Call for Presentations

Call for Presentations flyer  
CALL FOR PRESENTATIONS DEADLINE IS EXTENDED TO SEPT. 7, 2012

Dear Potential Speakers:

We invite you to submit an abstract to present at 8^th annual Seminars On Sustainability, SOS2012 Sustainable Urbanism, at Lawrence Technological University on Friday-Saturday, October 5-6, 2012. 

SOS2012 is a conference investigating sustainable solutions to the problems of the 21^st century shrinking city.  The conference location, Southfield, borders Detroit, which could be considered the poster child of the nation’s shrinking cities. Problems abound, but on the positive side, Detroit was one of only two American cities ranked in a list of 10 emerging sustainable cities to watch in 2012 by GreenGoPost.com founder and editor, Leon Kay. This city is situated in the heart of the Great Lakes region containing 90 percent of the United States’ fresh water and one fifth of the fresh water in the world.  It encompasses an exceptionally large land area with around 40 areas now cleared of buildings and beginning to be farmed. Unemployed workers and manufacturing infrastructure sit idle waiting for ingenious transformation with sustainable energy supply to jump start a sustainable economy.

Come and be a part of the solution for Detroit and other shrinking cities as we explore: net zero energy facility design and operation; ways to adaptively reuse materials; benefits of using materials with low embodied energy; preservation of our wonderful water resources; urban farming; sustainable infrastructure solutions; and ways to design for the extreme conditions created by climate change, flooding, earthquakes and tornados. The SOS2012 Conference organizers propose that the optimal solutions to shrinking city challenges lie in applying sustainability principles and carefully crafted planning in the interest of people, prosperity and the planet.  We are especially interested in hearing about your case studies and creative solutions.

To submit a proposed abstract, simply go to the conference web site and fill in the online Speaker’s Form with your contact information, bio, presentation title and other abstract-related data.

In preparation for your potential lecture presentation, the remainder of this communication shares some information about what to expect should your abstract be accepted.

Lawrence Tech is an AIA/CES Registered Provider which permits us to give continuing education credits to architects, engineers and others who require them.  As such, we are required to follow a specified format at the beginning and end of a lecture and follow a few rules of engagement as well.  They are not at all onerous but require your assistance. 

To qualify for AIA/CES credit, your presentation is required to be a minimum of 60 minutes of which 50 minutes can be presentation and 10 minutes can be Q&A.  There are three quality control slides to add to your presentation, two are at the front end and one at the end.  An attachment of the slides can be downloaded from the conference web page and personalized with four objectives for your audience to achieve.  Kindly read and plan to conform to the AIA/CES Guidelines, also found on the conference web page.

If your abstract is approved, you will be asked to submit the following within a week of approval:

1. Digital Personal Photo (color or black and white)
2. Signed AIA/CES Quality Commitment form
3. Signed 2012 Waiver Release Form (for audio/video/general media release)

A copy of your PowerPoint presentation must be submitted by September 28, 2012 (extended to September 7, 2012) for commercialism review. Minor changes may be made to the presentation up to two hours prior to your scheduled speaking session. 

Upon arrival at the conference, you will need to check in at registration where you will be given a Speaker’s Packet and directions to the SOS2012 Speaker Lounge. A laptop and data projector will be available for your use and a session chair and session monitor will assist you with any concerns. Kindly bring a backup copy of your PowerPoint presentation on a flash drive on the day of the conference.  If you have made changes to the presentation which you submitted earlier, you will be asked to review your presentation with the session chair prior to presenting on the morning of the event due to restrictions on commercialism.

Traditionally, a number of local professional societies, non-profit groups, government groups, utilities, manufacturer representatives and others have contributed sponsorship to SOS conferences.  The Green Expo vendor area offers opportunities to connect attendees and speakers with these groups.  Please encourage your contacts to either become endorsing or financial sponsors, and to consider exhibiting. More information on sponsorship and the Green Expo can be found in the SPONSORSHIP section of the conference web page.

We look forward to reading your abstract and, hopefully, having the honor of your presence at SOS2012. It should prove to be a rewarding experience for all.

Sustainably Yours,

Janice Means, PE, LEED AP
SOS2012 Conference Chair
Associate Professor
College of Architecture and Design
jmeans@ltu.edu