Contents of this document

• Call for Abstracts
• Authorship and Attendance
• Student Travel Awards
• Deadlines
• Registration
• Options For Registration and Abstract Submission
• ASP Requirements for Preparing Abstracts
• Exhibits and Displays
• Presentation Guidelines

The 31st meeting of The American Society of Primatologists will be held from June 18-21, 2008 in West Palm Beach, FL hosted by the Palm Beach Zoo. The meeting will be held at the Palm Beach County Convention Center in West Palm Beach. Standing committees will begin meeting at 1:00 p.m. on Wednesday, June 18 and the opening reception will be held that evening. The scientific meeting will begin at 8:00 a.m. on Thursday, June 19 and the meeting will close with the traditional banquet on Saturday evening, June 21. The banquet will be held at the Palm Beach Zoo.

The Program Committee invites you to submit your best scientific work in any area of primatology for inclusion in the 2008 program. Papers and posters presented at annual meetings of the ASP are to be based on high quality research that has generated interesting data relevant to current scientific issues in primatology. Abstracts of these presentations are published in the American Journal of Primatology. Abstracts will undergo peer-review by the Program Committee and submitting authors will be notified by email of the status of the abstract. Accepted abstracts will be organized into sessions based on topic area and type of presentation. Abstracts may be submitted electronically or mailed to the Chair of the Program Committee. Symposia, workshop, roundtable, and individual abstract deadline will be February 1, 2008.

Detailed requirements for writing and submitting abstracts are available at http://www.asp.org/asp2008/AbstractRquirements.html. Questions about the program should be directed to Matthew Novak, Chair of the Program Committee (see contact information below). In addition to being published in the American Journal of Primatology, abstracts will be available for viewing on-line at least two weeks before the meeting begins.

ASP has converted to a primarily on-line abstract submission and registration process. You will not receive a packet in the mail. Information about the meeting venue, requirement for abstract preparation, presentation guidelines, and instructions for students who wish to apply for poster and paper awards are all available at the ASP website (http://www.asp.org/asp2008/index.htm).

Submission of an abstract implies that one of the authors will attend the meeting and present the work described in the abstract. Individuals are limited to giving two presentations, whether two oral presentations, two posters, or one of each format, but may appear as a co-author on other abstracts as well.

Submission of an abstract implies that the authors have complied with current legal and ethical guidelines regarding the use and well-being of nonhuman primates. The submitting author's signature in Part 3 of the "Presentation Information Form" acknowledges that each author of the submitted abstract has seen and approved the final version of the abstract, and has given consent to appear as an author.

Student travel awards are available from ASP this year. These awards take 2 forms:

First, all active students are eligible for $500.00 awards to offset the cost of travel, and accommodation for the 2008 meeting courtesy of the ASP student travel fund supported by donations to the society in the memory of Gerald C. Ruppenthal. Additional funding for these awards is provided by Carter² Systems Inc. Carter² Systems Inc. donates $5.00 for every "Rupe"rch (Gerry's last invention) they sell during the year to the student travel fund. Second, Watts Student Travel Awards in the same amount are available to students specifically from Mexico and other Caribbean and South or Central American countries.

The awards are designed to help student who would otherwise not be able to attend the meeting.

Award Criteria:

1. Undergraduate and graduate students are eligible. Students must be presenting work as a first author.
2. Each applicant must be currently enrolled as a bona fide student and be a member of ASP.

To apply:

1. Email Matthew Novak of your intent to apply for funds (novakm@mail.nih.gov). Specifically identify whether you are applying for the Watts Student Travel Award or the Ruppenthal Student Travel Award.

For the Ruppenthal Award, you will then be asked to:

2. Submit a photocopy of BOTH SIDES of your current student ID.
3. Submit a letter of recommendation from you research advisor or laboratory director which addresses the level of independence of the student's contribution to their ASP presentation.
4. Submit a current CV and a copy of your abstract identical to that submitted on line for the conference (send to Matthew Novak electronically as an attachment).

Complete materials and abstract must be received by the abstract due date: February 1, 2008. The Board of Directors has established ad hoc committees consisting of members-at large, members of the local arrangements committees, members of the BOD to decide on recipients for both awards. If you apply and do not win an award and this prevents you from traveling to and participating in the 2008 conference then ASP will refund your registration fees.

The presenting author and symposia/workshop organizer as well as symposia/workshop participants MUST include a completed registration form and registration fee, payable by check, money order, or credit card with the submission of an abstract. Abstracts not accompanied by payment will be returned. Electronic registration requires credit card payment. Abstracts may be submitted on-line at the same time or can be added later. Participants in symposia should enter their own abstracts online. Check the "organized symposia" box on the category form. Go to the ASP web page (http://www.asp.org/confreg/selectloginoptions.cfm) and follow the prompts. It's easy and it saves us work! You will be issued an electronic receipt within 24 hours of registering.

