2013 Oklahoma EPSCoR Annual State Conference

Tuesday, April 23, 2013 - 8:30am - 4:00pm

Online registration for this event is now closed.
Access the Abstract Booklet

Researchers from across the state will gather to highlight Oklahoma’s bioenergy research efforts during the Oklahoma EPSCoR Annual State Conference on Tuesday, April 23, 2013. The event will be held at the Wes Watkins Conference Center on the Oklahoma State University campus in Stillwater.

EPSCoR biofuel researchers from the three research focus areas--feedstock development, microbial conversion and thermochemical conversion--will share research updates and progress with conference attendees throughout the morning sessions.

In the afternoon, a scientific poster session and hybrid poster/oral presentation competition will also spotlight research progress in the alternative energy field. More than 40 research posters are expected to be on display at the conference. The scientific poster session is open to all participants. However, the hybrid poster/oral presentation competition is only open to undergraduate and graduate students associated with the EPSCoR research program.

Scheduled Speakers:

Brent Kisling, Executive Director, Enid Regional Development Alliance
"Bio-Refinery Ground Breaking"

Stephen McKeever, Oklahoma Secretary of Science and Technology
"Energy R&D in the State of Oklahoma"

Yanqi Wu, Associate Professor, Dept. of Plant & Soil Science, Oklahoma State University
"Do We Know Switchgrass Better in Genetics and Breeding?"

Kiran Mysore, Professor, Plant Biology Division, Samuel Roberts Noble Foundation
“Biotechnological Approaches to Improve Switchgrass Production”

Ralph Tanner, Professor, Dept. of Botany & Microbiology, University of Oklahoma
"Conversion of Syngas to Alcohols by Microbial Catalysts"

Mostafa Elshahed, Associate Professor, Dept. of Microbiology & Molecular Genetics, Oklahoma State University
"Evaluating the Utility of Anaerobic Fungi in Cellulosic Biofuel Production Schemes"

Ajay Kumar, Assistant Professor, Biosystems & Agricultural Engineering, Oklahoma State University
“Cleaning Biomass-Generated Syngas: Is Biochar a Cheaper Alternative to Expensive Catalysts?”

Steven Crossley, Assistant Professor, School of Chemical, Biological & Materials Engineering, University of Oklahoma
"Catalyst Design & Reaction Strategies for the Optimization of Liquid Products from Biomass Pyrolysis"

Laura Bartley, Assistant Professor, Department of Botany & Microbiology, University of Oklahoma,
"Unveiling Grass-Diverged Aspects of Cell Wall Synthesis"

Sohi Rastegar, Program Director, ENG/CBET, EFRI, National Science Foundation

The complete event agenda may be accessed here.
Photos from the event may be accessed via our Flickr account here.

Bioenergy investigators from Oklahoma and nearby states, EPSCoR external advisory board members and program officers from federal granting agencies are invited to attend the event, which is hosted by Oklahoma EPSCoR, Oklahoma State Regents for Higher Education, and the National Science Foundation.

There is no cost to attend, but registration is required. Online registration for this event is closed.

Conference Location:

Oklahoma State University
Wes Watkins Conference Center
810 W. Hall of Fame Blvd. (Corner of Hall of Fame Blvd. & Washington St.)
Stillwater, OK 74078
Driving directions

Parking Information:

Parking passes will be mailed to attendees who register for the event by April 5.
Access the parking map

Deadline for poster registration and abstract submission: April 5, 2013

All conference attendees are invited to submit abstracts and participate in a scientific poster session during the conference. The deadline for abstract submission is April 5, 2013 (8 a.m.). Walk-ins will be accommodated if space allows, on a first-come first-served basis.

Important: Based on your computer's security settings, a warning may appear when you open the abstract submission form file. If this occurs, you must open the warning and click the "enable macros" button to activate all form fields of the document. Macros must be enabled for the form to work properly.

Abstract Preparation Guidelines

Microsoft Word files only (.doc or .docx)
Abstracts will not be edited for content. Authors should double-check for typographical or grammatical errors prior to submitting.
300 words maximum
1” margins (top/right/left/bottom)
Arial 12 pt font
Set line spacing at 1.5 for all text
Align left and justify all text
Title in bold/all caps
List all authors’ names and affiliations under title (double space between title and authors); underline the name of the primary poster presenter.
Save the file name as LastName_FirstName.doc (i.e. If your name is John Smith, the file name will be “Smith_John.doc”)

Poster Information

40” wide X 36” tall (larger posters not accepted)
Presenters should bring their own attachment materials (velcro, tacks, etc.)

