Working Group Lead Guidelines

Working Groups

Working Group Lead Guidelines - PDF Format
Permission to Reprint Form - PDF Format

GSAW Working Group (WG) Lead,

Thank you for considering leading a Working Group at GSAW. The WGs are four-hour in-person collaborative group discussions on selected topics on Wednesday, Feb 26, 2025. This guide describes the responsibilities of the working group lead. It will help in submitting a proposal and planning the session and is intended to maximize the benefit of working group sessions within GSAW as a whole. Please review this information and contact gsaw@aero.org or 310-336-0454 if you have any questions.

Upon acceptance of your presentation, a GSAW Working Group Chair will be contacting you to discuss the information included below and to act as your liaison for the event. Please ensure that you understand the guidelines detailed here and address any questions you may have to your Working Group chair or to gsaw@aero.org.

Note: All Working Group sessions are in-person only.

Important Deadlines: 

Proposals must be received by Oct. 21, 2024
Acceptance/Non-acceptance notices sent Dec. 2, 2024
Presentation charts and permission to reprint forms due Jan. 27, 2025

Fees: In appreciation of the special contribution that you will be making in putting together your WG session, ONE complimentary registration is provided. This will allow you to attend the general session for free. You should also ensure that each Working Group presenter in your session registers for GSAW via the website. GSAW is not responsible for the registration fee of invited speakers or panelists in the Working Group.

Note: Complimentary registration does not include access to any of the tutorials. If you wish to attend a tutorial, you may do so at an additional cost.

Referrals: In reviewing plenary abstract submissions, the Program Committee may identify speakers they deem might contribute to your WG. The abstracts of other presenters will be forwarded to you for your review. Accepting these into a WG is entirely at your discretion and you will be responsible for contacting the presenter if you want them to participate. If any such abstracts get forwarded to you, please notify us as soon as possible as to whether you accept or reject the presenter.

The Main Event: Feedback forms received from attendees of previous WGs have shown that a collaborative discussion format is vastly preferred over a session full of presentations. A healthy exchange of opposing viewpoints is encouraged and provides the most productive results. You may follow any format you wish as long as it fits within the allotted time. You may permit free‑form discussion, presentation of charts by attendees, a panel discussion, or a combination.  WG Leads are asked to facilitate the session, keep it moving, and adhere to the GSAW schedule:

    • 1 p.m.  – WG session starts
    • 3 p.m. – Break/refreshments
    • 3:15 p.m. – WG continues
    • 5 p.m.  –  End of session

During the WG session, you may call for a short break as desired but you must have the 15-minute break from 3:00 to 3:15 p.m. At this time, refreshments will be served and we want to ensure your group gets to partake. Attendees may also wish to change rooms and attend another WG. If there are a significant number of new attendees after the break, you are asked to provide a quick summary on the discussion that occurred in the first half of the session. The session then continues until the end of the day.

WG Outbrief: On Thursday morning, Feb. 27, at approximately 11 a.m. PT, you will be given five minutes to brief the results of your session to the GSAW assembly in the main plenary room. We will provide a PowerPoint template for you to prepare your outbrief. When completed, please email the file to gsaw@aero.org before 7 p.m. Wednesday evening.

As Lead, if you are unable to present the outbrief, it is your responsibility to designate a substitute presenter from your WG.

Clearance Information: Ensure there is NO classified or controlled unclassified information in your abstract or presentations. GSAW is an international event. All registered attendees are permitted to attend any WG. Presentation slides from your WG will also be posted on the public GSAW website. If your organization has concerns about security or proprietary information, check to see if your briefing charts need to be cleared for publication.) You should begin the clearance process as soon as possible to ensure you do not miss any deadlines and that our committee has the ability to review your submission. If you are accepted as a WG Lead, remember to remind presenters in your group to clear materials with their respective organizations. GSAW is not responsible for verifying the classification level of your presentation. (All employees of The Aerospace Corporation are required to have abstracts and presentations cleared through the Office of Technical Relations)

Contributor Point of Contact: You are the GSAW point of contact for the speakers in your session. Please introduce yourself by contacting each of them by phone and/or email.

Collect Presentations, Reprint Forms, and Surveys: Leads are asked to collect any presentation charts from working group session participants and forward them to gsaw@aero.org by Jan. 27. Leads are also asked to ensure that presenters complete and sign the Permission to Reprint Form. Copies of the form will be available at GSAW, on the website, and also sent to you via email. This form allows us to include presentation slides and WG results on the GSAW website. Although discouraged, last minute updated presentations can only be received via email to gsaw@aero.org.

Presenter Guidelines: You must ensure that each presenter in your session understands the general presentation guidelines as well as any specific requirements you require in your WG. A copy of the Presenter Guidelines will be sent to you and will be available at https://gsaw.org/cfp/guidelines/. You may forward this to your session’s presenters along with any additional information, such as:

  • Description of the format of your WG
  • Amount of time they will have to speak
  • Description of the theme of the session (i.e., help them tailor their presentations to best fit your session)
  • Any other information to help facilitate your session

Resources: In each of the WG rooms, GSAW will provide:

  • Computer projector
  • HDMI, VGA, and USB-C projector connectors
  • Easel and blank flipchart pad with markers
  • Microphones and speakers will be provided for larger rooms, if necessary
  • Attendee sign-in sheet
  • Note: Please bring your own laptop for your WG presentations. No Wi-Fi and/or internet will be provided, so please ensure that presentations are downloaded and available on your laptop for presenting.

Proceedings: A few weeks after the workshop, your presentation slides will also be posted on a publicly available website.

Proposal Submission: Submit a proposal for a WG session related to a specific topic to gsaw@aero.org by Oct 21, 2024. Make sure you understand the responsibilities listed above prior to submitting your proposal. The submission form is available at http://gsaw.aero.org/cfp/forms/.

The GSAW Program Committee will review your submission and notify you of your acceptance or nonacceptance on Dec. 2, 2024.

Location: The working group sessions and working group outbrief will be held, in-person, at the hotel.

Registration: Registration opens in December and can be completed online at http://gsaw.aero.org/. If you have not already registered, please do so. You should also ensure that each participant in your session registers for GSAW via the website and that they have made the necessary hotel reservations.

Hotel Reservations: If you have not already made hotel reservations, please note that the Renaissance Los Angeles Airport Hotel (1-310-337-2800) will only hold rooms at the GSAW rate on a first-come, first-served basis. After that, GSAW reservation rates will be accommodated on a “space available” basis. Remember to inform the hotel you are there for “GSAW”. Hotel info can be found at http://gsaw.org/registration/.

Check-in: There will be a GSAW check-in desk in the hotel. Please check in and obtain a badge. There are no special security or escort requirements for the unclassified general session.

Agenda: The overview agenda will be posted at http://gsaw.aero.org/agenda/.

COVID-19 Procedures “Know before you Go”: Proof of vaccination, masks and social distancing could be required based on COVID site levels at the time of the event. Updated information will be provided as the workshop date approaches via registration website and/or via the email you provide at registration.

We appreciate your interest in GSAW. With your participation, we look forward to a very successful workshop.

GSAW Program Committee
gsaw@aero.org