Call for Abstracts

Deadline for Abstracts is September 11, 2015.
Submit your abstracts to Bianca Espinos at bgespinos@pmmsn.org.

Status Statement of a PMMSN Chapter

Status Statements are from a representative of each regional/provincial/city/municipality chapter attending the symposium. Statements should characterize stranding events and response organization of the chapter.

Statements should include the following items:

1. Status of network (e.g. functional or non-functional; with Ordinance?)
2. Number of members
3. Meeting schedule (number of times per year)
4. Number of strandings to date, species, gender (ratio); alive-dead ratio
5. Issues and problems (e.g. rescue training, resources, local support, decision making, rehabilitation facility, etc.)

Oral and Poster Presentations

 We are now inviting Abstracts for oral or poster presentations that are relevant to the following themes:

1. Live Strandings and First Responders. Topics that include but are not limited to: techniques, media-related issues, case studies.

2. Veterinary Medical Issues. Topics that include but are not limited to: collection/sampling methods, training, role of vets in decision making, carcass disposal.

3. Marine Mammals as Sentinels of Ocean Health. Topics that include but are not limited to: database, related scientific studies/research, marine debris.

4. Government and Regulatory Issues, and IEC. Topics that include but are not limited to: protocols, decision making and IEC.

5. Rehabilitation of Stranded Marine Mammals. Topics that include but are not limited to: facilities, release protocols, case studies.

Guidelines for Abstracts:

Abstracts should be no more than 300 words, must be written in English and should be formatted according to the following Guidelines:

Please include the following information:

• Title of Work (please specify if oral presentation or poster)
• Name of authors and presenter
• Institution / Affiliation
• Position / Title
• Contact information (please include e-mail)
• List of 3 to 5 keywords

Oral Presentations:

Authors will be allowed 15 minutes for a presentation with 3 minutes of Q & A immediately following.

Poster Presentations:

Posters will be on display throughout the conference with a scheduled Q & A session to be determined. Poster size should be 3 feet wide by 4 feet tall.

Author’s Guide

Author’s Guide to Abstracts for Oral and Poster Presentations

• Abstracts must be in Word format (.doc or .docx) on A4-size paper.
• Text should be double-spaced and 12-point size Times New Roman font.
• The title should be brief and give an accurate description of the content of the presentation.
• For multiple authorships, the presenting author’s name should be written in Bold. Use superscripts to indicate different affiliations of authors.
• For the author’s information, indicate the institution/s where the author is currently affiliated. Include an email address where the author wishes to receive correspondence.
• The abstract text should be limited to 300 words and must contain the objectives of the study, concise description of the methodology, and summary of important results.
• Three to five keywords must be listed after the abstract text.

 Guidelines for Presentations

Status Statement Format

• Each presenter is given 15 minutes for the presentation and another 5 minutes for question and answer. The moderator will ensure the timeliness of each presentation.
• The session hall will be equipped with a designated laptop PC installed with Microsoft Windows and Microsoft Windows 2007. Macintosh presentations should be formatted accordingly.
• Please bring your presentation file upon registration on or before October 5, 2015, or e-mail it to Bianca Espinos at bgespinos@pmmsn.org. All presentations must be saved on the laptop prior to the session date and time.

Oral Presentation Format

• Please refer to the program for your oral session date and time.
• Each author is given 15 minutes for the presentation proper and another 3 minutes for question and answer. The moderator will ensure the timeliness of each presentation.
• The session hall will be equipped with a designated laptop PC installed with Microsoft Windows and Microsoft Windows 2007. Macintosh presentations should be formatted accordingly.
• Please bring your presentation file upon registration on or before October 5, 2015, or e-mail it to Bianca Espinos at bgespinos@pmmsn.org.

Poster Presentation Format

• The poster size should be approximately 3 feet wide and 4 feet tall.
• Include title and the names of the authors in large type. Text should be large enough to be legible from a distance of 3-4 feet (about 20 point font or 0.3 inches tall).
• Ensure clarity and good resolution of your images and figures.
• Keep the poster simple and easy to read.
• Sections in the poster should include: Abstract, Materials and Methods, Results and Discussion/ Conclusions, Bibliography/References if applicable (AMS Citation format).