Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
- General Questions
- Venue Questions
-COVID Questions

Q: Who can I contact with other questions not covered below?

A: The Conference Chair, Danny Ducat (ducatdan@msu.edu). Please include “14th Workshop on Cyanobacteria” in your email subject line.

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Q: Is this an in-person conference?

A: Yes, this is an in-person conference. The main venue is the MSU Union in East Lansing, Michigan. Registration options that include nearby campus housing accommodations in Bailey Hall are available.

 

Q: Will there be options to attend virtually?

A: We are not currently offering a virtual registration option. There has been concern during organizational discussions that virtual conferences are less able to capture some important elements central to the goals of this Workshop, such as interpersonal connection, networking, potential for forming collaborations, and general collegiality. While it is our intention to provide an in-person experience, we may be need to alter this plan based on extenuating circumstances related to COVID-19. We will notify attendees well in advance (>1 month) and refund registration if this occurs.

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Q: Will Workshop talks be available online?

A: We will record the talks as a service to Workshop attendees. We may post some of these recordings online (open access or private access on website) upon the request of the speakers.

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Q: Are there options to reduce costs associated with attending the conference?

A: Yes. We are seeking extra funds through grants and sponsors. The majority of these funds will be used to support the attendance of early career scientists by defraying/eliminating registration costs. If you wish to be considered for supporting funds, please fill our the Registration, but select the option to defer payment. Please indicate in the comments that you would like to be considered.

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Q: Will funds to support travel be available?

A: Grant funds that support travel are generally more restrictive and less available. However, some funds may be available to support travel costs. Please email ducatdan@msu.edu if you would like to be considered and want more details.

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Q: What is your refund policy?

A: We will make a good faith effort to refund the cost of registration in full or as fully as we can for any/all cancellations. We ask attendees to make efforts to notify us of a cancellation two (2) weeks in advance of the event start (i.e., before June 2, 2022). The Workshop on Cyanobacteria is a non-profit, academic event. Therefore, depending on availability of funds, we may be unable to reimburse transaction fees (estimated at $20-30 dollars/registration). For cancellations on short notice and/or after the start of the Workshop, we may be unable to recoup some costs and may only be capable of returning a partial refund.

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Q: How will oral presentations and poster presentations be determined?
A: Speakers and posters will be selected from Submitted Abstracts. Please Submit an Abstract through this conference page. A Scientific Organization Committee consisting primarily of graduate students, postdoctoral fellows, and other early-career academics will make the selections and notify presenters well in advance of the conference date.

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Q: What are the different registration options for with regard to housing?

A:  Efforts have been made to keep housing costs low to improve accessibility of the meeting. Dormitory rooms near to the conference venue are available with the registration. https://liveon.msu.edu/reshall/bailey You may request a single room (1 person/room) or a double (2/room). If you would like a double room, please indicate the person who you would like to be paired with in the comments of your registration form. If you would like to attend but have other lodging, there are a number of local hotels – you can find recommendations on the Workshop website. You will be expected to make these arrangements independently.

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Q: What are food options that will come with the meal vouchers?

A: : A meal voucher for breakfast, lunch, and dinner on all relevant days of the conference is included as part of your registration fees. The Dining Hall at Brody Complex is the closest to the conference venue and offers one of the most extensive set of food options on campus https://eatatstate.msu.edu/menu/Brody%20Square. Many different stations exist with a range of themes, including, but not limited to: sushi, pasta bar, pizza, TexMex, sandwich/burger, Thai, Vegan and Kosher stations.

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Q: Are there other lodging options aside from Bailey Hall (dormitory)?

A: Yes. There are a variety of nearby hotels. If you do not wish to stay in the campus housing, you may book separate rooms. Nearby hotels in walking distance to the conference venue include the Marriott East Lansing at University Place and The Graduate East Lansing. You will be expected to make these arrangements independently, and to cover the associated costs. (UPDATE: Rooms requested through Kellogg Center are no longer available - they have limited vacancies, so the best options are the hotels above which are very close to the conference venue.)

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Q: Are conference venues accessible to attendees with disabilities?

A: Yes. The MSU Union, Lecture hall, Poster venues, and dormitories are all ADA-compliant. If you have any special concerns that should be taken into consideration please do not hesitate to contact Danny Ducat (ducatdan@msu.edu)

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Q: What options are available for transport to the venue?

A: Lansing has a small airport, Capital Region International Airport (code LAN), that is a short car ride away from campus and the venue (~20 minutes). It is probably easiest for many travelers to arrange for Uber, Lyft, or similar rideshare app from LAN, although other cab services can be found here. However, LAN is a small airport with limited flight options. Detroit International Airport (DTW) has many more flights and is likely an airport that you will connect through even if you choose to fly to LAN. Transport from DTW to the venue may be almost as convenient, because there is a bus service, the Michigan Flyer, that picks up at the airport and drives a nearly direct route to Michigan State University campus. This service runs 8 times per day, about once every 1.5 hours, is reasonably priced ($54 roundtrip), and has a pickup/dropoff location approximately 1 block from the conference venue. Therefore, it is a very short cab ride or ~15 minute walk from this stop to the dorms or other local hotels (stop is immediately in front of Marriott hotel)

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Chicago O'Hare International Airport (ORD) is the next closest large airport, although it is significantly further away from East Lansing relative to DTW or LAN. It is not recommended to commute from ORD due to the significant transit time and hassle required.

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Q: What is your policy related to COVID-19?

A: The organizers of the conference are keeping a careful eye on this continuously evolving situation. The current policy of MSU campus is kept up-to-date here: https://globalsafety.isp.msu.edu/travel-during-covid-19-pandemic/health-protocol-inbound-travel/. Briefly, as of Feb 2022, all MSU students and employees (including faculty, staff, & researchers) have a requirement to be both fully vaccinated and boosted. There is a campus-wide requirement for wearing masks in indoor public spaces.

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Q: What is your refund policy if the Workshop is moved to a virtual format?

A: In the event that the organizers decide it is prudent to cancel in-person activities (e.g., due to COVID-19 concerns), all registration fees will be fully refunded.

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Q: What if I get sick or am otherwise unable to travel?

A: See our refund policies above. Briefly, we will work to the best of our ability to refund your costs associated with the registration. While we prefer cancellations to occur in advance of the meeting, we recognize that some events are outside of anyone's control. As a separate precaution, you may wish to procure travel insurance or similar options that permit flexibility/refunds through your carrier.

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Q: I am worried about attending conference events. What relevant information can you give me about precautions that will be in place?

A: The most up-to-date policies for the campus are posted on MSU's website (see question above). At the time of this writing, all persons on campus in public venues are required to wear a mask. All MSU faculty, staff, students, and other university employees were required to be fully vaccinated and boosted (by Jan 2022). This is a constantly evolving situation, but we wish to assure you that the health of attendees is a high priority that we take seriously. A number of preparations follow that have been made with the safety of our Workshop in mind. 1) We anticipate that all attendees will be required to wear masks during most Workshop events. 2) We will provide complimentary KN95 masks (or with equivalent filtration) at the conference site. 3) The lecture hall is a large Ballroom, capable of seating 200 attendees with room to spread out between seats. We will provide options for socially distanced seating at the lecture venue. 4) We are exploring options for outdoor socialization events (e.g., garden tours) and possibly for an outdoor dinner on Saturday, June 18th. 5) MSU provides walk-in COVID testing (rapid and PCR). 6) Olin Health Center is a 5 minute walk from the main Workshop venue and offers COVID testing and other healthcare services. 

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