Arizona-Nevada Academy of Science

56TH ANNUAL MEETING OF THE
ARIZONA-NEVADA ACADEMY OF SCIENCE

GLENDALE COMMUNITY COLLEGE
GLENDALE, AZ
APRIL 14, 2012

ABBREVIATED SCHEDULE OF SESSIONS AND POSTERS

Meeting Locations/Relevant GCC Campus Maps:

ATTENTION ALL MEMBERS: We urge your attendance and presentation of research results at the forthcoming Annual Meeting. Sessions are planned for the following disciplines: Biology/Biotechnology, Geography, Geology, Hydrology, Mathematics, and Psychology. In addition, results in any of these fields may be presented in poster format. For additional information on posters, click here. The meeting is open to all persons, every author (talks or posters) must submit an abstract by the posted deadline. We solicit your help in calling this to the attention of your colleagues and your students who are not members but are interested in attending and presenting papers.

INSTRUCTIONS TO AUTHORS

1. Title and Abstracts:

    A title and abstract must be submitted for each paper or poster to be presented at the meeting. Abstracts will be published in the Proceedings issue of the Journal of the Arizona-Nevada of Science exactly in the form and condition submitted by the author. Please read the following instructions carefully before preparing your abstracts. Refer to the attached Sample Abstract for the proper format.

    General Requirements:

    1. Type the abstract, single spaced, using a size 12 font (Times New Roman or equivalent)
    2. Use a recent version of MS Word to prepare file copies.
    3. One electronic file of the abstract must be sent with registration fees on or before March 26 . See the various options under "6" below.
    4. Label each e-mail attachment with:
        Title of Abstract(s)
        Author(s)

    Format Specifications for the Abstracts.
    (see example below [click here])

    1. Titles. Use a short, concise title that indicates the content of the abstract. Capitalize all letters of the title.
    2. Double space between title and author's name and between author's name and the body of the abstract.
    3. Authors and Institutions. Capitalize only the first letter of the author's names. If the paper is of joint authorship, underline the name of the author who will make the presentation. Each author should be listed by institution, city and state. Do NOT include department, division, professional titles, etc.

2. Deadlines:

    March 26, 2012
      Complete abstracts (emailed file) and required registration fees must be submitted in time to reach the appropriate session chairperson NO LATER than March 26, 2012. The session chairperson will forward the abstracts to the Proceedings Editor.

    April 2, 2012
      Session schedules, abstracts, and other materials must be sent by the session chairpersons to arrive at the address of the Proceedings Editor before this date.

    April 14, 2012
      Annual Meeting at: Glendale Community College

3. Notification of Acceptance:

Provide an e-mail address where you may be contacted to the Session Chair so that they may notify you of acceptance of your paper and the time of your presentation.

4. Length of Platform Presentation:

Expect to be limited to the time of presentation stated. In general, a maximum of 15 minutes will be allowed for oral presentations; any longer time must be arranged in advance with the Session Chairperson.

5. Technology Available:

Each room is equipped with an internet connected computer (equipped with USB port for flash drive connection) with projection system. It is also possible to plug in your own laptop.

6. Registration Fee:

Authors are required to submit with their abstracts a REGISTRATION FEE of $15 for students members, $20 for student non members, $35 for members, or $45 for non members. These registration fees include lunch at the Annual Business Luncheon.

When you email your abstract to the session chair, indicate whether you are mailing a check for your registration fees or registering by PayPal. Abstracts submitted without the registration fee will be rejected!

For papers with more than one author, THE PRESENTER should submit the appropriate registration fee. Co-authors planning to attend the meeting should register separately using the registration options provided below. For paper-mail payments, make checks payable to the Arizona-Nevada Academy of Science (ANAS). If fees for more than one presenter are included in a single check, please indicate on the check exactly who the fees are for.

   Pre-Registration Forms:

7. Additional Information:

Questions concerning the Annual Meeting and submission of papers may be directed to: 

-  The designated session chair: http://www.arizonanevadaacadaemyofscience.org/secchair1.html
or
-  Karen Conzelman, Meeting Organizer:  karen.ann.conzelman@gcmail.maricopa.edu  

Click here for other general meeting information


SAMPLE ABSTRACT

THE VARIABILITY OF SOIL MOISTURE UNDER DESERT VEGETATION

Theodore Sammis (New Mexico State University, Las Cruces, New Mexico)

     Soil water content was measured every two weeks during 1975-1976 using a neutron probe at selected locations around the desert plant species of creosote (Larrea divaricata), bursage (Ambrosia deltoidea), and in open space. The purpose of the measurements was to estimate the evapotranspiration rate of the desert plants by measuring changes in soil moisture. The sampling problem associated with measuring soil moisture using neutron access tubes is the number, location, and installation depth of the tubes. Analysis of variance of the total soil moisture beneath the creosote plant showed a greater variability between tubes of different plants the same distance from the crown of the plant than between tubes located around the same plant. Because of the size of the bursage plant, the variety in total soil moisture beneath the plant was greater among tubes around the same plant than between tubes at the same location at different plants.


