Annual Meeting FAQ

The 2020 Annual Meeting will be held February 20 – 24, 2021, in Boston, Massachusetts, at the Boston Convention & Exhibition Center.

We are anticipating over 6,000 scientists and more than 150 exhibiting companies.

Register online and request a letter of invitation during the registration process. You may also send an email requesting a letter, along with your registration receipt, to [email protected].

 

 

 

For more information, click here.

The Mobile App and Desktop Planner will be available for your use in February. Check back for complete instructions on how to download the App and use the Planner.

Badges will not be mailed prior to the meeting, but are to be picked up on-site at the registration kiosks located in the Lobby of the Boston Convention & Exhibition Center. All registrants will receive an email containing a QR code one week prior to the meeting. Print this email and bring it with you to registration so that you can scan the QR code to print your badge. If you do not receive this email prior to the meeting, or you misplace it, you can bring your registration confirmation to obtain your badge.

Attendees may turn in items that are lost to the BPS Meeting Office. Items are stored in the Society’s safe in the Society Office. Please note that all items not picked up at the end of the meeting will be turned in to Boston Convention & Exhibition Center security.

Saturday             8:30 AM – 6:30 PM
Sunday               7:30 AM – 6:30 PM
Monday              7:30 AM – 9:00 PM
Tuesday             7:30 AM – 6:30 PM
Wednesday        7:30 AM – 3:30 PM

Attendees who have a disability or special need should indicate this by checking the appropriate box when registering with the Biophysical Society through the online system. A BPS staff member from the Meetings Department will contact you for further information to ensure appropriate accommodations while at the Meeting site.

Press may register in advance or on-site in the BPS Meeting Office.

Registration includes admission to all scientific sessions, subgroups, poster area, and exhibits; Biophysical Society Lecture and Awards Ceremony; programs for minorities, students, postdocs, and international attendees; printed daily schedule, desktop planner, mobile app, and social functions.

Located in the Lobby of the Boston Convention & Exhibition Center during the following times: 

 

Friday                             3:00 PM – 5:00 PM 

Saturday                         7:30 AM – 6:30 PM 

Sunday - Tuesday          7:30 AM – 5:00 PM 

Wednesday                    8:00 AM – 3:00 PM

You will be able to obtain one replacement badge at the onsite Registration counter in the lobby of the Boston Convention & Exhibition Center. Please note that there will be a $30 badge re-print fee. A photo ID is required. All subsequent requests for badge replacements will require the attendee to re-register for the meeting at the full on-site registration rate in the attendee's member category.

Meeting registrations are non-transferable. They are non-refundable after January 8, 2021. Refunds must be requested, in writing, no later than January 8, 2021. Also please note that all refunds are subject to a cancellation fee of $50. No refunds will be issued for requests made after January 8, 2021. Please note Combo Registrations (abstract submission and registration) are also non-refundable. 

If you have accidentally paid for the wrong registration category, please email [email protected] so that we can make the correction.  Please note that once processed, combo fees are non-refundable and non-transferable. Combo fees are only available to presenting authors at the time of abstract submission by the October 1, 2020 deadline. 

If you or your institution requires a receipt for past or present Society transactions, they may be obtained at the BPS Meeting Office. Be prepared to provide your name or Membership ID number, product purchased, and any information your institution requires (i.e. method of Payment, verification name or signature).

$75.00/$175.00 is the abstract fee only. The abstract payment did not include registration or dues payment. Registration fees must be paid separately.

Guest badges are available through the Biophysical Society’s online registration site when purchasing registration for the meeting. To purchase a guest badge on-site, visit the registration counters in the lobby of the Boston Convention & Exhibition Center.

