster, oral, and symposium submissions
PROGRAM COMMITTEE’S ASSIGNMENTS ARE NOT NEGOTIABLE, PERIOD
Presenters must register by 1 October for the abstracts to be in the Final Program.
An author may coauthor any number of submissions but, as presenting author, may submit a maximum
of two abstracts in the form of one proffered and one invited symposium abstract OR one proffered oral
abstract and one proffered poster abstract OR two invited symposium abstracts. Roundtable participation
will be considered equivalent to a symposium abstract.
PRESENTATION FORMATS
The Annual Meeting will encompass several types of scientific sessions. The Program Committee does its
best to honor your preferred format, but is constrained by the time and meeting space available.
POSTER PRESENTATIONS/POSTER PLATFORM PRESENTATIONS
Poster sessions will be grouped by subject and presented either in larger groups, with author attendance
during the poster reception (Monday, 7 December, 6-8 PM), or in smaller groups as poster-platform sessions
(during breakout session hours). The latter includes a three-minute description by the author at the start
of each session, facilitated by a session chair assigned by the Program Committee. For poster sessions of
either type, submit an abstract and check the appropriate box. Note that the Program Committee welcomes
expanding the poster and poster platform sessions – please consider this mode of participation.
ORAL PRESENTATIONS
Oral presentations will be grouped by subject and assigned a session chair by the Program Committee. Each
oral presentation should take 15 minutes, followed by 5 minutes for audience questions and comments.
Speakers will be required by session chairs to adhere to time limits. For oral presentations, submit an
abstract and check the appropriate box.
SYMPOSIA
Symposia address a particular subject of interest through a multidisciplinary format. Symposium proposals
are submitted as such, and are not organized by the Program Committee. Generally, symposia follow a similar
format as other oral presentations and should be limited to one 1½-hour session to the extent possible.
Preference will be given by the Program Committee to symposia proposals that truly reflect several riskrelated disciplines. To submit a symposium proposal, use the online submission process at www.sra.org.
Symposia may not include more than two session time slots. Unconventional formats of symposia, such as
world cafes or open space deliberations are encouraged. The more the audience is involved, the better!
NOTE: The symposium organizer needs to first submit an abstract describing the symposia with proposed
speakers. The organizer will receive a symposia ID, which will need to be given to the speakers. Each
speaker must use this ID to submit their abstract. ALL ABSTRACTS need to be received by the 20 May
DEADLINE.
ROUNDTABLES
Roundtables address a subject of interest in a panel discussion format. One abstract is submitted with the
speakers/panelists noted at the end. Roundtables should be limited to one 1½-hour session.
SUBMISSION OF ABSTRACTS
Your abstract will be printed directly from your online submission for the final program. Presenting authors
and all participants in a roundtable must pay registration fees by the preregistration deadline of 10 October
to have abstracts and/or names published in the Final Program. Minor editing (punctuation and grammar)
may be performed on your abstract; you will not see a revised version before publication.
NOTE: Under no circumstances can an abstract that has been submitted for presentation be changed. The
Program Committee regards a submitted abstract as a commitment to present. The Program Committee
also regards cancellations, particularly after the abstract has been accepted, as incompatible with good
professional conduct. If extenuating circumstances prevent the presenting author from making the
presentation, it is that author’s obligation to find an alternate presenter and to contact the session chair
and program committee chair (James Lambert, [email protected]) as well as the Secretariat (SRA@
burkinc.com), about the change.
INSTRUCTIONS FOR COMPLETING ABSTRACT SUBMISSIONS ON THE WEB WWW.SRA.ORG
Author Box
Type each author(s) name all with initial capitals, last name followed by first and middle initials., in the
appropriate box i.e., Zimmermann, AR (Author Box 1), Burk, BJ (Author Box 2) and Schock, D (Author Box 3).
Affiliation Box
Type the affiliation(s) in upper and lower case in the box. DO NOT include your department’s name when
listing the address(es) of the author(s). Capitalization and punctuation must be as shown in the sample
(Texas Tech University and Mayo Clinic).
Title Box
Enter the title of your abstract in the box in upper and lower case
Abstract Box
The abstract will be published as submitted in the Final Program. There should be no margin at the top;
keep all text flush left. Enter only the single-paragraph body of the text in the abstract box.
Keywords
The Program Committee will use keywords to assist in placing the abstracts in the sessions. You must list
at least one keyword, but no more than five.
Preferred Presentation Format
Please indicate your preference. There is no guarantee that your preference will be accommodated.
Poster
Poster Platform
Oral Presentation
SPECIALTY GROUPS
The Annual Meeting Program Committee includes representatives from all of the SRA Specialty Groups. You
must identify a primary Specialty Group that may find your abstract of particular interest. If your abstract
does not fall within one of these you may select multi-disciplinary or other, with the option to provide
the Program Committee a one-line justification in a text box. You can separately indicate second Specialty
Groups. Students should note that selecting one or more of these groups will determine which group(s)
will consider you for a Student Merit award.
