Policies

This is a collection of policies surrounding the Ocean Sciences Meeting. If you have any questions, please contact us at [email protected].

Code of Conduct

AGU, ASLO, and TOS are committed to convening events and meetings that are welcoming, respectful, inclusive, and collaborative. OSM's Meeting and Events Code of Conduct applies to all OSM-sponsored meetings events, as well as affiliated events connected with OSM, whether in public or private facilities.

Ocean Sciences Meeting Code of Conduct

About the Code of Conduct

The Ocean Sciences Meeting, open to AGU, ASLO and TOS members and those interested in marine sciences, is among the most respected scientific meetings in the ocean sciences community. AGU, ASLO and TOS, the co-sponsoring societies, are committed to convening events and meetings that are welcoming, respectful, inclusive, and collaborative. OSM's Meetings and Events Code of Conduct applies to all OSM-sponsored meetings and events, as well as affiliated events connected with OSM, whether in public or private facilities.

Expected behavior

Treat everyone with respect.
Respect your fellow participants by using good practices for intercultural collaborations.
Be mindful of your surroundings and of your fellow participants.
Provide your true professional identity, affiliation, and where appropriate, contact information, at registration, and during attendance and participatory sessions, as required.
Respect copying and use of presented materials and ideas as indicated by OSM’s Guidelines on Photography and Social Media, including knowing when you may need to obtain permission regarding copying materials.
Respect the rules and policies of the meeting venue, hotels, OSM contracted facility, online platform, or any other venue.
Be accountable: When we as organizers or participants fail to meet these guidelines, work together to identify problems and adjust policy and practice together.

Anyone not meeting expected collaborative, respectful behavior can immediately be removed from the current online or physical meeting and may be banned from future Ocean Sciences Meetings or other sanctions, depending on the specifics of the unwelcomed disruptive behavior.

Examples of unacceptable Behavior

Promoting or participating in harassment, bullying, discrimination, or intimidation on-site, online, and/or on social media.
Physical, verbal, written, or other forms of abuse of any attendee, speaker, volunteer, exhibitor, staff member, service provider, or other guest.

Examples of abuse include, but are not limited to, verbal comments related to gender, sexual orientation, disability, physical appearance, body size, race, religion, national origin, inappropriate use of nudity and/or sexual images in public spaces or in presentations.

Threatening or stalking in-person or online.
Disruption or disallowing participation by others.
Criminal offenses.
Failure to follow meeting protocol.
Physical or verbal abuse, including attacks on ideas vs. respectful, disagreeing dialogue.
Use of social or mainstream media to target individual actions of participants in a way that could harm their privacy or professional status or open them to slander or libel.
Knowingly violating copyright, or copying presenter information without obtaining permission, if necessary, as outlined in OSM’s Guidelines on Photography and Social Media.

Consequences and reporting unacceptable behavior

Anyone requested to stop unacceptable behavior is expected to comply immediately.
OSM staff (or their designee) may take any action deemed necessary and appropriate, including, but not limited to, immediate removal from the meeting without warning or refund.
When OSM staff finds that a Meeting Code of Conduct violation has occurred, they have the responsibility and authority to take all necessary actions to ensure the continued safety of meeting participants, to avoid further disruptions, and to prevent further harm.
OSM reserves the right to prohibit attendance at any future meeting.
Other consequences as set forth in the AGU Scientific Integrity and Professional Ethics Policy, as applicable.

As part of registration for OSM, all attendees are expected to provide their true professional name, primary affiliation, and contact information including an email address and phone number.

OSM attendees should be aware that OSM staff and designees monitor and moderate attendee posts mentioning OSM and using hashtags associated with the meeting. Failure to follow the above guidelines may result in posts being blocked or other consequences. For more information on photography and social media practices, review OSM’s Guidelines on Photography and Social Media.

If you experience or witness behavior that constitutes an immediate or serious threat to public safety at an on-site meeting, contact 911 or if in a convention center, locate a house phone and ask for security. Please report other incidents or suspected incidents to OSM staff, leadership, or security. At many events, OSM staff and representatives will be wearing a "safe OSM" button.

