Call for Presenters
New and exciting techniques and technologies broaden the scope of innovation and adaptation in the sustainable laboratory and high-tech facility community. Each year, I2SL invites planners, designers, builders, facility managers, manufacturers, and other leaders in the community to present on their latest work and advancements during the Labs21 Annual Conference.
Share your in-depth knowledge and experience with more than 700 conference attendees. Follow the links below for information on how to submit your abstract.
- How to Apply
- Call for Presenters Deadlines
- Presentation Formats
- Selection Criteria
- Registration Requirement
- Speaker Benefits
- Suggested Presentation Topics
- Additional Publication and Recognition Opportunities
How to Apply
Submit your abstract using the online application form. You will receive a confirmation page and email once your form has been submitted.
Note: If you would like to submit more than one abstract, you must complete a separate online form for each abstract submission.
If you have any questions or problems regarding the online Call for Presenters form, email I2SL or call the conference message line at 703-841-5484.
Call for Presenters Deadlines
All abstracts are due by Friday, March 23, 2012.
Selected presenters will be notified via email by April 25, 2012. Presenters will be able to register for the conference upon receipt of their notification.
Speakers and poster presenters must register by July 13, 2012, in order to receive the discounted conference registration fee (if applicable) and ensure inclusion in the 2012 conference program.
Speakers must notify I2SL of any changes to your presentation, including speaker changes or cancellations, by August 31, 2012.
If your abstract is selected, you will be required to submit your final PowerPoint presentation to I2SL by September 7, 2012.
Presentation Formats
You can participate in the conference by:
- Presenting in a technical session.
- Presenting during a symposium.
- Displaying a poster.
- Leading a Morning Roundtable Session, Tool-Torial Session, or Roll Up Your Sleeves Roundtable session.
- Presenting in a Sustainable Laboratory Equipment Session (exhibitors only).
- Leading a Technology Demonstration (exhibitors only).
Learn more about each type of presentation, including time limits, permitted presentation technologies, and more, on I2SL's Conference Session Descriptions page.
Selection Criteria
A committee of laboratory sustainability experts will review all abstract submissions. Entries will be judged on:
- Quality and merit of technical information presented.
- What the audience will take away from the presentation via the stated learning objectives.
- Relevance to I2SL's sustainable laboratory and high-tech facility community.
- Absence of marketing at any point during the presentation (with the exception of the Sustainable Laboratory Equipment Session and Technology Demonstrations).
Special attention will be given to abstracts that focus on new developments and technologies, those presented by the facility owner, and those related to the suggested presentation topics.
In addition, keep in mind:
- Incomplete submissions will not be considered.
- Abstracts proposing more than two presenters will not be considered.
If the review committee feels your presentation would be better suited for a different presentation format than the type that you originally submitted, your presentation may be reclassified. You will be notified of any changes upon acceptance of your abstract.
Registration Requirement
Presenters at the Labs21 2012 Annual Conference are required to register for and attend the conference during your presentation time. Presenters are responsible for all fees associated with attending the conference, including but not limited to:
- Conference registration fee.
- Hotel accommodations.
- Travel costs (e.g., airfare, parking).
- Meals (excluding those included with the conference registration package).
If you are unavailable to present, you must notify I2SL by August 31, 2012, and provide a replacement presenter. If you do not notify I2SL and provide a replacement speaker by this deadline, I2SL will not be able to consider you as a speaker for future conferences.
Speaker Benefits
I2SL offers the following benefits to speakers:
- Discounted registration fee (one per presentation).
- Abstract or presentation considered for additional publication opportunities.
- Name, abstract, biography, and presentation posted on the I2SL website, with speaker's permission.
- Name, organization, and presentation title listed in the final conference program.
- Speaker and/or poster presenter ribbons on name badges.
- Networking opportunities with other leaders in your field.
Note: This is a reduced paper conference. I2SL will not provide hard copies of any presenter's materials at the conference; however, we will make your abstract, speaker biography, and presentation available electronically if we receive an authorization waiver from you during the abstract submission process.
