Thank you for your interest in presenting at the Utah Lake Symposium. Unlike a typical scientific conference, this symposium is aimed towards the public and policymakers. Because Utah Lake is a complex socioecological system, we invite contributions on any subject pertaining to the Lake, including science, management, policy, community, art, and law. We are particularly interested in work that connects community members with information or service opportunities or provides context about the past, present, or future of Utah Lake. If you are interested or willing to serve on the planning committee, please contact Ben Abbott (benabbott@byu.edu).

Theme of the symposium:

The Utah Lake Symposium aims to bring sound scientific and cultural information about Utah Lake to the people of Utah Valley. Consequently, the symposium is organized around several broad questions:

1. What was Utah Lake like 200 years ago?
2. What is the cultural importance of Utah Lake?
3. What is the current ecological status of Utah Lake?
4. What restoration and monitoring work is currently being done?
5. What are the major challenges and threats facing Utah Lake?
6. What are our policy and governance options to ensure a vibrant and healthy ecosystem in the future?

We will organize the plenary sessions and the pre-recorded content around these questions. Whatever type of presentation you choose, please consider addressing one or more of these questions.

Types of presentations:

There are three main presentation formats available to you at the symposium (select all that apply when you submit your application):

1. Pre-recorded talk (5 to 15 minutes) that will be posted on the website prior to the symposium.
2. Poster presentation that will be displayed during the live event and posted on the website.
3. Lightning talk (<3 minutes) that will be given during the live event providing a brief overview of a pre-recorded talk or poster presentation.

Presentation review and ethics:

We are committed to sharing high-quality and independent research on Utah Lake. Consequently, the planning committee will review all applications and submissions prior to posting them on the website or allowing them at the live event. Presentations with substantial conflicts of interest (e.g., for-profit proposals, political campaigning, sales pitches, etc.) will not be allowed.

After the submission deadline (info below), contributions that pass committee review will be organized by theme and posted on the website. The planning committee may invite speakers who have contributed talks or posters to give a plenary talk (10-15 minutes) during the live event or participate in the panel discussion.

Signing up for a presentation:

If you are interested in participating in the symposium, we invite you to fill out the following form as soon as possible but no later than Wednesday July 28th: Sign up for a poster or talk (same as the button at the top of the page). Please note that you do not need to have a finalized presentation to fill out the form. Simply fill out as much information as you can (e.g., your name, affiliation, contact information, desired presentation format, and draft title), so we can set the symposium lineup and schedule.

Instructions for recording and uploading your presentation:

All pre-recorded talks and posters are due on Monday August 2nd. We can be very flexible with the virtual content, but here are a few guidelines:

• Remember that our audience is the public and policymakers. Keep all presentations evidence-based and accessible.
• The more engaging and fun, the better. We are trying to convey information and build relationships, so be yourself.
• For pre-recorded talks:
  
  • Talks should typically be less than 15 minutes (5-10 minutes is probably best).
  • You can use whatever software and equipment you prefer to record your presentation. Zoom is a free option that allows you to record from a webcam and a slideshow on your computer.
  • If you prefer a less formal presentation, you could also just set up a tripod or video yourself selfie style.
  • When you have recorded your presentation, submit the file through the simple form at the bottom of this page. We will upload all talks to the symposium YouTube Channel and embed them in the website.
• For posters:
  
  • There is not a size constraint on posters (they can be as small or large as desired), but we currently are planning on easels, so keep that in mind (more details as we get closer to the date).
  • Remember that posters are mainly useful as an excuse to have conversations. An uncluttered poster with little text is usually more effective.
  • Digital versions of the posters will be posted to the website prior to the symposium.
  • You can also submit a pre-recorded talk or tour of your poster topic following the talk instructions above.
  • If you do not wish to print your poster, we can still post the digital version.