In This Section

This section provides logistics information useful to the speakers at the ASPET Annual Meeting. If you are looking for information about our speakers and sessions, visit the Program page. 

Travel Reimbursement Guidelines

Thank you for giving a talk at the ASPET Annual Meeting! Your contributions to the field are invaluable. Our travel reimbursement policies reflect ASPET’s not-for-profit tax status and mission. We are aware that they may not fully cover all your travel expenses. Recipients are expected to play an active role in ASPET and we are providing travel funds to help offset, but not necessarily fully cover, the cost of travel. You are responsible for any expenses incurred beyond the limit that has been provided to you and for non-reimbursable items. If you do not incur expenses up to the limit provided, funds may not be carried over or used for other purposes.

Parameters to be Eligible for Complimentary Registration

WHO: ASPET will pay for a full-conference registration badge for all symposium chairs, invited speakers, abstract-based speakers in symposia, panel moderators, and award lecturers.

HOW: ASPET will submit the registration paperwork for you and you will receive an email confirmation in February. If you have already registered, ASPET will reimburse after the meeting but only up to the registration rate at the early bird discounted pricing level. 

Parameters to be Eligible for Travel Reimbursement

Invited speakers must be scheduled to give a talk of at least 20 minutes to be eligible for travel funds. If a speaker is also moderating a panel or serving as a discussion group facilitator, the time for this activity may be included. Question and answer time does not count in the 20 minutes.

Abstract-based speakers who are undergraduates, graduate students, or postdocs are eligible for travel funds regardless of the length of their talk.

Chairs and co-chairs who are not giving a talk of at least 20 minutes, are not eligible for travel funds.

Limits to Travel Reimbursements

The session chair decides how much travel reimbursement each speaker will be offered based on policies set by the ASPET Council. 

Each symposium is allocated up to $3000 for speaker travel reimbursements and/or any non-standard audio visual equipment needed for the presentations. The symposium chairs decide how the funds are allocated with the following limits. 

  • Chairs may allocate only up to $500 for travel reimbursement to speakers from North America. 
  • Chairs may allocate only up to $1000 for travel reimbursement for overseas speakers. 
  • Chairs may allocate only up to $100 for travel reimbursement to local speakers. 

How to Apply for Reimbursement

Use the Speaker Reimbursement form sent to you from ASPET. Do not type over prior year’s reimbursement form.

Scan your receipts and email them with your reimbursement form to meetings@aspet.org (save original receipts until your reimbursement check arrives in case we have any questions) or you can mail your form and receipts to us at: ASPET, 9650 Rockville Pike, Suite E220, Bethesda, MD 20814. Do not mail forms to this address after July 1, 2018; after July 1, contact ASPET for our new mailing address.

Reimbursement requests MUST be received no later than 90 days following the end of the meeting or we may be unable to honor them. Checks will be issued within four weeks of receiving a Speaker Reimbursement Request form and the required receipts. 

What Travel Expenses Can Be Reimbursed?

Speakers who have been approved for travel reimbursement at EB should consult the ASPET travel reimbursement guidelines prior to incurring expenses for a list of what is and is not reimbursable. Receipts are required for all claimed expenses.

Refer to your correspondence with ASPET staff for your maximum reimbursement amount.

Oral Presentation Instructions

Speaker Practice Room

All speakers should check your presentations in the Speaker Practice Room at least 4 hours in advance of your session to verify that your content is presentable on the PC laptop that will be provided.  This is to prevent delays to your session.

Take your presentation to your session room at least 30 minutes prior to the session start time to work with the in-room audio visual technician to load your slides onto the laptop in your session room.  There is no central presentation server system for EB.

Speaker Practice Room Location:  
San Diego Convention Center (Room 21 and Room 12)
Subject to change, check final program to confirm location.

Speaker Practice Room Hours:  
Saturday – Tuesday, 7:00 am – 5:00 pm
Wednesday, 7:00 am – 3:00 pm 

Preparing Your Presentation

All EB session rooms will be equipped with a DLP data projector and PC laptop computer as well as a podium microphone, a headtable microphone and an aisle microphone. 

  • Bring your presentation on a Windows readable USB flash drive.
  • When building your presentation, use standard fonts (e.g., Times Roman, Helvetica, Arial, New Times Roman), If you are using a font that is not standard it should be embedded into your PowerPoint presentation.
  • Include in the same folder as your presentation, any external files utilized, e.g. movie/video files. Copy the entire folder to the USB flash drive. 
  • Test your presentation on a separate PC compatible computer to insure fonts are standard and components such as movies/videos are included rather than merely linked in your presentation. 
  • The computers in the session room and speaker practice room will support PC and Mac presentations. 

The operating system on the session room PCs will be Windows 10, and software will include: Microsoft Office 2016, Adobe Acrobat Reader 11, QuickTime, Windows Media Player, and Flash Player.

We recommend that you bring a backup of your presentation on an alternate storage medium to cover the possibility of luggage loss, theft, and/or incompatibility. 

Laptops

You do not need to bring your own laptop to the meeting room.

However, if you prefer to use your own laptop or other presentation device, it can be accommodated under the following circumstances. 

