APPENDIX 2
TVIW 2017 – Working Track Proposer’s Guide
Letter of Intent Deadline: March 3, 2017
Complete Proposals Deadline: March 31, 2017
Working Tracks are collaborative, small group discussions around a set of interdisciplinary questions on an interstellar subject. In previous years, we’ve hosted up to four parallel tracks with participants discussing topics such as: spaceship design; life-systems design; propulsion systems; target (planetary and stellar) selection; prerequisite technology development; and human factors necessary for interstellar exploration and colonization.
Working Tracks will be allocated 2-hour blocks each day for in-depth conversation between participants, led by a Track Moderator, and work best with participants who have engaged in pre-symposium reading and discussion with other Track participants. Working Track Full Proposals shall recommend tangible output (papers, workshops, seminars, etc.) from the Symposium. Prior forms of output have included space exploration blogs, scientific papers in the Journal of the British Interplanetary Society and non-fiction/fiction anthologies.
TVIW is looking for proposals to include four to six Working Tracks in the 2017 Symposium. The number of participants per track will be determined by the Program Committee in consultation with Working Track proposers. If you are interested in proposing a Working Track topic please submit a Letter of Intent by March 3, 2017. The Programming Committee will work with proposers to develop written proposals for Working Tracks which are due by March 31, 2017. Candidate Working Tracks will be announced on or about April 30, 2017.
Letters of Intent are required in advance to allow the Programming Committee to assess the relevance of the topic to TVIW. The Programming Committee will work with proposers to develop written proposals for Working Tracks which are due by March 31, 2017. Candidate Working Tracks will be announced on or about April 30, 2017. Because of the limited participation of the Working Tracks, the Track Proposer and Moderator do have the option of pre-screen Working Track attendees.
Working Track Proposals should be on topics relevant to INTERSTELLAR exploration, development and colonization. Topics may include near-term developments and pre-requisites, but should focus on supporting Interstellar goals. Proposers should also be prepared to communicate advanced study and discussion materials prior to the 2017 Symposium so that the limited Working Track time at the Symposium is not used for introduction or organization.
Letters of Intent shall include the following: description of the Working Track topic, proposed output and a discussion of relevancy to TVIW and participants. A section to describing a comparison of the Working Track topic with real-world capabilities and prerequisites as well as risks/rewards associated with their implementation is highly welcomed.
Full Proposals include all of the required and optional components of the LOI plus a description of the Working Track Format, Moderation/Facilitation Plan, Collaboration, Suggested participants and Advanced Preparation plans.
Proposer’s Name:
Email address:
Contact Phone Number (Optional):
Title / Topic for the Working Track:
Instructions:
This LOI/Proposal Form contains three sections –
Section 1 describes the Working Track Topic and it’s relevance to TVIW. The Section is required for all Letters of Intent and Full Proposals.
Section 2 provides additional details of the topic as well as the organization and format of the Working Track. This Section is only required for Full Proposals.
Section 3 provides additional assessments and comparisons of the Working Track Topic with respect to real-world expectations and capabilities. This section is required for Full Proposers, and optional (but recommended) for Letters of Intent.
Proposers should complete Section 1 (and Section 3 if appropriate) and submit to TVIW on or before the Letter of Intent Deadline (March 3, 2017). The Working Track Programming Committee will review Letters of Intent and provide feedback to Proposers within 2 weeks. Feedback may include suggestion for revision of the topic or combination with other Working Track proposals. The committee may also provide specific guidance for information to be addressed in the required sections of the Full Proposal.
Full Proposals should be submitted to the Working Track Programming Committee on or before the Working Track Full Proposal deadline (March 31, 2017).
Section 1: Working Track Topic
[Required for Letter of Intent]
- Purpose of the Working Track:
- Questions for the Working Track to Consider (or Answer):
- Detailed Description of the Topic of the Working Track:
- What Is the Desired Outcome (Output) of the Working Track?
- How is the Working Track Relevant to “Interstellar” Topics?
- How is the Working Track Relevant to TVIW?
- Is the Topic Interdisciplinary? How? Which Disciplines?
- What Disciplines are Relevant to the Working Track Topic?
- What Additional Disciplines May Be Interested in the Working Track Topic?
Section 2: Working Track Format and Organization
[Required for LOI and Working Track Full Proposal]
- Supplemental Description of Working Track (e.g. Additional Details, Combination with Other Topics, Suggested Subtopics, Suggested Subgroups, Organization of the Discussion):
- Is There Any Existing Collaboration between Tracks (current or former TVIW Working Tracks)?
- Benefits of the Working Track Format (as Opposed to Plenary Talks):
- Who will Facilitate or Moderate the Track?
- Facilitation/Moderation Plan (if Proposer will Facilitate/Moderate the Working Track):
- Suggested Participants (by name, specialty or discipline):
- Plans for Advanced Preparation:
- How Will Advanced Reading & Discussion Materials be Selected?
- How will Current and Future Collaboration be Encouraged?
Section 3: Assessment of the Working Track Topic
[Required for Full Proposals, Optional for Letters of Intent]
- Is the Topic Realistic Given Current Technology and Knowledge?
- What are the Prerequisites (i.e. Science, Engineering, Societal, Biomedical)?
- Is the Topic Novel or a Critical Re-evaluation of an Existing Topic?
- What are the Risks Inherent in Implementing the Topic (i.e. with Respect to the Desired Outcomes)?
- What are the Rewards Inherent in Implementing the Topic?