IPCC 2013—Beyond Borders: Communicating Globally — July 15-17, Vancouver

Published on August 23, 2012

Rideshare Information
Requirements for Presenters
Preliminary Conference Program and Schedule

Registration Still Open

Conference Theme

In the 21st Century, technical communicators must redefine or transcend borders of many kinds: social, linguistic, national, and cultural. As practitioners, researchers, and educators in the field of technical communication, we must learn how to refine our practices, use new technologies effectively, and deepen our understanding of our audiences in order to communicate across constantly evolving borders.

We must ask ourselves:

• How are communication technologies like social media shaping, altering, and reinventing global communication? How are these and other new technologies eroding borders between knowledge producers and knowledge consumers?
• How are today’s engineers being prepared to communicate in a global workplace?

The conference organizers of IPCC 2013 welcome submissions in all areas of technical professional communication. Authors who would like to contribute papers, workshops, or panels related to the conference theme could consider the following areas:

• Cross-cultural communication
• Engineering communication
• Managing information and communication systems
• Information quality
• Humanitarian aid communication
• Engineering Management
• Training and consulting
• Visual/multimedia communication
• Health/environmental communication
• Information and communication security
• Technical and professional communication pedagogy
• Usability
• Information design
• Tools/techniques for collaboration
• Content management/document technologies
• Software user assistance

Requirements for Presenters

Presenters must bring a flash drive with their presentation in Microsoft PowerPoint (.PPTX) format. Laptops and projectors will be supplied for each session.

If you have any questions, please contact one of the two program co-chairs:

• Darlene Webb – darlene_webb@bcit.ca
• Carolyn Labun – carolyn.labun@ubc.ca

Conference Program

The preliminary conference program and schedule (revised June 28, 2013; changes highlighted in yellow) are available now.

The program will include four types of sessions:

• Individual papers – Each paper will be the subject of a 15-20 minutes presentation in a 75-minute session.
• Panels – Each panel will consist of multiple presenters in a single 75-minute session.
• Workshops – Each workshop will feature one or more facilitators presenting a “how to” or “about” session addressing relevant practices, issues, or technologies of interest. Special workshops geared to helping practicing engineers improve their written and presentation skills will be offered; however, all conference registrants are welcome to attend (more information).
• Student posters – Instead of printed posters, posters will be displayed electronically on a large screen in an open area. The winners of the student poster competition are below.

Graduate Winners:

Undergraduate Winners:

* Team members: Praveen Shekhar, Zulka Ramirez, Marc Perez, Johnson Huynh and Jackie Holmes

Tracks

Presentations must fit into one of the following tracks:

Teaching Practice Papers address classroom practices, including program, course, or assignment design; instructional practices; and assessment methods.

Professional Practice Papers address workplace practices, including guidelines, best practices, or exemplary efforts for government, industry, civic, or public discourse; approaches to technology management; and related areas.

Empirical Research Papers present data-driven studies (all methods are welcome, including textual analysis, qualitative studies, quantitative studies, and mixed-methods research).

Position Papers present theoretically grounded discussion.

Conference Committee Chairs

Registration

Registration is now open for IPCC 2013! We encourage you to register online as soon as possible so you can take advantage of the “early bird” registration rates which are in effect until June 15. Registration rates increase after this date as shown in the table below. Note: Registration rates are in USD$.

* Visit the IEEE PCS membership page for information about joining

**The Engineering Writing Workshop on July 15 is limited to 150 attendees. Conference attendees who have paid the full conference or one-day registration fees may attend the engineering writing workshop if they desire; their full registration fee includes the workshop. Attendees who have registered for the Engineering Writing Workshop only may attend the initial plenary session with the keynote speaker on Monday, July 15, 2013, but no other conference sessions. All conference attendees, workshop attendees, and one-day attendees are invited to the networking luncheon on Monday, July 15, 2013.