For a blank abstract form click here.


BEST STUDENT PAPER/POSTER AWARDS


Four award winners will be selected from among the student presenters who choose to enter the competition. One or two awards will be given for Best Student Poster(s). Best Student Paper Award winners will be named in up to three areas (Life Science, Physical Science and Social Science) for platform presentations. All awards are $50.

Students selected in previous years are excluded from receiving the award in the same category (Poster or Paper) a second time. However, students are encouraged to present their work in the other format and will be considered for a second award under those conditions.
 

Scoring rubrics to be used in judging each may be downloaded here:
Rubric Best Student Paper                       Rubric Best Student Poster
 

Undergraduate or gradate students wishing to participate in the Best Student Paper competition must follow all the directions above for "Instructions to Authors" as well as meet the requirements below:

  1. Place an asterisk (*) at the beginning of the title of the abstract.
  2. Abstracts to be considered for this award may be co-authored by the student and their major professor. The student MUST, however, be listed as the first author, and their name underlined to indicate they are the presenter.
  3. Entrants not meeting ALL of these requirements will be not be considered for the award.



POSTER SESSIONS

We will have poster sessions at the Annual Meeting. Abstracts for poster sessions need to be submitted to Dr. Pamela Marshall, Poster Session Chair (see bottom of page) and need to follow the guidelines for abstracts. The guidelines for the posters listed below are based on the AAAS guidelines.

The Poster

A good poster is uncluttered and clear in design. It has legible text and logical organization. The main tenet of a good poster design is simplification. Use a crisp, clean design and a strong title. Do not tell the entire research history; present only enough data to support your conclusions and show the originality of the work. The text material should be reduced to convey your points quickly and clearly. The most successful posters display a succinct statement of major conclusions at the beginning, followed by supporting text in later segments, and a brief summary at the end.

Design Suggestions

Allow ample time, at least several weeks, to prepare your posters.

All lettering should be legible from about 5 feet (1.5 m) away.

    Text material should be approximately 24 points (¼" , 0.625 cm).

Easels and tables will be available for those with posters mounted on poster board or foam-core boards. Rolled posters will be taped up. Wall space is limited so please economize on your poster size and your use of the available space. (Don't be a "display hog.")

Be sure to pack whatever you need to display your poster (e.g., tape). All mounting material must be removed when you take your poster down.

All posters should feature a title, your name, the name of the institution where the research was performed, and should credit persons who have helped you with your research.



Guidelines for Poster Preparation and Presentation

Preparation

  1. The top of the board should consist of an easy-to-read title that includes the author(s) name(s). The title lettering should be about 2" to 3" (5 cm to 7.5 cm) with subheadings 1/2" to 1" high (1.25 cm to 2.5 cm).
  2. All lettering should be legible from 5 feet (1.5m) away. The minimum type size for text should be no less than 18 points, but 24 points (1/4", 0.625 cm) is preferable.
  3. The component parts should be organized in a way that leads the viewer through the display.
  4. Leave some open space in the design.
  5. Use elements of different size and proportions. Convert tabular material to graphic display, if possible.
  6. A larger and /or bright center of interest can draw the eye to the most important aspect of the poster. Use color to add emphasis and clarity.
  7. Make illustrations simple and bold. Enlarge photos to show pertinent details clearly.
  8. Displayed materials should be self-explanatory, freeing you for discussion.
  9. No demonstration experiments or three-dimensional displays (other than tri-fold poster boards) are allowed in a poster session.

Presentation

  1. Tape will be available in the poster area on a first-come, first serve basis. We recommend that you bring your own to ensure availability. All mounting material must be removable without marring the surface and must be removed when you take your poster down.
  2. All posters must be set up in the time allotted before the session, and must remain up until the session ends. All posters must be taken down at the conclusion of the poster session so that the room can be set up for the luncheon. Do not leave any materials, tape, trash, etc. in your poster area.
  3. During the time your work is displayed, you must be present by your poster to discuss your paper.
Send Abstract forms to the Poster Session Chair. Click here for abstract instructions, or here for a blank abstract and registration form.

Click here for other general meeting information