CPTSC Conference

Submission Deadline:  May 1, 2012

Conference Theme: Communities, Workplaces, and Technologies

Conference Dates: September 27-29, 2012

Conference Location: Michigan Technological University, Houghton, MI

The field of technical and scientific communication is defined by people, communities, contexts, practices, and technologies that affect written, oral and visual communication. The 2012 CPTSC conference theme targets the impact of communities and their practices, especially ethnic and cultural communities in the United States and abroad, on workplace communication and technologies. Moreover, we would like to explore the effects of such impact on programmatic objectives of the field of technical and scientific communication.

Topics:

Possible topics for proposals may include, but are not limited to,

• defining diversity in technical and scientific communication
• exploring issues of diversity and programmatic objectives in technical and scientific communication
• understanding the impact of technologies (social media and new communication tools)  on ethnic and cultural communities and pedagogy
• exploring issues of social justice, government policy, and programmatic objectives
• researching issues of ethnicity, culture, gender, sexual orientation, and workplace communication
• teaching technical and scientific communication in diverse colleges and universities
• using plain language as a way to address multiculturalism in the United States
• localizing/internationalizing documents and preparing content for translation in technical and scientific communication

Presentation Formats

The types of presentation proposal may include

• individual presentations: 5-7 minute presentation given by an individual speaker
• panel presentation: a session in which 3-6 individuals spend 20-30 minutes examining a central topic or theme
• poster session: a poster presentation that will be on display throughout the conference; presenters will discuss their ideas at a poster session during the conference

Submission Guidelines

Submit a 250-400 word proposal and include the following:

• the title of the individual or panel presentation (NOTE: For panel presentations, each presenters also needs to specify the title of his/her individual presentation.)
• the kind of presentation (i.e., individual presentation, panel presentation, or poster presentation)
• the name, affiliation, and contact email of the presenter for an individual presentation or all panelists

Contents of the proposal:

• Describe the topic of your proposed presentation or offer an overview of the panel (Note: Add individual descriptions for all panel presentations.).
• Explain how the chosen topic of the presentation or the panel responds to the theme of the conference.
• Discuss what attendees of your presentation can learn or gain from your presentation. This may be a list of discussion questions.

Submit your proposal as .rtf files attached to an email sent to cptsc2012@gmail.com<mailto:cptsc2012@gmail.com>. In the subject line, type "CPTSC 2012 Conference Proposal." All proposals undergo a rigorous peer review process.

You can submit several proposals to the conference. However, if accepted, each participant can present only one project.

If you have any questions, or would like a quick review of your proposal ahead of time, please email program chairs: Thomas Barker and Natalia Matveeva, cptsc2012@gmail.com.