  • Your laptop/device must have either mini-display port or a mini-hdmi output to connect to the cabling provided that runs to the data projector in the session rooms. Some laptops have a special interface cable that attaches to the output of their laptop to hook to external switchers, monitors and data projectors. If your laptop requires a different type of adaptor other than the mini-display port or mini-hdmi provided to connect to the Male DVI-D cabling that runs to each projector you will be required to bring your own as these adaptors will NOT BE PROVIDED.
  • Set the output resolution to XGA (1024x768).

Session rooms do not have Internet access. If your presentation requires an internet connection, please check with ASPET prior to February 1 for approval of the additional expense.

Frequently Asked Questions

When will I know if my abstract has been accepted for presentation for an oral symposium slot or a poster presentation?
Acceptance letters will be emailed by February 16, 2018 to the first author.

Who are the other speakers and topics at my symposium?
See the Program.

What day/time is my symposium being held?
Please check for an email from ASPET with the subject line “ASPET Speaker Logistics at EB 2018.” Or search the full program.

Will there be a room in San Diego for speakers to practice their presentations?
The Speaker Practice Room is located in the San Diego Convention Center (room TBD) It will be open from Saturday through Wednesday from 7:00 am to 6:00 pm.

What audio visual equipment will be in my session room?
All session rooms will be equipped with a DLP data projector, screen, and PC laptop computer, speaker timer, laser pointer as well as a podium microphone, a headtable microphone, and an aisle microphone. An AV technician will be in all session rooms. If additional audio visual equipment is needed, please contact both your symposium chair who will need to approve and re-allocate the session budget and ASPET (meetings@aspet.org) who will get the item ordered.

Will there be internet access in the session rooms?
The San Diego Convention Center only offers complimentary wifi on its ground level lobby. It will not be available in the ASPET session rooms.

Do I need to turn in my presentation in advance to ASPET or an audio visual technician?
Please come to your session room at least a half-hour prior to your session start time to work with the in-room audio visual technician to load your presentation directly to the laptop in the session room. You do not need to send your slides to ASPET.

Can I bring my own laptop?
You do not need to bring your own laptop, but if you prefer to, please refer to the Oral Presentation Instructions above in regard to cables you’ll also need to bring. Please alert your symposium chair if you are bringing your own laptop so they can redo the timing of the talks to allow time to switch computers in the middle of the session.

Do I need to submit an abstract?
You do not need to submit an abstract related to your invited talk. However, if you have different research to present, you are welcome to submit an abstract for consideration for a poster presentation.

Do I need to registration for Experimental Biology?
If you are an invited symposium speaker, you do not need to register for Experimental Biology. ASPET will handle completing the forms for all invited speakers and will pay EB directly for your registration fees. You will receive a registration confirmation from EB in February.  If you are an abstract-based speaker, please check your confirmation letter for clarification on how registration is being handled or contact ASPET at meetings@aspet.org. 

I’m interested in a session offered by another society at Experimental Biology. Can I attend?
Your badge for Experimental Biology gains you access to all of the 5 participating societies sessions. Download the EB 2018 mobile app for a listing of all events at EB.

How are my travel expenses handled?
Please refer to the Speaker Guidelines for ASPET Travel Reimbursement.

What travel expenses are reimbursable?
Please refer to the Speaker Guidelines for ASPET Travel Reimbursement.

What if my travel expenses are estimated to be more than I’ve been allotted?
Our travel reimbursement policies reflect ASPET’s not-for-profit tax status and mission. We are aware that they may not fully cover all your travel expenses. Our intention is to defray your costs to assist with your obtaining approval to participate from your employers.

What if I am a government employee and am prohibited from accepting travel reimbursements?
Please contact ASPET prior to January 5, 2018 at meetings@aspet.org to discuss alternatives.

Will ASPET reserve a hotel room for me?
You will need to make your own hotel reservations!  EB has arranged discounts on hotel rooms at a variety of hotels.  We encourage you to make your reservations as soon as possible to secure your preferred hotel.

Will ASPET book my flight for me?
You will need to book your own flight. To stretch your reimbursement dollars, ASPET has arranged for discounts on some of the major air carriers into San Diego.   More info on airlines discounts can be found on the travel information page. Please note, airfare reimbursements are based on making non-refundable, coach airfare reservations at least two weeks in advance and do not include change fees.

How do I claim my travel reimbursement?
In March ASPET will provide each speaker who is allotted travel reimbursement monies a Travel Reimbursement Form. After the meeting, you should complete the form detailing your expenses and attaching your receipts. ASPET will cut a check to you after the meeting to reimburse for travel expenses up to the amount the chair has allotted.

Where can I find more information about the other activities at Experimental Biology?
On the Experimental Biology website.

How else can I help make this a successful meeting?
Tell your friends and colleagues in the field about your participation at the ASPET Annual Meeting at Experimental Biology. Share the news via email, on social media, on department bulletin boards, and in conversations. Encourage them all to attend.

Last Updated: August 28, 2018
Important Dates
December 7

Abstract Submissions due – no extensions permitted

February 27

Early Registration discounts end

February 27

Late-Breaking Abstract Submissions due – no extensions permitted

March 28

Discounted Hotel Rate Deadline

April 5

Advanced Registration discount ends

April 21-25

ASPET Annual Meeting at EB 2018