Workshop/Presenter Policies

The following policies are primarily developed to apply to presenters, sessions, and speakers involved in the Conference for the Advancement of Science Teaching (CAST). However, these polices may be adapted and applied to additional STAT events, workshops, and delivery of educational content through other programming developed by STAT.

CAST Speaker/Presenter Categories

CAST typically features multiple presenter (also called speakers) and session types, as noted below:

Keynote/General Session Speakers: Professional speaker during general session, generally not tied to a specific content area; focused on motivational or general education. Typically contracted with individual agreement that outlines expectations and compensation. It is not required or expected that a person contracted to keynote should register for CAST as an attendee. Featured speakers are provided with a complimentary registration to CAST.
Featured Speaker: Indicates a speaker invited by STAT to present at CAST; typically a well-known/respected name in a content area, pedagogy, or relevant topic. Typically contracted with individual agreement that outlines expectations and concessions that may or may not include compensation. Featured speakers are provided with a complimentary registration to CAST.
Breakout Session Presenters/Co-Presenters: Typically selected from submissions received during the general call for proposals process and are vetted and scored by a volunteer committee. Representatives from exhibiting companies are eligible to submit proposals and may be selected to present; however, breakout sessions are required to be noncommercial and there will be a limit on the number of sessions presented by a company selected through this process. If a presenter works in any capacity for an exhibiting company that sells to science educators, this information must be disclosed. Presenters in this type of session, regardless of role, must be registered for CAST as an attendee or with a company formally participating with CAST.
Affiliate Strand Presenter: STAT Affiliate organizations provide an important part of CAST content. Affiliate Strand presenters lead sessions that are vetted and selected solely by a STAT affiliate group for inclusion in the CAST program as part of an Affiliate Strand. Guidelines for the numbers of sessions allowed by each Affiliate depends on event type and schedule. Presenters in this type of session must be registered for CAST as an attendee or with a company formally participating with CAST.
Sponsor/Vendor Presenter: Certain commercial presentations are approved to present at CAST through a sponsorship and/or vendor suite agreement. Presenters in this type of session, regardless of role, must be registered for CAST as an attendee or with a company formally participating with CAST.

Workshop Sessions and Presenter Policies & Guidelines

The following policies apply to CAST Workshop Sessions and Presenters that are selected through the general call for proposals process. Some of the policies noted below are not applicable to sessions offered through the approved Affiliate strands, contracted vendor suites, and/or invited and contracted featured speaker sessions. Failure to abide by these policies may lead to corrective action being taken, up to and including being removed from CAST and prohibited from future STAT events.

General Presenter Policies

All sessions, regardless of type, must identify one individual or designee to serve as the lead presenter or designed to be the single point of contact. Correspondence, including scheduling, deadlines, and additional information, will be sent to the lead presenter, as well as co-presenters when possible. It is still the responsibility of the lead presenter to ensure co-presenters are informed and prepared for their session(s).
All CAST presenters (including co-presenters) are required to register for CAST as attendees or be registered with an exhibiting company as part of the booth staff by a date set and specified each year. Failure to register by the deadline may result in the removal of your presentation from the final program. Unless otherwise specified by Board action, due to the size of the conference and number of workshops, presenters do not receive a complimentary or discounted registration.
Registered exhibitors are not required to register as attendees in order to present. Exhibitor registration will allow you into your scheduled session; however, you will not have access to attend other presentations. If you would like to attend other presentations, you must register as an attendee.
Individuals presenting as part of an Affiliate strand must be registered for CAST or be registered as an exhibitor with the affiliate booth in the Exhibit Hall. If registration is secured through the affiliate booth rather than a full conference registration, presenters will not have access to attend other presentations. In order to attend other presentations, presenters must register as an attendee.
By policy, STAT does not allow students under the age of 18 to register for or attend CAST. All students 18 or older are responsible for registering for CAST. Presenters may include students under 18 in a workshop presentation as long as the following conditions are met:
- A maximum of three student co-presenters are permitted.
- Student names will not be published in the program, and the student must be accompanied by a registered adult chaperone at all times.
- While there is no fee for student presenters, students under the age of 18 are not permitted in the Exhibit Hall or presentation sessions in which they are not presenting.
- It is the lead presenter's responsibility to email presenters@statweb.org to inform STAT that a minor and/or student is co-presenting and will be required to complete special paperwork before attending CAST.