There could be a number of reasons for this email: Attendee may not be a Society member yet he/she has paid the member registration rate. (Attendee would need to join and pay the membership fee or pay outstanding non-member balance.) Attendee has sponsored his/her own abstract, but is not a member or has not renewed his/her 2021 membership dues. (Attendee needs to join and pay membership fee or renew.) Attendee is either not a member or has not renewed his/her dues or his/her sponsor is not a member. (Attendee needs to join or have his/her sponsor join or renew for 2021.) Attendee is not a member and his/her sponsor is a student. (Attendee must join; students may sponsor their own abstract only.) Attendee has submitted more than one abstract. (Attendee must find another 2021 Regular or Early Career member to sponsor the other abstract(s).)

Please go to the BPS Meeting Office or the Society Help Desk (Lobby of the Boston Convention & Exhibition Center) and a staff member will provide one.

Unfortunately, meeting registrations are non-transferable.

No, you must register for the 2021 Biophysical Society Annual Meeting separately. Payment of an abstract fee does not include registration for the annual meeting. An abstract presenter must register as a member, nonmember, Early Career member, Early Career nonmember, student member, student nonmember, or Emeritus member. Registration for the annual meeting opens on July 1.

The abstract submission site will open on Wednesday, July 1 and close on Thursday, October 1, 2020, 11:59 PM, USA Eastern. All abstracts must be submitted online via the abstract submission web form. Submission by other methods (paper, e-mail, etc.) are not permitted.

A member ID is not required for abstract submissions. However, you will need to create a myBPS account and password, if you haven’t already done so.

Yes, however, your abstract must be sponsored by a current BPS member. Nonmembers may have a regular, early career, or emeritus member who is not submitting his/her own abstract sponsor the nonmember abstract. Alternatively, a nonmember may apply for membership at the time of submission and sponsor his/her own abstract and pre-register at the member rate.

Your abstract must be marked “complete” in order for it to be considered by the Program Committee. When you log into the abstract submission site, a “Complete” status next to your abstract title confirms that your abstract has been received and will be reviewed. An e-mail confirmation will be sent to the Presenting Author. The Presenting Author is responsible for notifying all authors about the abstract status.

Programming will be sent to the Presenting Author only via e-mail in late November (session information and individual presentation time and date for accepted abstracts). To ensure you receive all BPS correspondence, add [email protected] and [email protected] to your e-mail “safe senders” list.

Revisions for regular abstract submissions must be received by October 5, 2020, 11:59 PM EST. 

To make revisions to your abstract:

• Log into your myBPS account and return to the Annual Meeting abstract submission page. Click on the control number of the abstract you wish to edit. 
• Select the appropriate section on the left-hand margin to return to that portion of the submission site. In order to complete the section and save any changes, you must click the “Save and Continue” button at the bottom of the section. You will be directed to the “Review My Work” section.
• If all sections have a blue check mark  a message will appear that states, “This submission is complete.” Any abstract marked “Incomplete” will not be considered for programming until it has a “Complete” status.

No. All revisions and withdrawals must be made no later than October 5, 2020, 11:59 PM USA Eastern. No changes will be accepted after this date. Requests for abstract withdrawal must have been received in writing by the Biophysical Society via email: [email protected] from the presenting author’s email address. The presenting author's full name and abstract number must be included in the withdrawal request. All abstracts not withdrawn by this date will be published in the abstracts issue, regardless of changes.

No, you must register for the 2021 Biophysical Society Annual Meeting separately. Payment of an abstract fee does not include registration for the annual meeting. An abstract presenter must register as a member, nonmember, Early Career member, Early Career nonmember, student member, student nonmember, or Emeritus member. Registration for the annual meeting opens on July 1.

No, the abstract submission fee is non-refundable.

The deadline to change presenting authors on your abstract is October 5, 2020, 11:59 PM USA Eastern. After the combination abstract and registration fee has been processed, the registration cannot be transferred to the new presenting author. A combo registration is non-refundable and non-transferable.

Early abstracts (submitted by the October 1, 2020 deadline) are not peer-reviewed, but they are citable.  Early abstracts will be published online ONLY prior to the meeting and published as a supplement to the Biophysical Journal.  

