▼ Session Discussions: Format and Criteria

Talks are short, and are used to evoke conversation. Having participants from various backgrounds and disciplines sharing the same platform, allows for discussions and sharing with equal voice and opportunities for all.

Format

2 - 3pm: 4-5 talks, 10 min each, short Q&A after each talk

3 - 3:30pm: Break/Coffee Hour Hangout

3:30 - 5pm: Breakout Sessions & Discussions

Criteria & Guidelines

We encourage speakers to be creative with their presentations; not to rely heavily on ppt, to perhaps offer a demonstration, or interactive portion and to be in the landscape of soils during the talk. Author must have capacity to deliver live presentation on zoom, and/or submit recording in its optimal format for posting on USI website and Youtube channel

• Each talk is maximum of 10 minutes with 5 minutes of Q&A

• Speakers selected for live talks must be available for the entire session (2pm-5pm, with a 30-minute break) and engage in the discussions

• Talks must be relevant to the overall theme, one of the session topics, and be indirectly or directly involved with soils.

• All talks will be livestreamed, recorded and posted online (see Privacy statement below)

• USI strongly encourages creative presentations, and to not rely heavily on Powerpoint-focused presentations for this event.

• USI recommends a relevant setting to your presentation, such as a community garden, laboratory space, natural space or any other setting you believe would speak to your topic. For example, an earlier presenter filmed himself walking through a wetland while speaking to their ecological value, and had the photographer pan to the surrounding vegetation, as well as the ebb and flow of the tides.

• USI encourages you to get as creative as you’d like with formatting, video editing techniques and added graphics. We want to get to know you and your research on your own terms!

If you have an idea for a topic but are not available on the day for live presentation, please submit your idea for a recording only option. We will post recorded presentations online to share with participants.

▼ Saturday Workshops: Format & Criteria

The air we breath, the food we eat, the clothes we wear, the waste we produce or reuse, the water we use to survive: As we explore the living fabric of health; soils as the supporters and connectors of our fundamental living needs, we can make some deeper connections to some of the facets of our lifestyles that are impacted by the choices we make with our soils resources, and the impacts we have on our environment, both good and bad. These workshops offer a hands-on/interactive journey into some cultural and scientific ways we use and manage our resources.

Format

Live virtual workshops

Suggested duration: 10 min to 2 hours

Dates & Times Saturdays Oct 3rd, 10th, 17th, 24th starting at 2PM

Criteria & Guidelines

• Author must have capacity to deliver live presentation on zoom
• It must be interactive and enable participants to actively participate

• Interaction can be questions and answers or participants engaging in guided hands-on activities in their own physical space

• The workshop may have one instructor or a team of instructors.

If participants are to engage in hands-on activities in their own physical space, please be mindful of materials and supplies availability. Using readily available household items would be the best. A pre-workshop guide and list of materials must be made available at minimum 1 week in advance of the workshop.

▼ Entertainment/Performances/Exhibits Criteria

This year, with most activities going virtual, there is more opportunity for global participation than ever before. We are very excited about that, despite the fact that we will deeply miss our in-person get togethers, and hands-on experiences with soils. To make up for not being able to host our outdoor festival, tour, and expo, we are incorporating interactive workshops, entertainment, performances, and exhibits that will be intertwined into the format of symposium. We invite your creative interpretations. Some examples: music, skits, art installation translated to virtual setting, cartoon, story, monologue, etc. Duration suggestions between a few seconds to 5 min.

Criteria & Guidelines

Author must have capacity to submit recordings, or submit product in its optimal format for live presentation on zoom, and/or for recorded posting on USI website and Youtube channel Possible times and durations of presentation during symposium are: Opening or close of session day, or symposium day 1 or 2 Duration of presentation maximum 2 min During session break/coffee hour Duration of presentation maximum 2 min Duration of recorded presentations posted only on the website or youtube channel: a few seconds to 10 min.

Depending on timing and availability, submissions will either be posted in live or recorded format throughout the symposium activities as well as on the USI website and Youtube channel, or posted in recorded format on the USI website and Youtube channel only.

▼ USI Magazine Entry Criteria

We would also like to extend this invitation to submit a piece to the first issue of the USI Magazine. This first publication will feature soil stories, art, research, issues, and other elements covering the topics and themes of this year’s Urban Soils Symposium. If you would like your submission to be considered for inclusion, please submit according to the criteria below.

The first issue will be published online with open access in Spring of 2021. USI will send updates on publications as needed.

Criteria for Submissions

All work must be original work of the submitting author Research claims and findings must be validated Derogatory, accusatory, or discriminatory work will not be accepted Author must have the capacity to submit their work for optimal resolution/reproducibility

Guidelines for Submissions

Types of submissions: scientific articles, white papers, abstracts, sponsored ads, art, poems, stories, announcements, comments, pictures, community highlights, events Entries must be related to soils and the themes/topics of the 2020 Symposium

How Do Submissions Get Selected For The USI Magazine?

Submissions will be selected by the USI editing committee. Submissions will be reviewed and selected according to criteria mentioned above. USI has the right to reject any submissions that they deem inappropriate or not suitable for this issue.

Submission Deadlines

Submissions must be received by January 11th, 2021 Submission Decisions will be sent out by February 1st, 2021 Publication Goal: April 1st. 2021

Upon acceptance, NYC Urban Soils Institute & NYC Soil &Water Conservation District is licensing one-time nonexclusive print rights to the work and nonexclusive web rights in perpetuity to the work. NYC Urban Soils Institute & NYC Soil &Water Conservation District only requires that at the time of publication (the month in which the work is to be published) the work is not to be published elsewhere. However, simultaneous submission is ok.

At the present time, NYC Urban Soils Institute & NYC Soil &Water Conservation District is unable to compensate contributing authors for the privilege of publishing their work.

Again, thank you for considering NYC Urban Soils Institute and NYC Soil & Water Conservation District for the publication of your work.