Oklahoma EPSCoR Annual State Conference

Tuesday, April 10, 2012 - 8:30am - 4:30pm

Researchers from across the state will gather to highlight Oklahoma’s bioenergy research efforts during the OK EPSCoR Annual State Conference on Tuesday, April 10, 2012. The event will be held at the Wes Watkins Conference Center on the Oklahoma State University campus in Stillwater. The event agenda may be accessed here; updated information will be added to this site as it becomes available.
View videos from the conference on YouTube.

Scheduled Speakers:

Kelvin Droegemeier, Vice President for Research, University of Oklahoma
Presentation: "Thoughts about Bioenergy Research Programs and Opportunities: View from a Vice President for Research"
Chad Haynes, Science and Engineering Technology Advisor, DOE ARPA-E
Presentation: "The Advanced Research Projects Agency--Energy: A New Paradigm in Transformational Energy Research"
Matthew Langholtz, Natural Resource Economist, Oak Ridge National Laboratory
Presentation: “Overview of the U.S. Billion-ton Update"
Uma D. Venkateswaran, Program Director, NSF EPSCoR
Presentation: "Updates and Opportunities at the National Science Foundation"
Phil Weathers, Director of Operations, RenTech, Inc.
Presentation: "From Research to Demonstration--The Rentech BioEnergy Center of Excellence"
Panel Session
Topic: "Bioenergy Sustainability in Oklahoma and the Nation"
Moderated by: Ray Huhnke, Professor, Biosystems and Agricultural Engineering, Oklahoma State University and OK EPSCoR Co-PI.

Conference attendees will participate in a networking luncheon, where Kelvin Droegemeier, University of Oklahoma Vice President for Research, and Uma D. Venkateswaran, National Science Foundation (NSF) EPSCoR program director, will share information about NSF energy research directions and funding opportunities.

An afternoon panel session will engage audience members in a discussion of bioenergy sustainability in Oklahoma and the nation, led by speakers from throughout the day.

A scientific poster session and hybrid poster/oral presentation competition will also spotlight research progress in the alternative energy field. More than 40 research posters are expected to be on display at the conference. The scientific poster session is open to all participants. However, the hybrid poster/oral presentation competition is open to undergraduate and graduate students only. The student poster competition will be moderated by Lance Lobban, OK EPSCoR Co-PI, and Academic Director & Professor, School of Chemical, Biological and Materials Engineering, University of Oklahoma.

Please note: The scientific poster session is open to all participants. However, the hybrid poster/oral presentation competition is open to undergraduate and graduate students only. Detailed poster and competition registration information may be found below.

Bioenergy investigators from Oklahoma and nearby states, EPSCoR external advisory board members and program officers from federal granting agencies are invited to attend the event, which is hosted by Oklahoma EPSCoR, Oklahoma State Regents for Higher Education, and the National Science Foundation.

There is no cost to attend, but registration is required. Registration for the event is is now open via the link at the bottom of this page. Online registration closes March 28, 2012.

Conference Location

Wes Watkins Conference Center
810 W. Hall of Fame Blvd. (Corner of Hall of Fame Blvd. & Washington St.)
Stillwater, OK 74078
Driving directions

Conference Parking Information

Parking passes will be mailed to attendees who register for the event prior to March 20^th. Individuals who register after that date may pick up their required parking permit at the registration desk the day of the event.
Access the parking map

Deadline for poster registration and abstract submission: March 28, 2012

All conference attendees are invited to submit abstracts and participate in a scientific poster session during the conference. The deadline for abstract submission is March 25, 2012. Walk-ins will be accommodated if space allows, on a first-come first-served basis.

Access the Poster Session Abstract Form HERE
Important: Based on your computer's security settings, a warning may appear when you open the abstract submission form file. If this occurs, you must open the warning and click the "enable macros" button to activate all form fields of the document. Macros must be enabled for the form to work properly.

Abstract Preparation Guidelines

Microsoft Word files only (.doc or .docx)
Abstracts will not be edited for content. Authors should double-check for typographical or grammatical errors prior to submitting.
300 words maximum
1” margins (top/right/left/bottom)
Arial 12 pt font
Set line spacing at 1.5 for all text
Align left and justify all text
Title in bold/all caps
List all authors’ names and affiliations under title (double space between title and authors); underline the name of the primary poster presenter.
Save the file name as LastName_FirstName.doc (i.e. If your name is John Smith, the file name will be “Smith_John.doc”)

Poster Information

40” wide X 36” tall (larger posters not accepted)
Presenters should bring their own attachment materials (velcro, tacks, etc.)

