Call for Abstracts and Presentations

October 29 - November 1, 2023

Renaissance Nashville Hotel
611 Commerce St, Nashville, TN 37203

Application Process

Submissions for Proposals and Abstracts for Indoor Environments 2023™ – The Radon and Vapor Intrusion Symposium (formerly AARST International Radon and Vapor Intrusion Symposium): Submissions should clearly convey, in 150 words or less, the essence of the intended presentation and the contribution it will make to the knowledgebase of the soil gas community.

Content: Presentations should consist of, but are not limited to new original research, empirical or applied, on radon and vapor intrusion risk, radon and vapor intrusion measurement, radon and vapor intrusion mitigation, soil gas controls in new construction, analytics, risk communication, and similar topics are encouraged, including abstracts from related scientific, engineering and health-related disciplines. We also welcome presentations on effective methods of conveying essential radon and vapor intrusion messages to target audiences, reducing risk for low-income families, marketing and expanding radon and vapor intrusion professional services, enacting and implementing new public policy, demonstrate radon and vapor intrusion technology, and similar activities to further the radon and vapor intrusion professions and transfer of information.

Abstract Category Codes – with some* suggested sub-topics of interest:
Research
RA – Analytic Methods/Results
RC – Cost-Effectiveness of Strategies – mitigation, new buildings, policies, program options
RD – Data Collection, Analysis and Mapping
RH – Health Risk Assessment – residential case-control studies, other epidemiologic studies
RM – Mitigation Methods/Results – vapor intrusion, water, commercial, challenging buildings
RNC – Radon Control in New Construction
RR – Radon and Radioactivity – health physics, dosage
RS – Sources – new materials and material studies
RT – Testing/Measurement Methods/Results ¬– QA/QC, devices, large buildings, water, sampling
RZ – Other Research Topics

Practice/Policy
PBD – Biz Development – radon professional marketing, advertising/media, customer outreach
PLR – Legislative/Regulatory Policy – homebuyer/tenant notification, testing of schools/childcare facilities/homes/workplaces, regulation via certification, updating state regulations, working with legislators and regulators
PRC – Risk Communication – target audiences, risk/asset management messaging, free/earned media
PLI – Risk Reduction for Low Income Families – mitigation partnerships, public housing, funding
PNC – Radon Control in New Construction – builder-mitigator partnerships, code adoptions, training
PRP – Radon Profession – building capacity, AARST chapters, certification/training
PSP – Strategic Partnerships – Tribes, government, health care providers, realtors, media
PTD – Technical Demonstration – mitigation and measurement methods
PWS – Worker Safety – for mitigation/measurement professionals, workplace radon exposure
PPZ – Other Practice and Policy Topics
* abstracts do not need to fit the suggested sub-topics

How To Submit

The Call is closed. Thank you for submitting!

How to Submit: Proposals and abstracts must be emailed to call-for-abstracts@aarst.org by May 31, 2023. They must be in MS-WORD (.doc or docx) or another text document format (no .pdfs) and attached to the message. Proposals include all the information in the template provided in the link.  The title shall indicate the abstract category code and the last name of the author. Please specify a requested amount of presentation time including a brief question-answer period if desired (i.e., 20 or 40 minutes). Submissions that do not adhere to the instructions will be returned.

Review and Acceptance

Research-related abstracts and poster presentations will be reviewed for acceptance by the AARST Editorial Board; radon and VI practice and policy proposals will be reviewed by the Program Committee and AARST National. Submissions will be confirmed upon receipt. Authors will be notified of acceptance or rejection by July 31, 2023. Speakers who intend to present based on an accepted abstract must register for the Symposium by no later than August 31, 2023.

Research Papers: Each author of an accepted research abstract will be invited to submit a full paper to be considered for publication in the 2023 AARST Symposium Proceedings. Such papers must be received by October 15, 2023. Submittals by an author who has not registered for the Symposium by the August 15th deadline will not be considered. The refereeing of research papers is independent of the Abstract review; the Proceedings are a peer-reviewed publication. Authors will receive grammar and syntax rules (rubrics) along with their abstract acceptance by email. Authors are solely responsible for obtaining all necessary permissions for published material. Authors will be notified if their paper has been accepted for publication, post-symposium.

Notification: All individuals who have submitted proposals will be notified of acceptance decisions via email. Persons whose proposals and abstracts have been accepted will receive a notice of acceptance, tentative date and time and length of the session in the agenda, as well as speaker guidelines and information about submitting slide presentations and other deliverables and deadlines. AARST retains the rights to publish all slides on the AARST website for purposes of public dissemination unless the speaker/presenter withholds permission by written notification submitted to: call-for-abstracts@aarst.org.

Presentations: Submitted presentations will be reviewed for acceptance by the AARST Editorial Board; Practice/Policy and VI proposals will be reviewed by the Program Committee and AARST National. Submissions will be confirmed upon receipt, indicating the review process timeline. Speakers will be notified of acceptance or nonacceptance by June 30, 2023.  Persons whose presentations have been accepted will receive and acceptance notice and a presenter guideline, including information about deliverables and how to submit slide presentations. AARST retains the rights to publish all slides on the AARST website for purposes of public dissemination unless the presenter withholds permission by written notification submitted to: call-for-abstracts@aarst.org. AARST National will determine the amount of time allotted based on the number of speakers and topics being presented. Speakers who intend to present must register for the Symposium by no later than August 31, 2023.

The Symposium will make every effort to schedule oral presentations for eligible submitted abstracts but reserves the right to combine presentations, designate abstracts for poster sessions, and include invited presentations to deliver a diverse and effective program.

Proposals for Continuing Education Courses

Each year, AARST offers attendees continuing education credit courses on the day prior to the symposium. These AARST-hosted courses are different from privately held courses. AARST promotes and manages the registration for these courses, while the educators are fully responsible for the content, presentation of course completion certificates. All courses shall be NRPP-approved.

Pre-symposium Training Day is typically Sunday of the symposium, 8:00 AM – 5:00 PM, breaking at noon for a one-hour lunch. AARST makes every effort to schedule non conflicting courses at the same time, as well as scheduling 2- through 8-hour courses opposite other complementary blocks of time and courses. Submittals will be considered by the planning committee and accepted based on demand and non-repetition from the previous year. Educators will receive a submission confirmation – and timeline for reply and acceptance.

Please email proposals which include the course title, NRPP course ID number, instructor name, description and number of hours (2, 4, 6 or 8) to call-for-abstracts@aarst.org

To submit questions about presentation submittals and related matters, contact: call-for-abstracts@aarst.org