Frequently Asked Questions
FAQs will be updated weekly as new information becomes available.
Return to BMES 2022 Homepage
HIGH SCHOOL POSTER COMPETITION
MEDTRONIC STUDENT DESIGN COMPETITION
UNDERGRADUATE + LATE-BREAKING ABSTRACTS PHASE
ABSTRACTS
Q: I am going through the abstract submission process. I am at a screen that says “Proofread” but the screen is blank. Help!
A: The proofread option is for you to go back through your abstract in the portal and look at what you have submitted thus far. There isn’t anything to view on that specific "proofread" tab; it is just an option for you to go back prior to advancing to the payment page.
Q: Why do I have to create a member/nonmember account for every author with BMES to submit an abstract? This is a very cumbersome process.
A: We appreciate your feedback. In order for our systems to talk to one another (membership and the abstract portal), we require every author to have a member/nonmember account created for each author. We appreciate your efforts to make this a cohesive process.
Q: Can we make changes and additions to the authors after I submit my abstract?
A: Yes, if your abstract is accepted, you will have until August 23 to update your abstract. No changes can be made after August 23rd.
Q: Can I submit an abstract after the deadline?
A: We extended the deadline once for 24 hours to June 2, 2022 to allow for those who needed to complete the abstract process. We are no longer accepting abstracts for oral presentations. If you wish to submit for a poster session, the application process opened on July 11th.
Q: Is there an opportunity to submit an abstract after the deadline?
A: Yes, please see REU + Late-breaking abstracts phase in this FAQ document.
Q: If my abstract is accepted for an oral presentation, can I present virtually?
A: If your abstract is accepted as an oral presentation, you will be required to present in person only.
Q: When will I be notified if my abstract has been accepted?
A: General Abstract submitters will be infomed by Friday, July 15th.
REU + Late-breaking will be notified by Tuesday, August 23rd.
Q: My abstract was accepted. Does this mean that I am registered for the 2022 BMES Annual Meeting?
A: No. All attendees must register to attend the 2022 BMES Annual Meeting.
Q: Does the $50 I paid to submit my abstract also apply as a credit towards my registration fee?
A: No. The abstract submission fee and the registration fee are completely separate fees.
Q: My abstract was accepted. Do I have to registered by a certain date?
A: Yes. All presenters must be registered by Friday, August 26th.
AWARD NOMINATIONS
Q: When are award nominations due?
A: Thursday, June 30
HIGH SCHOOL POSTER COMPETITION
Q: When will the High School Poster competition open?
A: The process to apply opened on Monday, June 6th.
Q: When is the deadline for submission?
A: The deadline to apply was Wednesday, July 13, 2022.
Q: When will applicants be notified if they won?
A: Applicants were notifed on or before Tuesday, August 9, 2022.
Q: Who is eligible to apply?
A: The competition is targeted toward students local to the Texas area, BMES High School Student Chapter members, and motivated students identified by universities or advance learning programs. Students must be a Junior or Senior in the fall of the Annual Meeting, with research or projects in the STEM fields (biomedical engineering, biology, chemistry, biotechnology, healthcare, medicine, bioengineering, mechanics, robotics, math etc.) with an acceptance emphasis on traditionally underrepresented backgrounds.
Q. What counts as a Traditionally Underrepresented Background?
A. Groups identified as being underrepresented in science and engineering include Women, African Americans, Alaskan Natives, Hispanics, American Indians/Native Americans, and Pacific Islanders (Guam, Hawaii and American Samoa)
Q. Will I need to register or pay to apply?
A. Those selected to participate, along with their chaperones, will receive free registration to the Annual Meeting. Teams will be provided a modest travel stipend of $250.00. Each poster accepted allows for 2 students and 1 chaperone. The travel stipend is to cover ground transportation and/or parking at the convention center. Complimentary poster printing will be provided, some meals will be included. If you are traveling from outside of the immediate area, BMES is not able to cover room or travel, other arraignments will need to be made.
Q. When and Where is the Competition?
A. Thursday, October 13th, 2022
7:30 A.M. – 4:00 P.M.
BMES Annual Meeting in San Antonio, TX
Q: Is There a Prize for Winning?
A: Three winners will receive a cash prize for best-presented research.
1st: $300
2nd: $200
3rd: $100
Q: What Will Their Day Look Like?