Abstract Submission & Registration Instructions

The deadline for submitting abstracts, abstract forms and completing online registration is March 28, 2012.

Complete the abstract submission form. Be sure to indicate your research category and your intent to participate/not participate in the student hybrid oral/poster competition.
Carefully review the abstract preparation guidelines, which are outlined above and on the form.
Submit your completed abstract submission form, along with your abstract, to gmiller@okepscor.org. (Both documents must be in MS Word format and per instructions above.)
Register for the conference online prior to the March 28 deadline via the link at the bottom of this page.

IMPORTANT! YOU MUST REGISTER FOR THE CONFERENCE ONLINE VIA THE LINK BELOW IN ADDITION TO SUBMITTING YOUR ABSTRACT SUBMISSION FORM AND ABSTRACT VIA EMAIL.

Access detailed student hybrid poster/oral competition rules and guidelines HERE
Note: The student competition registration is now closed.

Undergraduate and graduate students who are performing research that is funded under the current OK EPSCoR RII award are invited to participate in a hybrid poster/oral presentation competition that will be held during the OK EPSCoR Annual State Conference on April 10, 2012, at the Wes Watkins Center in Stillwater.

The competition is divided into three categories, based on the OK EPSCoR RII Award’s bioenergy research focus areas: (1) feedstock development, (2) microbial conversion and (3) chemical conversion. A maximum of 15 students will be accepted for each category. (Special note: Conference organizers reserve the right to combine the three categories into a singular competition if there are an inadequate number of participants to warrant judging the three categories separately.)

The competition will begin at 10:30 a.m. on April 10th with oral presentations. Each participant will be given a maximum of three minutes to provide a clear and engaging overview of their poster to the conference audience. The 3-minute presentation should be supported by a maximum of five PowerPoint slides. A PowerPoint template, which must be followed explicitly, will be provided to participants via email after they have submitted their abstracts and abstract forms to Gina Miller at gmiller@okepscor.org. All participants must use the provided template and are not to exceed the 5-slide limit; photos and still graphics are allowed, but animation is not. Any variance from these guidelines will disqualify the participant. Access detailed rules and instructions.

The final aspect of the competition is a judged, scientific poster session. Maximum poster dimensions: 40” wide x 36” tall. Larger posters will not be accepted.

First and second place winners will be awarded distinguished plaques. First place winners will receive travel funding to attend a national conference of their choosing. (Final approval for conference selection will be made by EPSCoR.) Students must participate in both the oral presentation and poster session to qualify for an award.

Student Competition Registration/Participation Steps

Detailed student competition rules and guidelines may be accessed HERE.

Access the abstract submission form HERE. Fill the form out completely. Be sure to indicate your research category and your commitment to participate in the competition on your form.
Submit your completed abstract submission form, along with your abstract that has been prepared per the established guidelines, to gmiller@okepscor.org in MS Word format prior to the March 25th deadline.
After submitting both your abstract and abstract submission form, you will receive (via email from Gina Miller) the required oral presentation slide template. The template will be emailed to you within 42 hours if your files are submitted Monday-Thursday. Friday and weekend submissions will receive the file on the following Monday. Students should be aware of these template delivery guidelines when budgeting their time to meet the March 25 submission deadline. Contact gmiller@okepscor.org if you have not received the file within the time noted above.
Register for the conference online via the link below by March 25.
IMPORTANT! YOU MUST REGISTER FOR THE CONFERENCE ONLINE IN ADDITION TO SUBMITTING YOUR ABSTRACT AND POSTER SESSION FORM VIA EMAIL.
Submit your presentation slides, per the rules and provided template, to Gina Miller at gmiller@okepscor.org no later than March 25. (Late submissions or presentations outside of the approved template and slide count will not be accepted.)

Designated Conference Hotel

Atherton Hotel at Oklahoma State University
H103 Student Union, Stillwater, OK 74078
(Located near the corner of University Boulevard and Hester Street)

The designated conference hotel is the Atherton Hotel at Oklahoma State University. The Atherton is located inside the OSU Student Union. Reservations may be made by calling the hotel directly at 405.744.6835 and requesting a room within the EPSCoR rooming block for a guaranteed rate of $89/night. Rooms will be available at this rate until March 16th or when the room block has been filled.

Hotel Deadline: March 16, 2012
Hotel Reservations: Call 405.744.6835
Hotel Driving directions

For more information about this conference, contact Gina Miller, outreach coordinator, at gmiller@okepscor.org or 405.744.7645.

Travel reimbursements for invited speakers and EAB members may be made by contacting Pat Greer, EPSCoR administrative assistant, at pgreer@okepscor.org or 405.744.9964.