Acknowledgement and agreement to abide by the OSM Code of Conduct is required at registration for any online or on-site event.

Photography and Social Media Policies

Photography guidelines and best practices

Photography by individuals for personal use and for social media is allowed at social events, in the Exhibit Hall and in public spaces throughout the Ocean Sciences Meeting is permitted. Additional uses of photography at the Ocean Sciences Meeting is permitted with the following guidelines:

Photography for personal and social media use is permitted throughout the Ocean Sciences Meeting – including sessions, lectures, town halls, and plenaries – unless the presenter has opted to be excluded.
Attendees are expected to honor the preference of any presenter who has indicated “no photo.” AGU, ASLO and TOS will support and enforce this expectation.
The presenter must be identified by name when a photograph of the presenter, presenter’s slides, or poster is shared on social media or elsewhere.
Attendees should be respectful and considerate of others. Do not use flash, block attendees view of presenters when capturing photos, or otherwise disrupt presentations.
Do not photograph individuals under 18 years of age without explicit verbal or written permission of a parent or guardian. If in doubt, ask.

Photography Permission

Permission is understood to be granted unless the following conditions apply:

The presenter has affixed a “no photo/recording” image provided by OSM staff to the poster or presentation; or their own “no photo/recording” image or language.
The presenter, and/or the chair on behalf of the presenter, explicitly states to the audience their preference for no photos/recordings.
Due to the fact that attendees often come in and out of the room during sessions, we recommend that presenters affix the “no photos” image provided by OSM staff on all slides to ensure that attendees are aware of the presenter’s preference.

Limits to audio and video recording

Audio and video recording by individuals for personal use and for social media use is allowed only at social events, in the Exhibit Hall and in public spaces throughout the meeting. Audio and video recording can be disruptive to the presentation and the attendees, and in addition, there are legal considerations that preclude attendees from making recordings.

The following limitations and exceptions apply to audio/video recording:

Recording of all sessions, named or public lectures, town halls, plenaries and keynotes is not allowed for personal, social media, or any other use.
Be respectful and considerate of others.
Do not record individuals under 18 years of age in any setting without permission of their parent or guardian. If in doubt, ask.
AGU, ASLO and TOS staff and contractors who capture content from selected sessions, lectures, and town halls are excluded from this prohibition.

Social Media Guidelines

We welcome social media use at the Ocean Sciences Meeting, including live tweeting. Use includes all public settings such as the exhibit hall and receptions, and scientific settings such as oral, poster and all forms for presentations, sessions, lectures, plenaries, and town halls.

In particular, we ask social media users to adhere to the following:

Use the appropriate meeting hashtag, e.g. #OSM26.
Employ commonly used hashtags that relate to the content to increase engagement.
Treat all participants, attendees, AGU, ASLO and TOS staff, and vendors with respect and consideration, valuing a diversity of views and opinions.
Be respectful and collaborative; communicate openly and with respect for others, critiquing ideas rather than individuals.
Avoid personal attacks directed toward other attendees, participants, AGU, ASLO and TOS staff, and suppliers/vendors.
Credit (identify) presenters by name.
Do not take or share photographs of individuals under 18 on social media without explicit verbal or written permission of a parent or guardian.

Privacy and Safety

AGU is committed to protecting your privacy, and we honor your right to make choices about the information you share with us. AGU requests information from those who engage with us to complete business processes such as meeting registration, to improve the communication and sharing of science, to improve programs and websites, and to serve the interests of members, authors, meeting attendees, and others by providing them with relevant information.

We are committed to providing an explanation of what information is required and what is optional, as well as how that information is being used.

AGU does not sell meeting attendee or member contact information.

It has been brought to our attention that some individuals and organizations have been contacted with offers of lists for purchase. These offers are not affiliated with AGU in any way and are unauthorized. We thank our exhibitors for reporting this issue to us. If you receive or know of an email containing such an offer, we ask that you please alert us by email.
Read AGU's Full Privacy Policy
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