Abstract Submission & Registration Instructions

The deadline for submitting abstracts, abstract forms and completing online registration is April 5, 2013, at 8 a.m.

Complete the abstract submission form. Be sure to indicate your research category and your intent to participate/not participate in the student hybrid oral/poster competition.
Carefully review the abstract preparation guidelines, which are outlined above and on the form.
Submit your completed abstract submission form, along with your abstract, to [email protected]. (Both documents must be in MS Word format and per instructions above.)
Register for the conference online prior to the April 5 deadline via the link at the bottom of this page.

Access detailed student hybrid poster/oral competition rules and guidelines

Undergraduate and graduate students who are performing research that is funded under the current OK EPSCoR RII award are invited to participate in a hybrid poster/oral presentation competition that will be held during the OK EPSCoR Annual State Conference on April 23, 2013, at the Wes Watkins Center in Stillwater.

The competition will include the three OK EPSCoR RII Award’s bioenergy research focus areas: (1) feedstock development, (2) microbial conversion and (3) chemical conversion. A maximum of 25 students may register to participate in the competition.

The competition will begin at ~1 p.m. on April 23rd with oral presentations. Each participant will be given a maximum of three minutes to provide a clear and engaging overview of their poster to the conference audience. The three-minute presentation should be supported by a maximum of five PowerPoint slides. A PowerPoint template, which must be followed explicitly, will be provided to participants via email after they have submitted their abstracts and abstract forms to Gina Miller at [email protected]. All participants must use the provided template and are not to exceed the five-slide limit; photos and still graphics are allowed, but animation is not. Any variance from these guidelines will disqualify the participant. Access detailed rules and instructions.

The final aspect of the competition is a judged, scientific poster session. Maximum poster dimensions: 40” wide x 36” tall. Larger posters will not be accepted.

First, second, and third place winners will be awarded distinguished plaques. The first and second place winners will receive travel funding to present their winning posters at the 2013 EPSCoR National Conference. Students must participate in both the oral presentation and poster session to qualify for an award.

Student Competition Registration/Participation Steps

Detailed student competition rules and guidelines will be posted soon.

Access the abstract submission form HERE. Fill the form out completely. Be sure to indicate your research category and your commitment to participate in the competition on your form.
Submit your completed abstract submission form, along with your abstract that has been prepared per the established guidelines, to [email protected] in MS Word format prior to the April 5th deadline.
After submitting both your abstract and abstract submission form, you will receive (via email from Gina Miller) the required oral presentation slide template. The template will be emailed to you within 42 hours if your files are submitted Monday-Thursday. Friday and weekend submitters will receive the file on the following Monday. Students should be aware of these template delivery guidelines when budgeting their time to meet the April 10 slide submission deadline. Contact [email protected] if you have not received the file within the time noted above.
Register for the conference online via the link below by April 5.
IMPORTANT! YOU MUST REGISTER FOR THE CONFERENCE ONLINE IN ADDITION TO SUBMITTING YOUR ABSTRACT AND POSTER SESSION FORM VIA EMAIL.
Submit your presentation slides, per the rules and provided template, to Gina Miller at [email protected] no later than April 10. (Late submissions or presentations outside of the approved template and slide count will not be accepted.)

Designated Conference Hotel

Atherton Hotel at Oklahoma State University
H103 Student Union, Stillwater, OK 74078
(Located near the corner of University Boulevard and Hester Street)

The designated conference hotel is the Atherton Hotel at Oklahoma State University. The Atherton is located inside the OSU Student Union. Reservations may be made by calling the hotel directly at 405.744.6835 and requesting a room within the EPSCoR rooming block for a guaranteed rate of $93/night. Rooms will be available at this rate until March 21st or when the room block has been filled.

Hotel Deadline: March 21, 2013
Hotel Reservations: Call 405.744.6835
Hotel Driving directions

For more information about this conference, contact Gina Miller, outreach coordinator, at [email protected] or 405.744.7645.