Abstracts online for 2008 Joint Assembly in Ft. Lauderdale

New findings in Earth and space sciences to be presented May 27-30

A. Searching for Abstracts of Interest to You

The 1,544 Joint Assembly abstracts may be accessed by a search tool: http://www.agu.org/meetings/ja08/waisja08adv.html

Reporters and public information officers may search for abstracts of particular interest to them by looking up any of the following parameters on the search tool above:

• Name of a scientist

• Name of an institution (e.g., university, government agency)

• Geographic location (e.g., city, state, province, or country)

• Topic (e.g., Mars, thermohaline, climate)

Up to three search parameters may be combined. Full instructions are available from the search page.

Hint: In searching for abstracts from an institution, it is often more effective to search by e-mail address than by the name of the institution. The latter may be written in different ways by various authors (e.g., UCLA; University of California, Los Angeles; Univ. of Cal. at Los Angeles; etc.), but all of their e mail addresses will presumably include "ucla." The search category "Affiliation" covers names of institutions and their locations; the category "E-mail" will find institutional domains (e.g., look under Affiliation for Columbia or New York, under E-mail for @columbia.edu).

The CD of abstracts and the program of the meeting will be available in the Press Room, but not in advance of the meeting. A print volume of the program will be available, but there will not be a print version of the abstracts.

The downloadable file of the meeting abstracts and program (plus instructions for burning it onto a CD) will be available online next week at the Joint Assembly program page: http://www.agu.org/meetings/ja08/?content=program

B. Finding Sessions at Joint Assembly

To browse sessions under any AGU scientific discipline, first click on the link directly below. Then, scroll down to section headings (Union, Atmospheric Sciences, Biogeosciences, etc.) and click on the section of interest to see a chronological listing of times, session numbers, room numbers, and titles of all sessions in that section. Clicking on any session number in the list will open a sublist of oral presentations or posters associated with that session. For a particular presentation, clicking on the link labeled “Abstract” will open a brief summary of the talk, including author names and contact information.

http://www.agu.org/meetings/ja08/?content=program&show=glance

In order to search sessions by keywords, use the search engine available at:

http://www.agu.org/cgi-bin/sessions5?meeting=ja08

In the room listings, "CC" refers to the Convention Center. Presentations in Exhibit Hall A are posters; all other room assignments are oral sessions.

2. Press conferences in development

We are in the process of developing a program of press conferences related to some of the newsworthy discoveries being presented at Joint Assembly. Subsequent media advisories will provide detailed information about press conferences.

3. AGU journalism awards to be presented

AGU will present two journalism awards at Joint Assembly, as part of the Honors Evening on Thursday, 29 May:

• David Perlman Award for Excellence in Science Journalism—News to Margaret Munro, CanWest News Service

• Walter Sullivan Award for Excellence in Science Journalism—Features to Dr. Richard Smith, Australian Broadcasting Corporation

News Media registrants are encouraged to attend the awards ceremony, which begins at 1830h in the Convention Center’s Floridian Ballroom, on Level 3.

After the awards ceremony, an Honors Banquet will take place in the Ft. Lauderdale Grande Hotel, Grande Ballroom, beginning at 20:30h. The banquet costs $55 per person. Members of the news media who wish to attend, please call the AGU Member Service Center at +1 800 966 2481 (toll free) or +1 202 462 6900, and request seating at the press table. For further information, contact Peter Weiss (pweiss@agu.org, 202-777-7507). The Ft. Lauderdale Grande Hotel is a short walk from the convention center.

4. News Media Registration Information

International reporters: If you are neither a citizen nor a permanent resident of the United States, you need a visa to cover meetings in the U.S. This applies also to reporters from countries in the Visa Waiver Program, who do not need visas to visit the U.S. as tourists. For current information, see the official State Department web site: http://travel.state.gov/visa/temp/types/types_1276.html

Please apply for your visa early.

News Media registrants receive a badge that provides access to any of the scientific sessions of the meeting, as well as to the Press Room and Press Conference Room. No one will be admitted to press conferences, sessions, or the exhibition hall without a valid badge.

To enter the Convention Center, you will need to show a government-issued picture ID (passport or driver’s license). Please proceed next to the Press Room (Room 301) to receive your badge. Preprinted badges will be waiting there for News Media registrants who have preregistered. Be prepared to show professional identification (see below).

If you have not preregistered, you may fill out a News Media Registration Form in the Press Room (Room 301), presenting appropriate identification (see below). Your badge will be made while you wait.

Eligibility for press registration is limited to the following persons:

• Working press employed by bona fide news media: must present a press card, business card, or letter of introduction from an editor of a recognized publication.

• Freelance science writers: must present a current membership card from NASW, a regional affiliate of NASW, CSWA, ISWA, or SEJ; or evidence of by lined work pertaining to science intended for the general public and published in 2007 or 2008; or a letter from the editor of a recognized publication assigning you to cover 2008 Joint Assembly.

• Public information officers of scientific societies, educational institutions, and government agencies: must present a business card.

Note: Representatives of publishing houses, for profit corporations, and the business side of news media must register at the main registration desk at the meeting and pay the appropriate fees, regardless of possession of any of the above documents. They are not accredited as News Media at the meeting.

Scientists who are also reporters and who are presenting at this meeting (oral or poster session) may receive News Media credentials if they qualify (see above), but must also register for the meeting and pay the appropriate fee as a presenter.

5. News Media Registration Form

The News Media Registration Form is set up for online submission, but includes a link to a version that can be printed and faxed or mailed. Go to: http://www.agu.org/meetings/ja08/?content=media&show=pressReg_online The last day for advance News Media registration, assuring that your badge will be waiting for you when you arrive, is Friday, 16 May 2008. You may also register onsite.

6. Who’s Coming

The online list of journalists who have preregistered for the Meeting is updated daily and may be seen at http://www.agu.org/meetings/ja08/?content=media (Scroll down to see list.)