We encourage everyone to register and submit their abstract online, but there are four choices available:

• Submitting an abstract on-line and registering for the meeting using a credit card. The on-line process requires that you check a membership status box (and the computer knows if your membership is up-to-date). Please plan ahead - membership renewal and registration cannot be done at the same time. Go to the "Members" link on the asp web site to download or submit a membership application. Karen Bales (klbales@ucdavis.edu) ASP Treasurer, will oversee on-line registrations.
• Submitting an abstract and paying registration fee by check. You may register on-line and pay by check and enter your abstract as long as your check is received by the February 1 deadline.
• Submitting an abstract by mail. You may send all materials (registration and abstract on disk) to Matthew Novak (see below). Since all checks will eventually be sent to the local arrangements committee for deposit, please allow some time for check clearance from your bank.
• Not submitting an abstract - you can register on-line, by mail, or in person at the meeting. Please observe that there is an increase in registration fee after January 14.

If you choose to mail in your abstract to the Program Chair . . .

1. Please complete all portions of the Presentation Information Form. A printed copy of the abstract should be attached to the form.
2. Prepare abstract.
3. Each abstract must be submitted as hard copy and on a floppy, CD, or zip disk. Label each disk with:
   1. Last names of all authors.
   2. Title of the presentation.
   3. Disk format. (PC format preferred)
   4. Word-processing program & version. (Microsoft Word or Word Perfect)
   5. File name, including suffixes. It is suggested that you use the last name of the first author for the file name, using 1 and 2 if two abstracts are submitted, i.e., LASTNAME1, LASTNAME2 (plus the appropriate suffix).
4. For symposium participants, clearly include the name of the symposium organizer and title of the proposed symposium on the disk label.

ASP REQUIREMENTS FOR PREPARING ABSTRACTS ARE AVAILABLE AT

http://www.asp.org/asp2008/AbstractRequirements.html.

Space and facilities for the exhibition and display of merchandise are available. In addition, a number of the events are available for sponsorship. A fee will be assessed for registration of exhibitors and for the rental of each exhibition space. Sale and exhibition of the merchandise will be allowed only within the designated area and only by individuals registered as exhibitors. Information and exhibitor registration forms may be obtained from Steve Schapiro (sschapir@mdanderson.org).

Oral Presentations: Oral presentations will be scheduled at 15-minute intervals. Each presentation should be no more than 12 minutes in length, allowing several minutes for questions and discussion. The computers used for presentations will be IBM PC-based, not Mac. In order to reduce confusion at the time of presentation, please make sure your presentation is formatted for a PC when preparing your PowerPoint or other type of presentation. You may not use your own laptop. Case studies, preliminary data, pilot studies, and descriptions of apparatus, equipment, or habitats are usually not appropriate for the oral format and should be submitted as posters. Descriptions of commercial products are welcome as exhibits, but are not appropriate for the scientific program.

Poster Presentations: The Society and Program Committee encourage poster presentations. Those wishing to present their work in poster format will be assigned a space approximately 4' high X 6' wide (122 cm X 182 cm) for the display. Authors are expected to be in attendance at their poster during the scheduled time. Abstracts for posters are prepared the same as oral presentations (see below) and will be printed in the program. The Program Committee will organize and schedule posters by topic.

Student Paper and Poster Competitions: Graduate and undergraduate students may enter their work in the student competitions. Criteria and guidelines for the competition, developed by the Education Committee, are available on the website (http://www.asp.org/asp2008/studentguidelines.htm).

The Program Committee encourages members to organize and submit high-quality symposia and workshops. These sessions should address topics that are timely, of interest to the general membership, and include participants from several institutions.

Symposia: Organizers should submit the title of the proposed symposium, a brief overview of the symposium content, and a list of participants to the program chair. Materials should be submitted (preferably via e-mail) by December 20, 2007. Once accepted, the symposium abstract as well as all individual participant abstracts should be submitted by the abstract deadline (note that the 225 word limit applies to both the symposium and individual abstracts). Symposia should consist of presentations of either 15 or 30 minutes to mesh with the schedule of contributed papers, and should not exceed a total time of 2.5 hours. All abstracts will be printed in the conference program.

Workshops and Roundtable Discussions : Workshops and roundtable discussions are less formal than symposia, may be applied and/or broadly theoretical, involve audience participation and/or discussion, and should address a defined goal. Those wishing to organize one of these sessions should submit information about the proposed workshop or roundtable discussion (title, a list of participants, and a brief overview that indicates how the goal will be met) to the program chair. The materials should be submitted for review by December 20. The workshop or round-table organizer(s) should submit a 225 word abstract by the abstract deadline. Workshop participants should be listed in the abstract and the organizer must register for the meeting at the time of abstract submission. Other participants may register at any time. The overview abstracts submitted by organizers will be published. Pre-conference and post-conference sessions require Program Committee approval and abstract submission, and will be published with the meeting program.