News:
Geoethics & Groundwater Management
Online Congress
18-22 May 2020
Facing the COVID-19 pandemic, the Portuguese public health authority and the Government emitted directives and legislation that drastically restrict mobility, meetings, closure of education installations and non-essential activities, ordered home confinement and working online when possible. This made it impossible to proceed with the IAH+IAPG GEOETH&GWM’20 as a presential Congress.
The Organizing Committee anticipated the inevitability of the situation days before. Taking in consideration all options and under the motto "THE SCIENCE MUST GO ON", it was decided, as announced immediately in the congress website, to:
A) Keep the Congress.
B) Convert it into a 100% online Congress.
C) Reduce fees drastically.
D) Keep the date of 18-22 May 2020.
E) Keep and reinforce the editorial project to publish the Book of Proceedings by Springer.
F) Keep the Congress website with updated general information: https://geoeth-gwm2019.wixsite.com/porto
G) Setup a web platform to manage and run the new online Congress sessions with all accepted presentations and full dignity: geoeth-gwm2020.exordo.com
As a result of this new major update, we call your attention to the following:
1) The call for “last minute” extended abstracts is extended to 15 April 2020.
2) Delegates will not travel to Porto. We are very sorry for possible inconveniences in previous arrangements in travel and accommodation.
3) Authors will keep the chance to publish their peer reviewed extended abstracts in the book of Proceedings to be published in the ASTI series of Springer and to present their valued work at the now online Congress. In addition, after the conference the authors will be invited to submit, during 2020/2021, a full paper in Special Issue Springer Journal (https://geoeth-gwm2019.wixsite.com/porto/publications).
4) The foreseen thematic sessions will now be launched online along the week of 18 to 22 May 2020 including all received presentations. A full schedule will be posted in the Congress website.
5) The access to the online Congress sessions is granted and exclusive to registrants for an extended period of time so that all have the possibility to watch all Sessions at their most convenient time and place, even more than once. Registered viewers will have the opportunity to interact in differed time with the authors for questioning and clarifying any question, as usual in conferences.
6) Congress presentations keep being oral, poster and keynotes. All are based in the usual MS PowerPoint tool and must have added a voice narration as if they were presented live.
7) For harmonization, a mandatory template must be used, one for oral, one for poster, and another one for keynotes.
8) Specifications and instructions on how to use the MS. PowerPoint tool for image +text +sound (voice narration) are included in the respective PowerPoint templates.
9) The completed MS. PowerPoint Slideshow in autonomous run must have a maximum time of presentation of 3 minutes for poster communications, of 10 minutes for oral presentations and 25 minutes for keynotes. Please do no not exceed this limit.
10) Upon reception, MS. PowerPoint Slideshows produced by authors will be converted by the Congress staff in video mode for online visualization. Please do not convert by yourself.
11) The templates will be available for download in the Ex Ordo platform. Use yours according to an oral, poster or keynote presentation.
12) When completed you will upload your PowerPoint Slideshow (*.ppt or *.pptx in file extension) with your narration also in the Ex Ordo platform.
13) A non-extendable deadline for upload will be announced in the website, probably around 30 April 2020.
14) Delegates who already payed their fees before the new reduced fees were implemented will have a full refund of overpaid values according to the new table. As you may understand, due to all changes and the fact that we all, including Accountant, are working from home, may cause some delay. We are committed to act ethically and shortly.
15) Prior to 18 May 2020, registrants will have access to an e-booklet of the Congress containing all short abstracts, the planned schedule and all relevant information concerning the Congress.
16) Following the Congress, all registrants will receive by e-mail a Certificate of Participation mentioning own role.
17) The Organizing Committee succeeded to obtain to registrants and authors an extraordinary bonus of 40% discount to buy the hardcover and e-Book of Proceedings from the Springer Publisher (https://www.springer.com/series/15883).
18) To benefit all these features of the Congress, please complete your payment until 4 May 2020. When paying later some benefits may not be available.
Closing remarks
When the Organizing Committee decided to keep the Congress and convert it online, our thoughts were completely focused on the interest of all in the Groundwater related communities that had already trusted and involved.
It was not an easy decision. However, we Hydrogeologists are used to great challenges and know how to develop opportunities from difficult situations. Ongoing compromises had to be closed with minimum loss, new tasks suddenly jumped out of nothing to be accomplished in a short time. We believe in our skills, stay firm and move ahead in the defence of the security of all in these troubled times when survival of the individual and the society takes almost all attention under the menace of COVID-19.
We believe in each one of you and how you consider the conclusions of the IAH+IAPG Geoethics & Groundwater Management Congress so important as a major contribution to protect groundwater in the future.
This is your Congress. We are confident you will respond with courage and determination, as we noticed with the high-quality of the majority of extended abstracts and for sure in shaping a landmark book of proceedings to be published by Springer.
After all, we hydrogeologists are used to great challenges and know-how to develop opportunities from difficult situations.
This Congress will also be unique. We will see a first proposal to the science and knowledge community for a new transdisciplinary geoscience: HYDROGEOETHICS. It is emerging from groundwater science, technology, law, social sciences, arts, culture to support geoethical management of sustainable water resources, in the premise that groundwater is the main liquid freshwater in the planet that we need daily, everywhere.
As final words, the Organizing Committee thanks all authors from all continents coming from so many scientific and humanistic fields of knowledge that revealed their dedication to groundwater by submitting their extraordinary and insightful contributions. The transdisciplinary approach of groundwater is shaping in this conference its highest profile ever reached.
The IAH and IAPG under which we organize the Congress, and the many national and international supporting organizations that contributed to the dissemination of the Conference deserve a respectful thank.
Our appreciation is extended to the members of the Scientific Committee that dedicated their competence and time to a thorough scientific review (sometimes with 2nd round reviews) in improving the overall quality of the contributions and respecting the high-standards of Springer. A large part of the quality of scientific contributions to Congress is due to them.
Last but not the least, our deep recognition to the President of the Portuguese Republic that kindly grant his High Patronage. We believe this is due to the well-founded hope that the merits and achievements of all participants will make this Congress a landmark in Groundwater Science and Geoethics through innovative “theory and practice for sustainable development” with Hydrogeoethics.
Keep safe !
Warmest Regards,
Manuel J. F. G. Abrunhosa
President of the Portuguese Chapter of the IAH
Chair of the GEOETH&GWM’20 congress
Member of the IAPG Board of Experts
Congress website:
https://geoeth-gwm2019.wixsite.com/porto
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IAPG - International Association for Promoting Geoethics
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