5 October 2017
The Willamette River running through Portland, Oregon.
WASHINGTON, DC — Discover the latest in ocean sciences research at the 2018 Ocean Sciences Meeting, where nearly 4,000 attendees are expected to present the latest research findings about the world’s oceans. The meeting will bring together researchers from the American Geophysical Union, the Association for the Sciences of Limnology and Oceanography, and The Oceanography Society.
The 2018 meeting runs from 11-16 February, 2018, at the Oregon Convention Center, 777 NE Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd., Portland, Oregon, 97232.
Included in this advisory:
- About the Ocean Sciences Meeting
- Press registration information
- Hotel information
- U.S. visa regulations for international attendees
1. About the Ocean Sciences Meeting
Nearly 4,000 attendees are expected to present the latest research findings about the world’s oceans at the 2018 Ocean Sciences Meeting, being held 11-16 February at the Oregon Convention Center in Portland, Oregon. The meeting will bring together researchers from the American Geophysical Union, the Association for the Sciences of Limnology and Oceanography, and The Oceanography Society.
The biennial meeting is an international assembly of scientists, engineers, students, educators and policy makers, who gather to share and discuss new scientific findings, research applications, education and policy about the oceans.
At the conference, scientific, educational and policy sessions will cover topics as wide-ranging as human-marine environment interactions, climate change, ocean acidification, renewable energy and sea level rise. The final scientific program will be available on the 2018 Ocean Sciences Meeting website in November 2017.
To help journalists report on newsworthy scientific findings presented at the Ocean Sciences Meeting, AGU provides a press room where reporters, press officers, bloggers and others can work and mingle. The press room will have workspace for press registrants, including computers, a printer, Wi-Fi, and room for working and networking with colleagues. Light refreshments will also be provided. Additional information, including the location and hours of the press room, will follow in a future media advisory.
In the press room — and in an online Virtual Press Room to be launched in January — AGU will make available copies of press releases about developments in ocean science and other news presented at the meeting. During the meeting, registered members of the press will also be able to reserve quiet rooms to conduct interviews.
AGU will also offer a series of press conferences and send out press releases about newsworthy scientific advances, announced in a schedule about a week before the meeting’s scientific sessions begin. Reporters can remotely participate in Ocean Sciences Meeting press conferences via webstreaming. Information about how to sign up and access this feature will be included in a future advisory.
Public information officers of universities, government agencies, and research institutions can use the Ocean Sciences Meeting as an opportunity to present research to on-site reporters through press releases, press conferences, press workshops, media availabilities, a virtual press room, and one-on-one contact with the press. Information on how to submit press event proposals will be included in a future advisory.
Information for the press will be posted to the online Ocean Sciences Meeting Media Center.
NOTE: Audio recording, photography or video recording is not allowed in scientific sessions or in poster halls.
2. Press registration information
Online press registration for the Ocean Sciences Meeting is now open. Please pre-register to expedite the on-site badge pick-up process.
The AGU Press Office provides complimentary press registration to professional journalists representing media organizations, freelance journalists, photographers, videographers, bloggers, authors, filmmakers, public information officers, institutional communicators, and student journalists, for the express purpose of gathering news and information to produce media coverage of AGU meetings. For eligibility requirements, please visit the Press Registration Eligibility Requirements page.
Registrations are approved at the discretion of the AGU press office and approval may take up to 5 business days. Eligible members of the press may also register for press credentials on-site at the meeting. The on-site registration location, badge pick-up location, and Press Room, Press Conference Room and Quiet Rooms locations will be included in a future advisory.
NOTE: Some events and activities, including but not limited to invitation-only events and communications workshops, are not open to press badge holders.
It is not required to wait for press registration approval before booking a hotel room, nor is it required to book a hotel room when registering to attend the meeting. Hotels sell out quickly and AGU encourages members of the media to book hotel rooms as soon as possible to take advantage of preferential rates. Please see #3 below for more information about hotel reservations.
International Reporters: See important visa information below if you are planning to attend the 2018 Ocean Sciences Meeting and are not a citizen or resident of the U.S.
3. Hotel information
Members of the press can make hotel reservations through the online Ocean Sciences Meeting press registration site. You will need to submit your press registration before booking a hotel room. However, it is not required to wait for press registration approval before booking a hotel room.
Once you have submitted your press registration, you will see a link to add/modify your hotel reservation on the press registration site. An additional link to the housing website is provided in the registration acknowledgement email you will receive after submitting your registration. You can also log back into the press registration site using your email and registration ID to add/modify your hotel reservation. The deadline to book a hotel room to receive the special AGU room rate is Wednesday, January 17, 2018.
Please consider booking a hotel room now to take advantage of the preferential rates. There are more than 10 hotel choices included in the registration form and rates start as low as $169.00 per day, plus tax. The special AGU room rates are subject to availability after the January 17 deadline.
Visit the 2018 Ocean Sciences Meeting housing page to see a list of hotels offering the special AGU room rate, as well as their rates and locations. However, press must register and book housing via the press registration site, and not from the Ocean Sciences Meeting housing page. Please use this page as a reference only.
4. U.S. visa regulations for international reporters
All journalists who are not citizens or permanent residents of the United States need a visa to cover scientific meetings in the U.S. This also applies to journalists from “Visa Waiver Program” countries (e.g., Western Europe) who do not normally need visas to enter the U.S. as tourists.
The required visa is a “Media (I) Visa” issued by an American Embassy or Consulate in your home country. The U.S. Department of State has “Media (I) Visa” information for journalists available on its website.
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The American Geophysical Union is dedicated to advancing the Earth and space sciences for the benefit of humanity through its scholarly publications, conferences, and outreach programs. AGU is a not-for-profit, professional, scientific organization representing more than 60,000 members in 139 countries. Join the conversation on Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, and our other social media channels.
Nanci Bompey
+1 (202) 777-7524
[email protected]
Lauren Lipuma
+1 (202) 777-7396
[email protected]