Please select from among the following Specialty Group(s)or Topics:
NEW for 2015 - Multi-disciplinary Track
Applied Risk Management
Decision Analysis and Risk
Dose Response
Ecological Risk Assessment
Economics and Benefits Analysis
Emerging Nanoscale Materials
Engineering and Infrastructure
Exposure Assessment
Foundational Issues in Risk Analysis
Microbial Risk Analysis
Occupational Health and Safety
Risk Communication
Risk & Development
Risk Policy and Law
Security and Defense
Other (Please specify:)
SPECIALTY GROUP STUDENT MERIT AWARD
Each Specialty Group gives monetary awards to students who submit under their Specialty Group. When
submitting an abstract to be considered for a Specialty Group award, you must indicate on the submission
form for which Specialty Group you would like to be considered. Specialty Group Merit awards are up to
$500 and complimentary registration. You do not need to be a member of the Specialty Group(s) to select
it. A primary Specialty Group must be selected.
TRAVEL AWARDS TO STUDENTS
There are a limited number of travel awards available to eligible students. Students wishing to apply for
a travel award should request consideration for the award in writing and submit an extended abstract
(1,000 words) in addition to the standard abstract. The brief written request should include a description
of how involvement with SRA activities plays a role in your career objectives. Applications from African
American, Latino, and Native American students and young professionals are encouraged. If SRA cannot
fund all the requests, awards will be made on the basis of abstract quality, as determined by the Program
Committee. The deadline for submittal of abstract, extended abstract, and request is 20 May 2015 via the
online abstract submission form. Students and young professionals accepted for a travel award will have
to work at the Annual Meeting for a four-hour shift. In order to receive the award, you must become a
2016 SRA member (2015 student dues cost $55). The award includes complimentary meeting registration.
Students may apply for a Specialty Group Merit award and this award. Typical awards range from $150 to
$500.
TRAVEL AWARDS TO YOUNG PROFESSIONALS
There are a limited number of travel awards available to young professionals (having graduated within
last two years). Young professionals wishing to apply for a travel award should request consideration for
the award in writing and submit an extended abstract (1,000 words) in addition to the standard abstract.
The brief written request should include a description of how involvement with SRA activities plays a
role in your career objectives. Applications from African American, Latino, and Native American students
and young professionals are encouraged. If SRA cannot fund all the requests, awards will be made on the
basis of abstract quality, as determined by the Program Committee. The deadline for submittal of abstract,
extended abstract, and request is 20 May 2015 via the online abstract submission form. Students and
young professionals accepted for a travel award will have to work at the Annual Meeting for a four-hour
shift. In order to receive the award, you must become a 2016 SRA member (2015 young professional dues
cost $55). The award includes complimentary meeting registration. Typical awards range from $150 to
$500.
INTERNATIONAL TRAVEL AWARDS
The Society is making available limited resources to non-US participants (students and non-students) to
partially assist in defraying travel and/or per diem costs associated with the Annual Meeting. Individuals
wishing to solicit such support MUST submit their request via the abstract submission form by filling out
the International Travel Award submittal form. Consideration will be based on acceptance of an abstract
for presentation at this meeting and on demonstrated financial need. The deadline for submittal is 20 May
2015. Non-US students are encouraged to apply. In order to receive the award, you must become a 2016
SRA member. Award includes complimentary meeting registration. Typical awards range from $250 to
$800.
ADDITIONAL DETAILS
The preliminary program will be posted on the website in early September. Final programs will be available
at the meeting in December. Preregistration and hotel reservation information will be included as a part of
the preliminary program.
PRESENTATION INFORMATION
Computer projection of PowerPoint slides is the format for oral presentations. You will be required to submit
your presentation ahead of time. Complete submission guidelines will be available online. Please be aware
that a large number of submissions selected will be presented as posters. Poster board dimensions: 8’ wide
x 4’ high. Poster presenters must be available at designated session time.
LOCATION
The meeting will be located at the Crystal Gateway Marriott just outside of Washington, DC. Crystal City
Metro is literally at the hotel doorstep, so discovering the many attractions of Arlington, VA and downtown
DC has never been easier. The hotel is located just 5 minutes from Reagan National Airport and 30 minutes
from Dulles International Airport.
SUBMISSION OF WORKSHOP PROPOSALS
Workshops will take place on Sunday, 6 December, one day prior to the regular meeting sessions. Workshop
proposals are evaluated by the Conferences & Workshops Committee, not the Program Committee.
Workshops are generally 1/2 day (4 hours) or full day (8 hours) and are educational in nature. Workshop
proposals should include a syllabus and a budget and must be submitted via the SRA web page. For complete
submission instructions visit http://www.sra.org/conferences-and-workshops. Deadline for submission
of workshops is 20 May 2015.
EXHIBITS 2015
Booth space is available for companies or individuals who are interested in promoting risk related
products or services. For further information on exhibiting, contact Jennifer Rosenberg jrosenberg@
BurkInc.com at (703) 790-1745.
QUESTIONS??
SRA Secretariat: 703-790-1745, Email: [email protected]