Frequently Asked Questions

Yes, the first full day of conference presentations is on Tuesday, May 20th. Wildacres rents out the facility on a Monday-to-Sunday schedule. Monday (May 19th) will be the first day delegates can arrive, and Sunday (May 25th) will be the day everyone must leave. The five working days of the conference are Tuesday (May 20th) through Saturday (May 24th).

Yes, there is high-speed WiFi on the mountain, BUT routers are generally limited to the common areas and auditorium. Individual rooms do not generally have WiFi access. This is an intentional feature of Wildacres Retreat Center, which is designed to facilitate direct interactions between people and discourage spending too much time on devices. 

Wildacres has a limited number of rooms available on the mountain, and they are primarily intended for people participating in the scientific component of sdOB12. However, we should be able to accommodate some delegates bringing their spouse/partner if we have enough room available. Accompanying persons must separately fill out the conference registration form (available Dec 5) and indicate which delegate they are attending with. The LOC will get back to you with a confirmation they can be accommodated. All spouses/partners attending will still have to pay for lodging & food at the same rate as the delegates. 

Wildacres has a limited number of rooms available on the mountain, and they are primarily intended for people participating in the scientific component of sdOB12. However, children are welcome to join delegates, and Wildacres charges kids a reduced rate. When filling out the Registration Form, mark that you are bringing children with you. A member of the LOC will be in contact with you 1-2 weeks after form submission. 

Yes! The LOC will stream talks through Zoom during the entire week. Email sdOB12meeting@gmail.com to let the LOC know you would like to join remotely, and a Zoom link will be sent to you a few days before the conference begins.

All delegates are strongly encouraged to arrive to Wildacres the afternoon/evening of Monday, May 19th (day before the first day of the science program). Check-in begins at 16:00 and is available through the evening. Dinner will be available to delegates starting at 18:00 on Monday and will include a 20-minute "orientation" session to the Wildacres facility. All delegates are encouraged to depart Wildacres Saturday afternoon (last day of science program) or Sunday morning.

Email Brad Barlow at sdOB12meeting@gmail.com with the subject line "sdOB12 Invitation Letter Request."

An email with pick-up information will be sent to delegates who scheduled a seat on the LOC shuttle.

Guests are not permitted to bring personal pets, emotional support animals or therapy animals. Trained service dogs are welcome at Wildacres Retreat with prior notice/documentation. We ask that guests with trained service dogs first speak with Brad Barlow (sdOB12meeting@gmail.com), and then with the Wildacres resident manager regarding their stay.

Unfortunately, Wildacres does not permit camping on the mountain. All delegates staying at Wildacres must sleep in a room in one of ther lodges. However, there are some campsites not too far from Wildacres if delegates prefer to camp. In this case, they must provide their own transportation to/from the meeting venue each day.

Dear sdOB12 Poster Presenters,

This message is being sent to delegates who are presenting a poster (+ lightning talk) at sdOB12. A separate message will be sent soon to those presenting regular talks. Please read all of the information below regarding upcoming deadlines and instructions for poster presenters (this information was previously included in the 4th Announcement): 

The latest draft of the science program is available on the conference website. Delegates should locate their assigned poster lightning talk slot and be prepared to present at that time (designated with a "P"). Please note that we might continue to make small changes to the program between now and May 19. Posters will be on display all week and primarily viewed during coffee breaks. There are no assigned times during which presenters must be standing at their posters.

Physical, printed posters will be attached to boards that are 48” (121.9 cm) x 36” (91.4 cm (landscape aspect ratio 4:3 or portrait aspect ratio 3:4). Posters should not be printed on an area larger than this. The LOC has funds to print posters on behalf of delegates who do not want to travel with them. If you would like the LOC to print your poster for you, you must email a PDF copy of the poster to sdOB12meeting@gmail.com by Monday, May 12, at 13:00 UTC. All posters received after this time must be printed and brought to the conference by the delegates themselves. Unfortunately, there are no exceptions to this deadline. Delegates bringing their own posters may leave them at the registration desk when checking in at Wildacres on May 19.

All poster presenters will give a ~2-minute “lightning talk” advertising their work. If possible, poster lightning talks should be sent via email to sdOB12meeting@gmail.com by Friday, May 16, as an attachment or as a link to a file-sharing site. However, we understand some delegates might need more time to finish their lightning talks while traveling. As such, the absolute deadline for uploading your lightning talk is 24 hours before the talk begins. If you do not send us separate slides for your lightning talk, we will display your poster PDF on the screen during your lightning talk. 