Registration Cancellation Policy

Registrants who cancel their registration for any reason (including the denial of a travel visa due to delays or other issues) will receive a partial refund according to the following schedule:

• Through June 15 – All registrants will receive a refund of their registration fees minus a $50 (USD) administrative fee.
• From June 16 – July 8 – The cancellation fee will be approximately 50% of the registrant’s fee (or a minimum of $100) in $USD as follows:
  • IEEE PCS/STC members – $225
  • Non-members – $325
  • Students and retirees – $100
  • 1-day  – $100
  • Engineering Writing Workshop – $100
• After July 8 (5 work days before the conference) – No refunds will be granted.

For additional information, or to cancel a registration, contact Brian Traynor (BTraynor@mtroyal.ca).

Location

IPCC 2013 will be held at the campus of the University of British Columbia (UBC) in Vancouver, Canada. The campus is located in a beautiful natural setting on Vancouver’s west side and is surrounded by temperate rainforests and sandy beaches. Nearby shops, restaurants, banks, community services, and campus attractions are located within walking distance of the guest accommodations and meeting spaces. The UBC campus is 30 minutes away from Vancouver International Airport and about 20 minutes away from downtown Vancouver.

All conference meeting spaces, including the session rooms, have free wi-fi available.

A main bus terminal is located right across the street from the conference accommodations with 24 x 7 transportation to downtown Vancouver and other local area attractions.

Lodging

The Walter Gage conference hotel is located on the UBC campus within easy walking distance of the conference sessions. PCS has contracted for three types of rooms (see below). Each room rate includes a full breakfast at the Pacific Spirit Place Cafeteria right across from the conference hotel.

The conference rates are valid from July 12 – July 18. Room accommodations can only be reserved online. Please note that the reserved room block for IPCC is available only up until June 12. After this date, the conference hotel will keep taking reservations and honor the rates as long as there are rooms available. If a room category is not available, the conference hotel will offer alternatives.

Private studio apartment

Has a double bed, suitable for single or double occupancy. $119 (CAD) per night for single occupancy. All rooms are nonsmoking.

• Double-size bed in bedroom with luxury linens
• Fully-equipped kitchenette with Starbucks Coffee
• Bathroom with shower stall (no tub)
• Phone
• TV in the living room
• High-speed Internet port available (not wireless)
• Affordable on-site parking
• On-site laundry

One Bedroom Suite

Suite with Queen Bed in bedroom, pull-out double in living room and fully equipped kitchenette. Rate is based on single/double occupancy. $159 (CAD) per night for single occupancy. A fee will apply for each additional guest.

• Queen-size bed in bedroom with luxury linens
• Queen-size sofa bed in living room
• Fully-equipped kitchenette with Starbucks coffee
• Bathroom with shower stall (no tub)
• Phone
• Flat panel LCD TV in the living room
• High-speed internet port available (not wireless)
• Affordable on-site parking
• On-site laundry

Budget Room

A limited number of  budget rooms are available forconference
attendees. These are private single bedrooms with wired internet. They sleep only one person. Guests share a lounge with TV and washroom with two showers (no bathtub) with five other guests. $46 (CAD)
per night for single occupancy.

Emergency Information and Services

In case of emergency,  the contact information for the conference hotel is: 5959 Student Union Boulevard, Vancouver, Ph. 604.822.1000 | Toll-free 1.888.822.1030.

Getting to UBC

You will likely get to Vancouver by flying or driving. We recommend that you print out all the maps in this section and bring them with you.

Getting to UBC from the Airport (YVR)

The closest major airport is Vancouver International Airport (YVR) if you are flying in. There are three ways to get to UBC from the airport:

1. Car Rental – Car rentals are available on the ground floor in the airport terminal. The distance to UBC from the airport is 10.5 miles or 17.5 km. (21 minutes driving time in non-rush hour traffic).UBC Conference Services generally recommends that you consider using the city’s public transportation rather than renting a car because it is inexpensive and reliable. The UBC North Bus Loop is one block away from the conference hotel.
2. Taxi –  Takes about 15 minutes and costs about $40 (less if you share the ride). Ask the driver to take you to this address on the UBC campus:

   5959 Student Union Boulevard
   Walter H. Gage Resident/Conference Hotel

   Rideshare Information
   An opt-in only listserv has been created to help IPCC 2013 attendees coordinate rides from Vancouver International Airport to the University of British Columbia Vancouver campus. Download and print the instructions to sign up for the listserve.