A: Thursday, October 13th
- 7:30 – 8:00 a.m. High School Expo & Poster Competition Orientation
- 8:00 – 9:30 a.m. Choice of Two Scientific Platform Sessions
- 9:30 – 10:30 a.m. Free Time in the Exhibit Hall & Poster Session A
- 10:30 – 11:30 a.m. Plenary Session: State of the Society and Distinguished Lecture
- 11:30 – 12:30 p.m. Celebration of Minorities in BME Luncheon
- 12:30 – 1:00 p.m. Break
- 1:00 – 2:30 p.m. High School Poster Competition Judging
- 3:00 – 4:00 p.m. Student Chapter & High School Poster Competition Awards Event
- 4:00 – 4:15 p.m. Conclude Day
MEDTRONIC STUDENT DESIGN COMPETITION
Q: When will the Medtroinic Student Design Competition open?
A: The process to apply opened on Monday, June 27th.
Q: When is the deadline for submission?
A: The deadline to apply will be noon ET, Monday, August 1, 2022.
Full details, criteria and application can be found here: Student Design Competition - Biomedical Engineering Society (bmes.org)
HOTEL INFORMATION
Q. When will the discounted room block open?
A. The discounted room blocks has now closed. Please visit Hotel and Travel page.
Q. Are there any airline discounts available?
A: Yes! Please Hotel and Travel Page.
Q: Are there any grants available to cover the cost of hotel/travel?
A: Unfortunately, there are no travel grants available this year.
MEET THE FACULTY
Q: When will the meet the faculty application process open?
A: Friday, July 1st
Q: When will the meet the faculty application process close?
A: Tuesday, August 9th
Q: Do you have to be an active BMES member to apply?
A: Yes, you also need to be in a current PH.D. program or a recent graduate still looking for a position
Q: Is there a cost to attend?
A: No, but you do need to apply and qualify.
Q: When will I receive noticed that I've been accepted?
A: You will be notified on or before Friday, August 19th, 2022.
ON-SITE
Q: Will there be a place I can nurse at the annual meeting?
A: There are lactation pods in public spaces throughout the Convention Center. The lactation pods are accessible to the meeting space we have throughout the center. Please click here for more information.
REGISTRATION
Q: If I have a question about my registration, who can I contact?
A: Contact registration services at (847) 620-4277 or email bmes_registration@goeshow.com.
Hours: Monday - Friday, 8:00 am - 5:00 pm CST
The registration services call center is closed on weekends and holidays.
Q: When does registration close?
A: September 26, 2022
Q: When is the early bird deadline?
A: The early bird deadline closed on Tuesday, September 6, 2022 at 12 p.m. (noon) ET.
Q: When does onsite registration open?
A: Onsite registration opens on October 12 at 12:00 pm
Q: Can I cancel and get a full refund if I can’t attend?
A: In order for a refund to be processed, requests for registration or ticketed event cancellation must be received by bmes_registration@goeshow.com in writing no later than Tuesday, September 6, 2022. Refund requests will not be honored after the deadline of September 6. Registrations and ticketed events purchased after September 6 are non-refundable. Phone cancellations are strictly prohibited, and cancellation requests sent via mail, fax, or emailed to any inbox other than bmes_registration@goeshow.com will not be reviewed. All refunds are subject to a $50 cancellation fee. Attendee substitutions are not permitted, and meeting registrations cannot be transferred from one person to another. Membership dues payments are final and will not be refunded once processed. *Non-attending (no-show) registrants will not be refunded unless they are unable to make it to the 2022 BMES Annual Meeting due to extenuating circumstances (e.g., airline-initiated flight cancellations, illness from or diagnosis of COVID-19 during or right before the Annual Meeting, medical emergencies and injuries sustained by the registrant or direct relative, natural disasters, court/jury duty summons, military personnel deployment, death of an immediate family member, etc.). These registrants must submit reasonable verification of their inability to attend via email to bmes_registration@goeshow.com prior to the conference's conclusion on Saturday, October 15. Reasonable verification includes, but is not limited to, notice of flight cancellation provided by your airline, an injury report or physician's note issued by a licensed practitioner, copy of your official court/jury duty summons, military orders, obituary, etc. Failure to submit this documentation and correspondence by 5:00 p.m. ET on October 15, 2022, will result in 100% forfeiture of all registration fees paid, regardless of circumstances surrounding the absenteeism—no exceptions.