Acceptable formats for poster lightning talks include the following: PDF (.pdf; highly preferred), PowerPoint (.pptx; highly preferred), Keynote (.key; will be played through iCloud and may be slow if large), and Google Slides (make public, share link). Regardless of the format, we recommend also uploading a PDF version of your presentation to avoid any potential formatting issues when using the conference laptop. Please use your last name (surname) at the beginning of the filename (e.g. BARLOW_lightningtalk.pdf,  BARLOW_poster.pdf, etc.). We recommend using widescreen (16:9) or standard (4:3) aspect ratios.

Thanks, and see you soon!

Brad

on behalf of the sdOB12 LOC

Dear sdOB12 Delegates,

This message is being sent to delegates who are presenting a regular, in-person talk at sdOB12. A separate message is being sent to those presenting virtual talks or posters/lightning talks. Please read all of the information below regarding upcoming deadlines and instructions for talk presenters:

The latest draft of the science program is available on the conference website. All program times are listed in Eastern Daylight Time (=UTC−04:00). Delegates should locate their assigned talk slot (designated with a "T") and be prepared to present at that time. Please note that we might continue to make small changes to the program between now and May 19. 

There will be an allowance of 20 minutes per talk, including 2-3 minutes for questions. All presentations will be given using the same conference laptop. We will provide a presentation clicker/laser pointer and handheld microphone. 

If possible, talks should be sent via email to sdOB12meeting@gmail.com by Friday, May 16, as an attachment or as a link to a file-sharing site. However, we understand some delegates might need more time to finish their talks while traveling, and others might want to make small adjustments to their talks during the conference. The absolute deadline for sending your talk is 24 hours before your talk begins. 

Acceptable formats for talks include the following: PDF (.pdf; highly preferred), PowerPoint (.pptx; highly preferred), Keynote (.key; will be played through iCloud and may be slow if file is large), and Google Slides (make public, share link). Regardless of the format, we recommend also uploading a PDF version of your presentation to avoid any potential formatting issues when using the conference laptop. Please use your last name at the beginning of the filename (e.g. KILKENNY_talk.pdf, KILKENNY_talk.pptx). We recommend using widescreen (16:9) or standard (4:3) aspect ratios for your slides.

Thanks, and see you all soon!

-Brad

on behalf of the sdOB12 LOC

The latest draft of the science program is available on the conference website. Delegates should locate their assigned poster lightning talk slot and be prepared to present at that time (designated with a "P"). Please note that we might continue to make small changes to the program between now and May 19. Posters will be on display all week and primarily viewed during coffee breaks. There are no assigned times during which presenters must be standing at their posters.

Physical, printed posters will be attached to boards that are 48” (121.9 cm) x 36” (91.4 cm (landscape aspect ratio 4:3 or portrait aspect ratio 3:4). Posters should not be printed on an area larger than this. The LOC has funds to print posters on behalf of delegates who do not want to travel with them. If you would like the LOC to print your poster for you, you must email a PDF copy of the poster to sdOB12meeting@gmail.com by Monday, May 12, at 13:00 UTC. All posters received after this time must be printed and brought to the conference by the delegates themselves. Unfortunately, there are no exceptions to this deadline. Delegates bringing their own posters may leave them at the registration desk when checking in at Wildacres on May 19.

All poster presenters will give a ~2-minute “lightning talk” advertising their work. If possible, poster lightning talks should be sent via email to sdOB12meeting@gmail.com by Friday, May 16, as an attachment or as a link to a file-sharing site. However, we understand some delegates might need more time to finish their lightning talks while traveling. As such, the absolute deadline for uploading your lightning talk is 24 hours before the talk begins. If you do not send us separate slides for your lightning talk, we will display your poster PDF on the screen during your lightning talk. 

Acceptable formats for poster lightning talks include the following: PDF (.pdf; highly preferred), PowerPoint (.pptx; highly preferred), Keynote (.key; will be played through iCloud and may be slow if large), and Google Slides (make public, share link). Regardless of the format, we recommend also uploading a PDF version of your presentation to avoid any potential formatting issues when using the conference laptop. Please use your last name (surname) at the beginning of the filename (e.g. BARLOW_lightningtalk.pdf,  BARLOW_poster.pdf, etc.). We recommend using widescreen (16:9) or standard (4:3) aspect ratios.

Yes (but none following the German Beer Purity Law of 1516...our apologies). Wildacres itself does not serve any form of alcohol. However, the LOC will provide beer and wine throughout the week.

Since the sdOB12 venue is isolated and far from any cites or towns, the LOC will plan on-site social programming events for each day of the conference. Additionally, the LOC will plan an excursion to Linville Falls on the fourth day of the conference (Friday, May 23rd). Delegates are also encouraged to bring books, games, musical instruments (there are some pianos on-site), and anything else they'd like to keep them entertained on the mountain throughout the week.

1006 meters (~3300 feet).