Guidelines for LASDB Meetings

We have produced these guidelines to outline a general framework and basic principles for the organization of LASDB Congresses.

Guidelines for LASDB Meetings

1. General Aspects

  • Frequency: LASDB meetings are held approximately every two years.
  • Location: Ideally hosted in a Latin American country that did not host the last two editions; rotate among countries.
  • Selection of host country: Chosen through a public call for applications, evaluated by the LASDB Board of Directors.

2. Philosophy

Scientific excellence is a top priority.

Accessibility

  • Keep registration fees as low as possible.
  • Offer a substantial number of fee waivers and travel grants for students and postdocs based in Latin America, prioritising those from countries with financial constraints.
  • Ensure low-cost lodging is available near the venue.

Inclusiveness

  • Fair gender balance.
  • Geographical representativity across Latin American countries.
  • Breadth of topics and models, including non-model organisms.
  • Inclusion of speakers based outside Latin America.

3. Meeting Structure

  • Plenary format: All activities (talks, posters, workshops) are plenary, with no parallel sessions.
  • Keynote Lectures (typically 4–5; 45 min + 5 min Q&A): Opening lecture, Closing lecture, LASDB Senior “lifetime achievement award” Lecture, LASDB “New Investigator award” Lecture, others.
  • Invited Talks: 25 + 5 minutes Q&A.
  • Selected Short Talks: 12 + 3 minutes Q&A, in a number roughly equal to the invited talks.
  • Flash Talks: 2 minutes, before each poster session; cover at least 10–15% of total posters.
  • Poster Sessions: At least two sessions, each 2–3 hours.
  • Outreach Activity: At least one outreach event to share the field with the local community (e.g., open public lectures, school visits, public science debates).

4. Prizes & LASDB Awards

  • Awards for the best short talks and poster presentations by students and postdocs, ideally working in Latin American laboratories.
  • The jury should minimize conflicts of interest and include experienced attendees (PIs and postdocs).
  • For the LASDB lifetime achievement and new investigator awards, the organizers must fully cover registration, travel, and accommodation for the winners.