Q: Are there any grants available to cover the cost of registration?
A: The only opportunity we have that will be available next month is to sign up for a volunteer position on-site at the meeting. Your registration fee would be waived if you are among those selected. There is no grant funding available this year.
Q: I made a mistake and registered as a nonmember, but I renewed my membership. Can I get a refund?
A: Refunds for registration fees will not be given to individuals who register at a nonmember rate and later join or renew their BMES membership. No exceptions.
Q. What types of registration are there?
A: There are 6 types of registration: Student (member), Student (non-member), Early Career (member), Professional/Fellow/Emeritus/Emeritus Fellow (members), Non-member, and Streaming Only.
Q: I do not feel safe traveling during COVID. Can I join the meeting virtually?
A: The entire meeting is not available virtually. The plenary sessions, diversity receptions and special events will be streamed and can be purchased for a significantly reduced fee.
Q: What does my registration include?
A: The registration fee includes access to all plenary and scientific sessions, the welcome reception, the Bash, and the exhibit hall. There are ticketed events that require a separate ticket fee and other ticketed events that you must register to attend.
Q: Can we register multiple attendees at one time?
A: Yes! Group registrations are permitted. At the conclusion of the first registration, you will be asked if you have any additional registrations. Click the button to begin registering additional people. Follow the prompts to process registration by credit card after you have entered the last person in the group.
Q: How much does registration cost?
A: Registration fees can be found here: https://www.bmes.org/registration.
Q: What meals are included with my ticket?
A: Welcome Reception (light reception), and daily coffee and refreshment breaks. Lunches are not covered as part of registration, but there are lunches that have tickets available for purchase.
Q: Will there be onsite places to get lunch?
A: Yes. There are a number of food kiosks available in the Herbert B. Gonzalez Convention Center. The Riverwalk area is also within walking distance with a variety of food options available.
UNDERGRADUATE + LATE-BREAKING ABSTRACTS PHASE
Q: When will the Undergraduate + Late-breaking abstracts phase open?
A: Monday, July 11th
Q: When is the Undergraduate + Late-breaking abstract reviewer signup deadline?
A: Friday, July 29th
Q: When do Undergraduate + Late-breaking abstract submissions close?
A: Friday, August 5th
Q: When will Undergraduate + Late-breaking abstract submissions authors be notified?
A: Tuesday, August 23rd
Q: Will Undergraduate or Late-breaking abstracts be considered for oral presentations?
A: No, Undergraduate and Late-breaking abstracts will be accepted as posters only.
SPONSORSHIP AND EXHIBITING
Q: We are interested in hosting a University Reception at the hotel. How do I go about doing that?
A: Please visit: https://www.bmes.org/sponsors and click “Reserve” and the system will walk you through exhibit space, advertising and sponsorship items, including the university reception.
Q: How long do we have to secure a space or sponsorship?
A: In order to fulfill all sponsor and exhibitor benefits, you have until August 12, 2022 to secure your space/sponsorship.
Q: How can I be invoiced for payment?
A: On the last page of the automated system, click the drop-down menu that is pre-selected to credit card. Please remember that all payments must be made on or before September 2, 2022.
Q: Where can I find the prospectus?
A: Please visit: https://www.bmes.org/sponsors and under the two buttons, you will find the prospectus link.
STUDENT VOLUNTEER PROGRAM
Q: When will students be able to apply to be a student volunteer for the 2022 BMES Meeting?
VISA INFORMATION
Q: What if I need a VISA to travel to the United States?
A: Most international attendees visiting the United States will need to apply for a visa through the U.S. Department of State.
Visa applications are now subject to a greater degree of scrutiny than in the past. The visa application process can take several weeks.
Please note the Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative (WHTI) for travel to and from the United States, Canada, Mexico, and Bermuda.
It is important to thoroughly review all information on the specific Embassy's Consular Section website for local procedures and instructions on making an interview appointment, paying fees and checking on the status of your visa application. Find the consulate for your country by selecting the associated region.
The Visa Waiver Program (VWP) allows citizens of participating countries to travel to the United States without a visa for stays of 90 days or less, when they meet all requirements explained below. Travelers must be eligible to use the VWP and have a valid Electronic System for Travel Authorization (ESTA) approval prior to travel.
To request a VISA invitation letter from BMES, contact christina@BMES.org.