 

Late abstracts are not considered published material and will only be searchable through the Mobile App and the Desktop Planner.

Poster boards are 6 feet (1.8 m) wide and 4 feet (1.2 m) high.

Yes. To have your poster presentation printed, packaged, and ready for pick-up on-site at the Boston Convention & Exhibition Center, see our poster printing guidelines and order through the online submission site of Tray, Inc., our preferred provider. Posters must be submitted 10 days prior to the beginning of the meeting to avoid late rush fees.

The Speaker Ready Room is available for all speakers to check their presentations and rectify any errors that may occur prior to presenting. Audiovisual technicians will be available during the hours listed below to answer any questions.

Saturday – Tuesday         8:00 AM – 6:30 PM 
Wednesday                      8:00 AM – 3:00 PM

BPS does not provide laptops. You must bring your own laptop, power supplies, and adapters. We also suggest you bring a back-up of your presentation on a USB drive, in case of any unforeseen problems.

Slide presentation should be in widescreen (16:9) presentation format.

Each poster board is 6’ wide x 4’ high. Plan your exhibit to fit this space. Typeface should be large enough to be read comfortably by interested attendees from distances of 4-5 feet (1.5 m).

No. Attendees must make their reservations through the BPS Official Housing Bureau: Convention Housing Partners, in order to take advantage of BPS contracted discounted rates.

Yes, by filling out the Room Sharing form you are able to find other attendees who are also looking to share a room. Please visit the room share page in order to complete the form. Please remember to remove your information once you have found a roommate.

The hotel deadline is February 1, 2021. However, to ensure that you get into the hotel of your choice it is recommended that you make your reservation as early as possible.

BPS does not provide shuttle buses to the Boston Convention & Exhibition Center. It is the responsibility of the attendees to make their own transportation arrangements.

The application deadline is October 5, 2020 Remember: You MUST submit an abstract by October 1 in order to be eligible for a Travel Award.

No. ALL parts of your application are due by the October 5 deadline – including your letter of recommendation! Start asking your advisers for references now, and be sure to read the award requirements so that you are prepared.

If you are applying for a travel award, you must submit an abstract by the October 1 abstract deadline. Students and scientists within 10 years of their terminal degree must be the presenting author. Applicants 10+ years beyond their terminal degree must be either presenting or senior author. You do not need to register prior to submitting a travel award application. However, you will need to register for the meeting in order to attend.

You should apply based on your career level as of October 1, 2020. In your case, you must apply as a graduate student.

All students and applicants within 10 years of their terminal degree MUST be the presenting author on their submitted abstract. Applicants 10+ years beyond their terminal degree may be either the presenting or senior author. If these conditions are not met, your application will not be accepted for judging.

Letters of recommendation can be emailed to [email protected]. Please ask your advisor to include your name and application number in the email subject line.

You may only apply for one Travel Award, but you can apply for a Travel Award as well as for Bridging Funds if you meet the requirements for both.

Processed status means that your application has met all of the requirements and has been put forward for review. You will receive notification about the outcome of your application via email by December 2, 2020.

Abstract submission fees and combo fees are non-refundable. If you wish to retract your registration, you will be refunded the registration fee, less a $50 cancellation fee, if your request has been received by the January 8, 2021 deadline and you did not pay the combo fee.

Because this is a travel award, recipients must travel to the meeting in order to receive the award. You may pick up your Travel Award check in person with photo identification at the Society Office in the Boston Convention & Exhibition Center after the scheduled award reception. Bridging Funds must also be picked up at the Society Office at the meeting.

If you win a travel award, you must attend the meeting in order to receive your award check. If you cannot attend, please let us know at [email protected] so that another applicant may be able to attend the meeting.

You will be notified on the outcome of your application via email by December 2, 2020. Be sure to check your spam folder if you don’t see the email.