Boston Convention & Exhibition Center
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Minisymposia

Scientific sessions known as Minisymposia offer the most groundbreaking research representing each of the seven scientific meeting tracks at Cell Bio 2023. Top-scoring abstracts within each scientific track will be scheduled into Minisymposium sessions. There will be 31 total scientific Minisymposia and one Education Minisymposium.

Minisymposia co-chairs complete a scoring review, assign top-scoring abstracts and chair the session during the meeting. Please note co-chairs, or members of their labs, are only eligible to present a talk within their Minisymposium if their abstract is in the top-scoring abstracts after the concealed review. There is no reserved or guaranteed speaking slot for co-chairs, or members of their lab.

Eligibility Requirements:

  • Early, mid-, and late career researchers who are willing to join the ASCB if selected to serve as a co-chair (You do not have to be an ASCB member to apply, but will be required to join if you are selected).
  • ASCB Regular and Educator Members, EMBO Members, EMBO Global Investigators, and EMBO Young Investigators

Note: Members actively engaged in a postdoctoral training program, and graduate students are not eligible.

Preference is given to those who have not served as a Co-Chair in the last 3 years. If you are also submitting a Special Interest Subgroup Application and it is accepted, you will be unable to chair a Minisymposium.

Application Deadline PASSED

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Responsibilities and Application Process

Minisymposium Co-Chair Responsibilities and Benefits Expand

Minisymposium Co-Chairs are responsible for scoring submitted abstracts, selecting talks for Minisymposia sessions from top-scoring abstracts, and introducing the speakers on the day of the Minisymposium. Please note co-chairs, or members of their labs, are only eligible to present a talk within their Minisymposium if they are in the top-scoring abstracts after the concealed review. There is not a reserved or guaranteed speaking slot for co-chairs, or members of their lab.

A minimum of four (4) and a maximum of 24 Minisymposium Co-Chairs will be selected per scientific meeting track, depending on the popularity of the track.

Minisymposium Co-Chairs will:

  1. Read and score up to 150 abstracts submitted to their scientific track. The abstracts will have author information concealed to reduce bias in scoring. The review period will take place between August 4 and August 16.
  2. Create a specified number of Minisymposia sessions, varying from two (2) to 12 sessions depending on the track. Each Minisymposium session will consist of six (6) talks selected from top-scoring abstracts.
  3. Chair the session at Cell Bio 2023 in Boston, MA. Two Co-Chairs will work together to introduce the speakers in each Minisymposium, keep speakers on time, and moderate the live Q&A following each talk.
Diversity and Inclusion

ASCB is committed to ensuring that a diversified and inclusive program is presented to our attendees. Minisymposia Co-Chairs will be required to ensure talks selected are from presenters with diverse ethnic backgrounds, gender, research backgrounds, career-levels, geographic location.

Availability Requirements

Minisymposium Co-Chairs must be available during the following time periods

  • Thursday, August 4 through Thursday, August 16 – Concealed Abstract Scoring Review Period
  • Tuesday, August 23 through Tuesday, August 31– Formation of Minisymposia sessions with talk selections from top-scoring abstracts.
  • Sunday, December 3 and Tuesday, December 5– Minisymposia sessions will be scheduled from approximately 3:40 pm to 5:10 pm and 5:40 pm to 7:10 pm on both Sunday, December 3 and Tuesday, December 5. You will need to be available for any of the four time slots.
Co-Chair Benefits 

Minisymposia Co-Chairs will receive 50% off meeting registration via a coupon code provided by ASCB Staff.

Application Procedures and Selection Criteria Expand

Application Procedures

  1. Login to your ASCB account. If you do not have an account, you will need to create one. You do not have to be a member to apply, but will be required to join ASCB if you are selected to serve as a Co-Chair and are not an EMBO Member or EMBO Young/Global Investigator.
  2. You must:
    1. Select a primary scientific track, with an optional secondary scientific track. The tracks are:
      • Cellular Dynamics: Compartmentalization, Trafficking, Cytoskeleton, Division, and Migration
      • Cellular Genome: 4D Organization, Expression, Replication, and Repair
      • Cells in Distress and Disease: Cancer, Aging, Infection, Stress, Chemical Biology, and Therapeutics
      • Communal Cell: Development, Differentiation, Regeneration, Stem Cells, Organs, and Organoids
      • Physical Cell: Bioengineering, Mechanobiology, and Synthetic Biology
      • Signaling and Metabolism: Integrating Intra- and Intercellular Signaling, and Information Processing
      • Specialized Cell and Evolution: Neurobiology, Immunology, and Emerging Model Systems
    2. List your primary research area(s), 100 characters or less.
    3. Provide a link to your lab or institute website.
    4. Describe how your research directly relates to the track(s) you selected (150 words or less).
    5. Answer the question: “Why would you be effective as a Co-Chair?” (250 words or less). To help answer this, you may wish to include: a) thoughts about conducting a concealed abstract review, b) the impact it will have on your career, or c) previous organizing experience you may have had.
    6. Affirm your availability for scoring abstracts between August 4 and August 16.
    7. Affirm your availability to assign abstracts between August 23 and August 31.
    8. Affirm your availability to participate in any of the four potential Minisymposium time slots on December 3 and 5 in the afternoon.

Selection Criteria

Co-Chair applications will be scored using the following criteria (with equal importance):

  1. Relevance of your area of research expertise to the scientific track(s) selected.
  2. How effective you would be as a Co-Chair and how it would impact your career.

Reviewers will also take into account demographic information to ensure gender, geographic, and ethnic/racial diversity among selected co-chairs, in addition to ensuring a diverse representation of scientific research areas under each track.

Timeline & Key Dates

Co-Chair ApplicationsApplications accepted to co-chair a Minisymposium. Deadline: April 20
Co-Chair ReviewProgram Committee Track Chairs review and score applications.Late April to Mid-May
Co-Chair NotificationsApplicants are notified.Late May/Early June
Abstract SubmissionAbstracts accepted for consideration for Minisymposium Talks. There are 6 talks in each Minisymposium.Opens Early June; Closes August 1
Abstract ReviewMinisymposia Co-Chairs review and score the abstracts and the weighted average score is used determine top-scoring abstracts in each scientific track.August 4 to August 16
Session SchedulingCo-Chairs use top-scoring abstracts to create Minisymposia sessions.August 23 to August 31
Speaker NotificationAbstract submitters are notified. Co-Chairs also receive correspondence about their session.By September 15