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March 4 & 5, 2020

University of Colorado Boulder

Call for Abstracts

The organizers of the 2020 Colorado WASH Symposium in Boulder, Colorado, would like to invite academics, practitioners, and professionals who have a passion for Water, Sanitation and Hygiene to attend and participate in our annual symposium. We believe that creating diverse networks of people who research, evaluate, and implement new and innovative approaches across the WASH sector is essential to sharing and promoting ideas that are necessary for achieving and sustaining the WASH targets of the Sustainable Development Goals.

Our objective is to foster meaningful connections that lead to enhanced understanding and collaboration across professions and disciplines on critical WASH issues. In this spirit, the planning committee of the Colorado WASH Symposium hosted by the University of Colorado Boulder is issuing a call for submissions of abstracts for posters, verbal presentations, panel sessions, workshops, and other creative presentation styles on divergent topics within the WASH sector and beyond. 

We especially encourage submissions which are collaborative and/or interactive. Submissions are encouraged from both international and domestic WASH efforts. If you plan to submit for a panel session or workshop, please consider unique or innovative presentation options to foster audience interaction. Thematic tracks are not a criteria for acceptance; please submit even if your work does not fit explicitly into a specific track. This year, we are seeking to highlight multidisciplinary work and topics in research and practice that crossover from to WASH to other sectors. Thematic tracks for this year are as follows:

• Systems and Lifecycle Approaches
• Climate Change, Resilience & WASH
• Vulnerable Groups in WASH
• Solid Waste & Environmental Health
• Reaching SDG 6: Clean Water and Sanitation For All
• Air & Water Quality

Deadline: Abstracts are due by submission of this form on November 30, 2019. Applicants will be notified of acceptance/denial by mid-January. The organizing committee has limited funds to support presenters who have restricted travel funding options to attend the symposium. If this applies to you, please indicate this in the submission form. We will consider requests for travel support on a basis of need so that we can engage as many participants as possible. Additionally, please indicate if you will require any support for obtaining a travel visa and any applicable deadlines. If you are aware of a time-specific visa requirement, please submit your abstract as soon as possible. Submissions will be reviewed on a rolling basis as they are received.

¶¶ÒõÂÃÐÐÉä the Symposium: The 8th annual Colorado WASH Symposium (March 4 & 5, 2020) is an unconventional student-organized event that brings together premier speakers from the academic, practitioner, and NGO sectors engaged in Water, Sanitation & Hygiene research and practice. The programming of the symposium is designed to create an open and candid dialogue around some of the most pressing challenges and emerging issues in the WASH field. The two-day event consists of panels, presentations, and interactive sessions. In keeping with a tradition of openness and engagement, the event is free and open to the public. More information about the symposium can be found at . Please forward this call to your colleagues as you see fit.

We also invite attendees to participate in the 2020 Global Engineering Awards, held the evening of March 5th, which will feature a reception, keynote address, and presentation of awards to deserving individuals who advance the values of the Mortenson Center and who contribute to the field of global engineering.

The abstract statement (400 words or less) describes the research, work or topic they intend to present. The abstract should address why the topic is relevant to current trends in the WASH sector and how the session supports the mission of the Colorado WASH Symposium. As part of the submission form, applicants should indicate the type of presentation that will be given. We strive to keep the symposium as  interactive and thought-provoking for all attendees; please note that you may be encouraged to present in an alternate format, as part of a larger session, or in a panel discussion on an emergent theme. Posters will be on display throughout the conference and also during a dedicated poster session.