Call for Presentation Proposals

Note: The conference will be held in-person at a Rutgers University venue. For the health and safety of all attendees and support staff at the conference, COVID-19 safety measures will align with Rutgers University guidelines at the time of the conference. We will monitor the evolving situation and make additional details available closer to the event.

The National Urban Extension Leaders (NUEL), its Northeast Regional Network, Rutgers University Cooperative Extension and its Office of Urban Extension and Engagement are pleased to invite you to the 2022 National Urban Extension Conference (NUEC22), which will be held in Camden, New Jersey, on May 23-26, 2022. The conference will offer in-person experiences and virtual participation options, exploring the theme of "Reimagining Our Future...Together."

The most pressing social problems and policy issues that confront America involve people in urban places. Extension professionals and university researchers across the nation are working to address these issues. However, urban areas are competitive environments for land-grant universities and Extensionists, so novel approaches to show impact, public value, and programming are necessary for land grant institutions to improve the lives of people, families, and communities.

The National Urban Extension Conference provides an opportunity for Extension professionals and applied researchers to learn about innovative approaches and receive inspiration for their work from colleagues.

The conference will provide opportunities to share research and innovative educational strategies that address the needs of urban, suburban, and peri-urban populations as well as urban-rural interdependencies. Proposals will be accepted for individual presentations, panels, lightning talks and posters (defined below) for NUEC22. Abstracts that highlight research or outreach activities that involve partnerships between researchers, practitioners and Extension professionals are especially encouraged. We are also looking for innovative ideas that are just that...ideas.

NUEC22 will focus on four core elements of building successful urban projects and programs: core competencies, subject matter expertise, personal experiences, and innovation. Therefore, we are looking for presentations and posters that tell the story of work in the following core areas:

Competencies

Presentations will focus on the knowledge, skills and abilities necessary for Extension professionals to work effectively in urban communities. Presentations will address specific programs, projects, or activities, and focus on a skill or ability. For example, topics like survey design, data analysis, hosting focus groups or group dialogue sessions, using social media, etc. specific to urban communities may be included.

Subject Matter Expertise

The National Urban Extension Leaders (NUEL) has identified five focus areas for urban programming (see NUEL Focus Areas for more information). We seek proposals that share impactful programming in one of these five focus tracts:

• Strengthening Communities

• Protecting the Environment

• Improving Health

• Enriching Youth

• Feeding our Communities: Local food systems and networks

Personal Experiences

Given the conference theme, “Reimagining Our Future...Together”, focus should be on lessons learned and proven methods of research, delivery, outreach, marketing and collaboration in building successful urban projects and programs. Highlight methods for maintaining Land Grant visibility in a sea of educational institutions.

Innovation

To maintain relevance we must continue to respond to issues in novel ways and address emerging issues in urban areas. Preference will be given to submissions that address Covid-19 response, social justice, diversity, equity and inclusion across the five subject matter areas.

Individual Presentations

Individual oral presentations on topics related to the conference theme or other topical areas of interest will be 12 minutes in duration and moderated to ensure time restrictions. Presentations should be succinct, with well-developed concepts, applications, and results. Presentations will be grouped by topic for 60 minutes sessions.

Panel Presentations

Panel Presentations can be 60 minutes in length with three to five colleagues or peers in an open conversation or discussion on a topic specific to urban communities, and will engage the audience in a question and answer/conversational session.

Lightning Talks

Lightning talks are structured and focused presentations on the conference objectives. Presenters will have exactly 5 minutes to present, using 20 slides. Slides will automatically advance every 15 seconds. View sample presentation and a how to video.

Poster Presentations

A poster is used for the presenter to describe a project, research results, program summaries or lessons learned as a visual display. The poster includes a brief narrative along with tables, graphs, pictures, and other presentation formats. In PowerPoint, begin by creating a 1-slide. You will have an opportunity to introduce your poster to an audience with other posters of similar subject matter for 5 minutes. You should provide enough information to capture the participant's interest and will lead to a conversation about your poster.

Use PowerPoint presentation - choose a blank slide. (The entire poster must be contained in only one slide.) Adjust the slide size to make the poster dimensions a maximum of 36″ x 48″ or 48” x 36” or a smaller size if desired. Save your poster as a .pptx file while you are working on it. (When you are all finished and ready to submit your poster, save a copy as .pdf). The poster file size may not exceed 10MB.

All proposals must be submitted online at: https://z.umn.edu/NUEC22Proposals

Be prepared to provide the following information:

• Indicate what type of presentation format (Individual Presentation, Panel, Lightning Talk or Poster)

• Provide a title (100 characters maximum - no more than 10 words) that briefly identifies the content and audience and should be able to stand alone and give a clear idea of what will happen in the session.

• Provide an abstract of no more than 200 words, addressing the conference theme, focusing on the innovative aspects of your topic / program and how it addresses urban issues. High priority will be given to abstracts with a clear presentation of methodology or approach, results or outcomes obtained that also address diversity, equity and inclusion.

• Contact information for the lead presenter / point of contact for a group presentation and all co-presenters:

  • Name

  • Title

  • Organization or Affiliation

  • Complete address (include specific department or bureau, if applicable)

  • Email

  • Phone

• The 2022 NUEC will focus on four core elements of building successful urban projects and programs: core competencies, subject matter expertise, personal experiences, and innovation. Please indicate to what degree your proposal will address the core elements.

  • Competencies

  • Subject Matter Expertise

    • Strengthening Communities

    • Protecting the Environment

    • Improving Health

    • Enriching Youth

    • Feeding our Communities: Local food systems and networks

  • Personal Experiences

  • Innovation

• Presenters will be allowed only one presentation in which they are the lead author. You may submit more than one proposal where you are lead presenter, but if more than one is selected, you will have to choose which one you will present. There are no limitations on the number of presentations allowed by presenters who serve as part of a team selected to present.

• The Program Committee will review all proposals. Initial selection decisions will be made in January 2021 with notice to applicants by January 24, 2022. Selected presenters will have until February 21 to accept. The Program Committee has the authority and responsibility for placing sessions in the program at a day and time that best suits the overall program.

• Those interested in presenting at the conference are required to be registered with payment made by the early registration date (see website for specific dates). Those not registered and paid by that date will be dropped from the program.

• Presenters will have to provide electronic versions of their digital presentations PRIOR to the conference to be uploaded on the appropriate computer.

• If you are selected to present at the conference you will be asked to:

  • Confirm you interest and ability to present

  • Indicate any special audio-visual or presentation needs you will have. The Conference will provide laptops, projectors (for PowerPoint presentations). Access to in-room audio equipment and Wi-Fi will have to be requested at time of confirmation of acceptance.

  • The Conference intends to share the conference presentations and materials through a variety of media. In addition to their digital presentations, presenters must provide electronic copies of any other materials at, or prior to, the conference so that they can be further disseminated.