Know Before You Go

The 2022 Ocean Sciences Meeting will go live on 23 February 2022 and you will be able to view the schedule, preview presentations and get ready to attend the meeting at that time.  The deadline for presenters to upload and/or edit their presentations was extended to 11:59pm EST 21 February 2022 thus delaying the program going live.

What to Know Before You Go!

Please read through the information below, check your Zoom settings, and enjoy the 2022 Ocean Sciences Meeting (OSM 2022).  The program goes live on Monday, 21 February.  OSM starts this week with Town Halls and Workshops on Thursday and Friday.

We look forward to your participation in OSM 2022. Below is information that we hope will enhance your experience. Additional information and the full schedule are available on the meeting website.

OSM will be hosted on the OpenWater software platform which uses Zoom for all program events. Gather is the platform that will be used for breaks and networking.  Training Information is available on the meeting website.  Please view specific training videos below to learn more:

Accessing the Meeting

The conference is hosted on a Zoom virtual event platform through OpenWater.  Please visit http://zoom.us/test and click on join before the meeting to test if your computer is compatible with Zoom.  To access the meeting, please follow the instructions below:

  1. Access the platform via Ocean Sciences Meeting 2022.  It can be accessed from all browsers but we recommend Google Chrome for the best experience.
  2. Select Log In in the top right-hand corner.
  3. In the window below, enter the email address you used to register for the meeting.  This is extremely important and is the only way you can access the meeting.  Ensure that you are signing in with the same email address that  you registered with.  If you are having trouble, click on “Having Trouble?” below the login prompt.
  4. Once you have entered your email address, you will receive a message from noreply@secure-platform.com.  This is an added security step which provides a link that takes you back into the website as a fully logged in user.  If you don’t receive this message, check your spam or junk folders and then contact  meetings@aslo.org.

Pre-conference Activities

Workshops and town halls will be held on Thursday, 24 February and Friday, 25 February.  Unless there is a stated limit to attending, you may attend any workshop or town hall.  Access to all activities is included in the registration fee.

Conference Schedule

The conference officially opens on Monday, 28 February and closes 4 March.  All times shown on the schedule are US EASTERN STANDARD TIME.

Conference Presentations

Oral and poster presentations have been pre-recorded and are available for previewing.  You can watch them at any time. For more inclusive context, it can be advantageous to view a prerecording for a session you want to attend. Live sessions will be one hour each and there will be up to six 5-minute overviews of the presenter’s full presentation followed by a discussion period.  You can participate in the live discussion by video or via the chat function in Zoom.

Navigating the Program

After you log in, you can access the schedule. This will allow you to review the sessions and create a personal schedule by adding events to your calendar.  Please note that you can change the time zone shown at the top of the program to match your time zone.

In the schedule you will see:

  • Tabs for each day
  • Headings for each time slot.  All times are noted in Eastern Time and you can change to accommodate your time zone by clicking Change next to the time zone shown.
  • Title of each session
  • View details button to join the session.  When you click on the view details button you will see the time and date of the sessions, title of the session, list of presenters and a Join Session button.  Once you click on the Join Session button, you will be prompted to open Zoom.
  • To view the prerecorded sessions, just visit the session detail page. The recording will be above the session description.
  • You only have to log in each day if you change devices.

Navigating the Poster Gallery

Posters are available throughout the meeting.  To access the gallery and posters, click on the poster gallery menu item or tile and you will see:

  • Title of each poster
  • Poster preview.  To see more details, select View Details or Open Poster
  • Poster abstract
  • Link to view poster
  • Note:  You can contact the poster presenter and set up a time to discuss the poster in a chat session.

Poster presenters will be available for questions and answers during their poster session.

Zoom Tips

  • If possible, use Google Chrome.
  • You should be muted unless you are speaking
  • You may want to keep your video off if you are experiencing connection issues
  • Use the chat feature to ask questions or contact the convener.  Please be respectful in your comments.

Exhibit Hall

We have some wonderful exhibitors who are supporting this meeting and interested in visiting with you.

Exhibits are open throughout the conference, including during the breaks.  Each one will post times that they are available via chat.

To access the exhibit hall, select Exhibit Hall from the menu (or click its tile) and you will see each exhibitor’s logo, name, a brief description and its chat schedule.

By clicking on View Details, you will enter the booth and see the exhibitor information.  You can also watch an introductory video and enter into chat. Exhibitors will also be available during the breaks as you enter through Gather.  See below.

Networking Opportunities and Chatting with other participants

You can communicate with other participants via the chat function.  Select Launch Chat from the menu.  The first time you access Chat, you will be asked to set up your profile.  Follow the steps for adding your name and other details.  If you provide permission, you can upload a photo and allow your information to be placed in the attendee directory.  Click the save button and you are ready to chat!

In the main chat room, you will first enter a default chat room and on the left will be a list of available chats and a list of helpful chat tools.

To chat, you’ll see the chat bar across the bottom of the chat window.  If you click on close chat, the chat will remain closed until someone else chats.  To leave the chat permanently, use Leave Chat.

The Attendee Directory is browsable and searchable for locating attendees, presenters and exhibitors.  Pending chat requests allows you to accept or decline requests.

Gather’s OSM area is open from 9:00 am EST to the end of the scheduled conference events and can also be used for networking.

Scheduled Breaks

OSM 2022 will be using Gather as a way to network and meet other attendees during breaks and some special events (Mentoring Room and Rainbow Reception).

Gather uses a spatial chat model that allows users to walk around, join and leave conversations, interact with a 2D world, and move with full control over their own experience.

Unlike classic video conferencing, in a Gather map you can grab a friend and find a nook for a quick one-to-one conversation, join a table (or a campfire, or hop on a boat, depending on the map theme) with a couple of dozen people, sit in the audience of a full presentation (while chatting about the content with the people next to you), or anything in between.

Spatial, or proximity, video chat is based on the idea that you have an avatar which can be moved around a virtual space. When close to other people in the space you can have a conversation with them, or you can move away to end a conversation. There are various interactive features such as embedded web pages and games, video content, or even just the ability to explore the map for the event.

Of course when exploring you can expect serendipitous encounters with friends and colleagues as you wander.

Information, including Gather map and instructions, will be available on the website once OSM 2022 goes live.

Getting Help

There will be student volunteers and technical staff monitoring all rooms and events.  The quickest way to get help is to chat with the support technicians through the blue bubble icon in the bottom right-hand corner.  Use the chat bubble to contact OpenWater, as they are not available via email.   Your question will be sent to our dedicated technical support staff.

If you have other questions, contact Sue Rulla at suer@sgmeet.com.

Conduct at OSM 2022

As with an in-person meeting, all participants should be respectful of each other, including through Zoom chat and social media comments.  As a participant, you agreed to the OSM Code of Conduct and it is available on the meeting website.  If you have concerns, reference the Safe OSM program found on the website.

If you are in a situation in which you feel uncomfortable or threatened,  please reach out to Safe OSM immediately via safe@agu.org.  All inquiries are confidential.

You can also contact OSM staff or members of the Program Committee.  They are listed on the website, Program Committee - ASLO.

Most of all, enjoy the meeting!

 

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