Presenter FAQ

The Call for Proposals for CAST26, November 12–14 in Houston, is open through May 31.

Submit your proposal using the Call for Proposals Submission Form if you are submitting as an individual educator/presenter or group.

Do not use this form if:

• You are submitting on behalf of a STAT Affiliate
• You are submitting on behalf of a sponsor or exhibitor that has purchased a Premium or Supporting Sponsorship

Instructions for those groups will be sent separately by the STAT team.

Although you may submit as many sessions as you like, STAT's general policy is to accept no more than two sessions per presenter.

During the proposal creation process, you will have the opportunity to save your work and return to edit it later. After you save an in-progress proposal, you will receive a confirmation email containing login instructions for returning to complete your work. Follow these instructions to log in to the Proposal Service Center to finish your proposal.

Once you submit your proposal for review by the Proposal Review Committee, you cannot make any changes. If your session is accepted for CAST, you will have an opportunity to make minor adjustments to your session title and description.

If you need to add additional presenters, you can do so in Step 5 of the proposal submission form. On the Review screen, click the person icon with a plus sign next to your session title, and then follow the on-screen instructions. View more submission form tips.

You can also add presenters to an in-progress proposal if you select "Save and Edit Later" during the form submission process.

Once you submit your proposal for review by the Proposal Review Committee, you cannot make any changes. If your session is accepted for CAST, you may be able to add or remove presenters.

Review what you'll need to complete your proposal form. You can also review a how-to video and find additional form submission tips on the proposal tips landing page. It is recommended that you draft and save your session details via your preferred word processor prior to or while completing the form. This ensures that, in the event of any technical glitch with the proposal system, your work is not lost. 

CAST session types include: 

• Workshop (1 hour): Hands-on sessions focused on strategies educators can take back to the classroom.
• Extended Session (1.5 hours): Deeper learning experiences with more time for exploration and discussion.
• STAT Chat (20 minutes): TED-style talks highlighting a big idea or emerging topic in science education.
• Poster Session: Share strategies, lessons, or classroom tools in an interactive showcase format.

Proposals from all areas of science education are welcome, but there are several in-demand session topics. 

Your proposal will be reviewed by the CAST Proposal Review Committee. Proposal reviewers are experienced science educators and STAT members who volunteer each summer to review session proposals. They look closely at how your session is tied to research and standards, whether the audience is clearly defined, whether there are practical takeaways, and whether your proposal contains clear, well-written language.

You will be notified of session acceptance by July. View the Call for Proposals timeline.

You may request proposal feedback from presenters@statweb.org. 

You will be notified of session scheduling by mid-August. View the Call for Proposals timeline.

If your session is accepted, you will be able to provide special requests related to session room, day/time, and additional special needs during the session acceptance process. STAT strives to meet as many presenter requests as possible; however, with a conference of CAST's size and scope, it is impossible to meet all room and scheduling requests.

Yes, there are rules and guidelines that presenters must adhere to. Please refer to the STAT Workshop/Presenter Policies.

Yes, there are safety guidelines presenters must adhere to. Please refer to the STAT Conference Safety Regulations and Practices for Demonstrations, Experiments, and Workshops. 

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.

Spread the news! Utilize the social media sample posts and graphics provided by STAT. Coming soon.

If your session is accepted and you or one or more of your co-presenters cannot attend, let us know at presenters@statweb.org as soon as possible.

• Audiovisual Equipment: In general, all meeting rooms will be equipped with an LCD projector, screen, speakers, microphone, and HDMI cable. You must provide your own computer and any necessary adaptors. Computer audio will not be connected to speakers for sound. (Note: Rooms with capacity of 40 or fewer will not have mics.)

• Internet Access: STAT will provide wireless internet access for all participants but is not able to provide a secured, dedicated network for presenters. Because this network will be available to all attendees, the bandwidth may be slower at key times, so please plan ahead by downloading any video needed for your presentation in advance.

• Room Capacity and Setup: Log in to the Speaker Service Center and navigate to "Update and Review Session Information." Click on your session title to review room capacity (i.e., how many attendees your session room can accommodate). 

• Safety Guidelines: Launching rockets, operating burners, or having open flames in the meeting rooms is not permitted. Some chemicals will be prohibited. Review additional workshop/presenter policies.

• Room Access Information: You will have access to your room 15 minutes before your presentation and will need to vacate the room 15 minutes after your session. 

• Other Room Information: All meeting rooms are carpeted. Please make arrangements to protect the floor or contain items that could damage the carpet or the tables. Each room will have a table for your materials and a trash can at the back of the room. Meeting room lights are not dimmable. 

Yes. You may distribute handouts or materials during your session. You will also be able to upload session slides and handouts to the STATCAST mobile app. More information coming soon.

In short, yes. 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. Exhibit booth reservations do not include guaranteed workshops or educational sessions. Exhibiting companies may:

• Become a Premium or Supporting Sponsor, as these sponsorship levels include opportunities to present sessions. Exhibiting companies are highly encouraged to use this opportunity to present workshops at CAST. Reach out to exhibits@statweb.org for more information.
• Apply to lead a session through the general Call for Proposals/Sessions process. Note that, although an organization may submit sessions through the general Call for Proposals process, STAT's general policy is to accept no more than two sessions per presenter or organization.

For more information about STAT's commercial activity policies at CAST, refer to the STAT Workshop/Presenter Policies.