CALL FOR TUTORIALS, WORKSHOPS, AND MINI-COURSES

This call is an open invitation to scientists and professionals working in the fields of bioinformatics and computational biology to submit high quality proposals for tutorials, workshops or mini-courses (tutorial program) at the ISCB-Latin America, SoIBio and EMBnet Joint Bioinformatics Conference 2018 (ISCB-LA SoIBio EMBnet).

The tutorial program provides participants with lectures and instruction covering either basic training for bioinformatics, well-established technologies/analyses or new "cutting-edge" topics relevant to bioinformatics and computational biology in Latin America. The sessions also offer participants an opportunity to get an introduction to important established topics, to learn about new areas of research, or to develop advanced skills in areas about which they are already knowledgeable.

Tutorials may include any form of presentation such as talks, panel discussions or hands-on training. They serve an educational function and are expected to provide a balanced perspective on a field of research. Sessions on broadly used bioinformatics tools (Ensembl/UCSC, Galaxy, Cytoscape, etc.) will be considered.

Please note that if you wish present on a specific software package/method that is less widely used, your proposal should be submitted to the Technology Track. These presentations do not fall under this call for proposals.

Sessions should be designed as half-day (four hour), full-day (8 hours) or two-day (16 hours) sessions. (A 30-minute break is scheduled for morning and afternoon and a lunch break mid-day). Consideration for acceptance will only be given to proposals providing either:

•Direct practical, hands-on application of the subject matter
or
•Bringing together people with common interest for discussion

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Proposals

Proposals should be submitted via the online form by 30 April, 2018.

Proposals should contain the following information:

Title
Goals, objectives and motivation of the session
Proposed Length of training course

Half-day
Full-day
Two-days

Detailed outline of the session agenda

Please adhere to the page limit, but provide sufficient information for a thorough evaluation to be made.

Intended audience and level

It should be clearly and precisely indicated at whom the session is aimed, and at which level it would be taught with respect to the different underlying scientific fields. In particular if any background (biology, algorithmics, statistics, etc) is expected, this should be very precisely described.
Where appropriate, indicate whether the material is considered Introductory, Intermediate or Advanced.
Please indicate whether attendance should be restricted to limited number of participants

Organizers & Presenters (where appropriate)

Each session should have a minimum of two organizers and/or presenters. Based on feedback received from earlier years, please note that in general graduate students are not permitted to participate as instructors.
A brief description of the organizers indicating the relevant qualifications to the proposal.
Where appropriate, a brief description of the presenters indicating the relevant qualifications and teaching experience. Session attendees often consider the reputation and standing of the presenters as one of their criteria for choosing particular sessions.

Session history

Please indicate whether the session has been presented at another meeting previously.

Promotional Session Description, up to 75 words

CLICK HERE to submit your proposal.

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Proposal Evaluation

All submissions will be evaluated by a committee, which will consider the following criteria:

Relevance, interest, and value of the topic to attendees
Completeness, clarity, and quality of the proposal and materials
Expertise and experience of the presenters in the proposed topic
Expertise and experience of the organizers in delivering a successful educational experience
Effectiveness of the proposed presentation approach
If the session has been presented previously the participant evaluations will be considered

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Session Materials

The presenters agree to provide participants with teaching materials that include:

Copies of the slides in Powerpoint or PDF format for printing.
Copies of relevant articles/book chapters published by the presenters may be provided as Supplementary Information. Presenters will have to obtain copyright permission from their publishers, as required.
Voice-over presentation recording of session for publishing on ISCB-LA SoIBio EMBnet joint conference web site. This voice-over recording will serve as an oral record of the speaking notes for the presentations.

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Copyright

The authors will grant copyright to session materials to the ISCB for a period to extend from acceptance through August 1, 2019, and they agree that their materials may be made available for use in perpetuity through ISCB.

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Compensation

Each session team will be provided:

Free registration for up to two team members presenting the tutorial and up to two (2) complimentary passes to the ISCB-LA SoIBio EMBnet joint conference meeting.

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Key Dates

Tutorial Program Deadline	30 April, 2018
Tutroial Program Acceptance Notification	4 June, 2018
Tutorial Program Material	20 June, 2018
Registration Opens	TBD
Registration Closes	TBD
Tutorial Program Dates	5-6 November, 2018

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