Suggested Presentation Topics
I2SL strives to provide presentations that meet the needs of the sustainable laboratory and high-tech facility community. I2SL welcomes abstracts that:
- Relate to the following presentation topics and/or involve any new or innovative information or cutting-edge sustainable technology. These abstracts are given first priority, as these presentations are among the most well-received by Labs21 Annual Conference audiences.
- Provide follow-up information or lessons learned from projects discussed during past conferences.
- Provide an owner and/or user's perspective.
If there are any remaining session spots in the agenda, I2SL may fill them with abstracts on additional topics.
Use the following list as a guide when selecting your presentation topic:
- Carbon Neutrality and Renewable Energy
- Sustainable Laboratory Design (New and Retrofit)
- Balancing Environmental Health, Safety, and Security with Sustainability
- Sustainable Laboratory Equipment and Chemicals
- Building Information Modeling (BIM)
- BIM for Facility Management
- Laboratory Operations and Maintenance
- Laboratories 101
- Unique and Specialty Laboratories
Carbon Neutrality and Renewable Energy
- Carbon neutrality for campuses
- Renewable energy integration into building design
- Carbon-tracking systems used for:
- Universities
- Federal agencies
- Private industries
Sustainable Laboratory Design (New and Retrofit)
- Budget and finance for sustainable building design
- Design charette strategies and lessons learned
- Designing for flexibility
- Examples of a design-build process
- Human factors and architectural expression—sustainable spaces
- Invention, development, and application of new materials for sustainable spaces
- Planning and design for smaller facilities
- Smart building design features
- Water conservation measures and technologies
Balancing Environmental Health, Safety, and Security with Sustainability
- Achieving energy efficiency while maintaining environmental health, safety, and security
- ANSI compliance and standards
- Hospitals and healthcare—managing cross-contamination
- Laboratory security: personnel, facility access, and energy
- Laboratory ventilation and indoor air quality management
Sustainable Laboratory Equipment and Chemicals
- Availability and sustainable applications from manufacturers’ perspective
- Customer and user success stories and/or lessons learned
- Laboratory lighting systems and controls
- User success stories and/or lessons learned
- Selection tools
- Sensing and controls in practice and on the horizon
Building Information Modeling (BIM)
- Applications for industries and academia
- Benefits for laboratories
- Using BIM to right-size and properly engineer building design
- Engaging the owner
- Tools for facility managers and operations and maintenance staff
Laboratory Operations and Maintenance
- Codes and regulations
- Controls integration for multi-vendor technologies
- Daily operations of a facility manager
- Evaluating and managing laboratory performance
- Facility managers' perspectives
- International perspectives
- Modifying staff behaviors to best utilize advanced technologies
- SmartGrid and demand response for campuses
- An introduction to laboratory fundamentals and terminology
- Labs21 EPC 3.0 and LEED® Version 3
- Complying with federal legislation and environmental initiatives
Unique and Specialty Laboratories
- Carbon inventories and greenhouse gas measurements at universities
- Data centers—virtual and computational laboratories
- Designing with the local climate in mind—perspectives on extreme-weather laboratories
- Flexi-laboratory case studies
- Federal laboratories—special topics and considerations
- Grades K-12 laboratory design and retrofits
- High-hazard facilities
- Legacy laboratories
- Marine laboratories
- Modular laboratories
- Ivy Plus Sustainability working group perspectives
- Sustainability strategies for vivaria
- User interface laboratories
Additional Publication and Recognition Opportunities
Presentations on I2SL's website
I2SL plans to make the conference proceedings available to interested parties. Conference attendees will be able to access the presentations via a password-protected page on the I2SL website for a limited period of time. Those who do not attend the conference but are interested in viewing the presentations will be able to purchase access to the presentations from I2SL.
I2SL's Go Beyond Awards
The 2012 Go Beyond Awards are another way to recognize your outstanding initiatives in the field of sustainable design. The awards recognize leaders in the industry who "go beyond" to achieve sustainability in high-tech facilities. Learn more about the awards.
I2SL's E-Library
Following the Labs21 2012 Annual Conference, select presenters will be invited to write a full paper on their projects for inclusion in I2SL's E-Library.