Commercial Activity Policies

All sessions, excluding those designated as vendor/sponsor sessions by separate contract, must be non-commercial in nature. Specifically, this means information provided in a session can be accessed and used by attendees without the purchase of any materials or products. The presentation cannot be a sales pitch or a product showcase.
Direct promotion and/or sale of a speaker’s product, service, or monetary interest, including Teachers Pay Teachers, is prohibited outside of the Exhibit Hall or areas specifically designated by STAT.
Formal, wholesale collection of any attendee information, including, but not limited to, names, email addresses, and phone numbers, is prohibited outside of a presenting company’s exhibit space and/or other area determined acceptable by STAT.
Commercial vendors accepted for a breakout session presentation are highly encouraged to present with a practitioner.
Any presenting company or organization with commercial or financial interest in engaging with STAT members must be represented at the event as an exhibitor and/or sponsor of the event. For more information about how you can become a sponsor or exhibitor, contact exhibits@statweb.org.
Failure to abide by these non-selling policies may lead to corrective action being taken, up to and including being removed from CAST and prohibited from future STAT events.

Presentation & Session Policies

Applicable for both IN-PERSON and VIRTUAL/RECORDED SESSIONS

Any presenter session may be featured in event marketing (e.g., social media posts, videos, and other promotional items). STAT staff may contact you for further marketing information.
CAST speakers shall not defame, slander, or libel any person, firm, or corporation, and shall not denigrate STAT, its programs, members, or representatives in any manner.
All presenters confirm, to the best of their knowledge, that all materials and content presented does not violate any proprietary or personal rights of others (including any copyright, trademark, and privacy rights), is factually accurate, and contains nothing defamatory or otherwise unlawful. All presenters confirm they have the authority to enter into the presenter agreement and have obtained all necessary permissions or licenses from any individuals or organizations whose material is included or used in the presentation.
All presenters must adhere to STAT’s Board-approved Conference Safety Regulations and Practices.
All presentation materials or supplies are the responsibility of the presenter; reimbursements for materials or supplies will not be awarded to presenters.
All presenters will be recognized in CAST program listings and will receive a complimentary T-shirt. Please note supplies are limited and sizing is not guaranteed.

IN-PERSON SESSIONS, additional considerations

Due to association liability and fire marshal regulations, STAT must be notified of any unusual activities you may have planned (within the approved safety policies). STAT reserves the right to deem certain activities inappropriate. If you are in doubt, please email presenters@statweb.org.
Rooms are equipped with an LCD projector, a screen, HDMI connection cords, access to general conference WiFi, and one wired, lectern microphone. Computers, computer sound, laptop audio connections, computer dongles, and specialized adaptors/connection cords are not supplied. Dedicated Internet bandwidth for presentations is not provided.

RECORDED/VIRTUAL SESSIONS, additional considerations

If a session is pre-recorded, presenters agree to adhering to the guidelines and timelines provided by STAT, including the deadlines set, the technical specifications required, the specified minimum length of the session, and the specific number of presenters determined by the platform capabilities.
If appropriate, presenters may be asked to agree to participate in a live broadcast of the pre-recoded session by moderating a live chat with attendees on the day/time of the broadcast, according to the CAST schedule. All presenters confirm they have the authority and grant permission for STAT to audio/video record the presentation, and to reproduce and distribute the presentation, including handouts and related materials provided by the presenter.
All presenters confirm that they have the authority to and do grant STAT and its agents, licensees, and employees a nonexclusive, worldwide, perpetual, royalty free license to use, reproduce, modify, and distribute the content and intellectual property in connection with the program via any digital, electronic, or print medium in connection with its distribution of the online courses/materials.
All presenters understand that while presenters maintain intellectual property of the content presented and use of any original video submitted, STAT will be the sole copyright owner of the recording once branded as part of the STAT event and/or a recording created by STAT and has the authority to distribute and sell it, along with any supporting materials, as part of the event and through other agreed upon uses. Upon request, STAT will provide presenters with one complimentary copy of the branded recording, however, presenters agree not to sell, distribute, stream, or otherwise use the branded or STAT created recording in any way other than for personal, archival use, except with the prior written consent of STAT.
All presenters grant STAT and its agents, licensees, and employees a nonexclusive, worldwide, perpetual, royalty-free license to publish, reproduce, or otherwise use their name, picture, likeness, comments, and voice for any lawful purpose in all media in connection with the program, and any agreed upon future use of the recording.