3. Public Transportation – Take the Canada Line Skytrain going to Waterfront Station. Get off at the Broadway/City Hall Station  and transfer to the #99 B-line UBC-bound buses. When you get out of the Broadway/City Hall Station, you’ll be on Cambie Street. Walk left until you reach West Broadway. Cross West Broadway and and walk half a block to your left until you get to the #99 bus stop. The final stop on the #99 B-line is the UBC North Bus Loop  which is right across from the conference hotel.The price for a 2-zone bus ticket is $4.00 on weekdays before 6:30pm or $2.75 on evenings and weekends. You will also need to pay the Canada Line YVR AddFare ($5.00). You can buy your ticket from a ticket vending machine at the Airport station using cash (exact fare only, or debit/credit card). Hold on to the ticket for your bus transfer.When you get to the campus, head for the Walter H. Gage Residence, the conference hotel (look for the high-rise buildings). There should be signs directing you to the lobby for check-in.

5959 Student Union Boulevard
Walter H. Gage Resident/Conference Hotel

Driving Your Own Car

If you are driving from southward points (such as Seattle or Portland), you will go through the Blaine border crossing. U.S. citizens must have either a valid passport—or if you are a resident of Washington State—a valid Enhanced Driver’s License.

You can get door-to-door driving directions from Google Maps. Use the following address as your UBC destination:

5959 Student Union Boulevard
Vancouver, BC, Canada, V6T 2C9

On-campus Parking

Guest parking is available in designated areas outside the conference hotel for $9CD plus tax per day for each vehicle with in-and-out privileges. The parking garage does not have overnight parking or in-and-out privileges. Please ask the hotel reception staff for parking passes.

Sightseeing in Vancouver

If you wish to explore the sights in downtown Vancouver, just walk across the street from the hotel to the UBC North Bus Loop.It only takes 20 minutes to get to downtown Vancouver by bus. To get bus schedules, use the Trans Link Trip Planner. You can also use TransLink’s free Smart Phone / Mobile App  for easy access to transit schedules, maps, and trip planning on any web-enabled mobile device. Pay cash fare on the bus (no change provided) or use the ticket terminals inside the station.

Attractions

Vancouver has been rated as one of the top spots in the world in which to live and to vacation. In addition to world-class museums on the UBC campus, Vancouver offers a wealth of cultural events, tourism attractions, dining, and shopping to please every taste and budget. A perfect place to bring your family!

On-Campus Attractions

The Museum of Anthropology

The Museum of Anthropology was founded in 1949 to collect, preserve, research, and display archaeological and ethnographic material from British Columbia and the rest of the world. Today, it is Canada’s largest teaching museum and one of its most popular public museums. Winner of the 1989 Canadian Tourism Commission’s “Tourist Attraction of the Year – Canada” Award, MOA annually attracts 148,000 visitors.

The Morris and Helen Belkin Art Gallery

The Morris and Helen Belkin Art Gallery is one of the province’s premier showcases for contemporary art. Through exhibitions, publications, lectures and symposia, the Gallery’s programs emphasize research, teaching, and scholarship in areas ranging from B.C. art history to international contemporary art, and contemporary approaches to the practice of art history, criticism and curating.

Nitobe Memorial Gardens

Considered to be the best traditional, authentic Japanese Tea and Stroll Garden in North America and among the top five Japanese gardens outside Japan, the Nitobe Garden includes a rare authentic Tea Garden with a ceremonial Tea House.

UBC Botanical Garden

Welcome to UBC Botanical Garden, a window into the fascinating world of plants. Visitors can view alpine and Asian treasures, medicinal and culinary plants and the towering trees of a BC coastal native forest.