useR! 2016 Frequently Asked Questions

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FAQs Regarding Registration/Attendance

What is the streaming URL for the Keynotes?

Thanks to a generous offer from Microsoft Corporation, arrangements have been made to stream the keynote talks from https://aka.ms/user2016conference. Video recordings of the other sessions (where permitted by speakers) will be made available in due course using a Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported license.

Is there any other venue on campus where the keynotes will be streamed?

Yes. Stanford affiliates can view the live stream at the Green Library. For more info, see the Stanford Libaries R website.

Are all the tutorials going to be on 27th June?

Yes. See http://schedule.user2016.org for details.

Do I need to register for tutorials?

Generally speaking, the tutorials are free to those RSVP'd during registration. However, we expect that not everyone will be able to attend the tutorials of their choice due to room capacity. So it will be mostly on a first come, first served basis.

I see people building their schedules online. Do I have to do that to guarantee a spot for a talk/tutorial?

Attendees are free to make up their schedules online just as you would be able to using pencil and paper although less efficiently. So while a schedule might help you plan what you want to attend, we can provide no guarantees because the room capacities and fire codes have to be respected.

What is the dress code?

There is no official dress code. You are free to dress appropriately and comfortably for the occasion but please do read the section on weather and attire in the "Know before you go" document. You may also look at pictures from last year's conference.

It seems registration is closed. Is there a waitlist?

The conference is over capacity at this point and there's no waitlist possible. Please also note that no registration is possible onsite either. See above for streaming options. Video recordings of sessions (where permitted) will be made available on Microsoft's Channel 9 as well as YouTube under the license noted above.

I have registered for useR! but need a visa to attend. How do I get my invitation letter?

We will email invitation letters if you need them. Please email user2016-help@stat.stanford.edu and request an invitation letter. Mention your registration number in the email.

Is there a refund policy for the registration fee?

Please refer to the cancellation policy in your receipt. It is also stated at the bottom of registration landing page.

I have already registered for the conference but I would like to get an invoice/visa invitation letter. Who do I speak to?

Please email meetingplanning@stanford.edu requesting the documents you require.

I have already registered for the conference, but I would like to add the banquet to my registration. What should I do?

Please email meetingplanning@stanford.edu requesting to add the banquet to your registration.

FAQs Regarding useR! 2016 Location and Facilities

How do I get on the wireless network on location?

Instructions are in the "Know before you go" document. The username and password were sent to you in a welcome email. If you did not see that message, please work with your IT department to ensure it is not classified as spam!

What is the parking at Stanford like? Can I drive my car to the conference?

Attendees who are driving to campus should park in the Galvez Parking Lot. Please see the map for the 3 entry points to the Galvez lot and its location relative to the Arrillaga Alumni Center, where the conference will be held. Attendees will need to pay for parking using exact Cash, Coin, or Visa/MasterCard. Parking is currently $8 per day using a coupon code. The coupon code and instructions were sent to you in a welcome email. (If you did not see this message, please work with your IT department to ensure it is not classified as spam!). There are additional parking lots available on campus, but you will not be able to use the coupon code unless you park in the Galvez lot. Hourly payment is also available. No payment is required after 4pm. Please review the Alumni Center Parking Map for directions and additional parking options: https://alumni.stanford.edu/get/page/resources/alumnicenter/directions.

Is there a health room for mothers who are attending?

Attendees can use a small meeting room as a health room. This room is located on the first floor across from the Business Center. Please enquire at the front desk and you will be directed to it. There is also a staff refrigerator for storing a few items. We recommend that the items be clearly labelled with names to avoid confusion.

FAQs Regarding useR! 2016 Posters

How should I format my poster?

Your poster should be 3 ft. (36 in.) wide by 4 ft. (48 in.) tall in portrait mode

You will be allotted half of an 8 ft. (96 in.) by 4 ft. (48 in.) poster board, so you’ll have a 4 ft. x 4 ft. space to tack your poster

We will have tacks available to pin up your poster

The poster schedule is already online and each poster has been alloted a number.

You may tack up your poster in the numbered space on the board any time before the scheduled poster session (Tuesday and Wednesday from 2:30 - 3:30pm). Any posters left on the board will be taken down by the next morning.

Will you print my poster for me to pick up onsite?

Posters sent as PDF (and only PDF) will printed for free and made available to you onsite. No corrections or replacements are possible, so do make sure you email the final version (with all fonts embedded etc.) by June 18, 2016 11:59pm PST to poster-user2016@stat.stanford.edu.

Do you have Poster Examples?

Beyond posting some links here, we are unable to provide further help. A Powerpoint version (4ft. wide by 3ft. tall, so not portrait!) from useR! 2010 can be found here. You can probably see a few more by browsing one level up. Some LaTeX templates can be found online such as here and here for example. We cannot vouch for their properties/quality.

Do you have a useR! Logo we could use for the poster?

The useR! 2016 logos are available on useR! Github Repo if you wish to use them.

FAQs Regarding useR! 2016 Talks

What format do you suggest for my slides: 16:9 or 4:3? What projection capabilities are in each room?

Depending on where your talk has been scheduled, we recommend you choose the appropriate format. McCaw Hall, SIEPR 130, and Wallenberg 124 work best with 16:9 format. All other rooms use the standard 4:3 format. Using the standard format in McCaw is likely to result in black borders along the side. More details can be found on stackoverflow for example. Also see here for Powerpoint.

Can I use my own laptop for my talk?

Each room has a Macbook pro available with up-to-date versions of Powerpoint, Keynote and Adobe PDF viewers. Lightning talks will have to be preloaded on this machine. For other oral presentations, you are free to use your laptop in consultation with the session moderator.

Do I need to bring an adapter for use with my laptop?

No, we have all the standard adapters.

FAQs Regarding useR! 2016 Videotaping

What is the 2016 Video Recording Permission survey about?

There are many more people who wish to attend the useR! 2016 conference than the conference can hold (all of the registrations were sold within 2 weeks of the conference announcement). For those that weren’t able to attend in person, Microsoft has generously provided funds and personnel to live-stream and/or record some presentations, and make recordings freely available to the R user community to share under a Creative Commons license.

Why are useR! speakers being asked to sign a “Permission to Use” waiver?

Any time a presentation is videotaped or recorded at a conference it is important to establish what rights the speakers, conference organizers and third parties may have regarding the recorded material, and what liabilities, if any, they may assume. The Permission to Use waiver grants Microsoft (on behalf of the useR!2016 organizing committee) the right to record your presentation and share it (and allow others to share it) under the terms of the Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported license.

What legal document governs the rights and use of useR!2016 recorded material?

Presentations videotaped at useR!2016 will be governed by the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported license. This is a non-commercial license which, among other things, prohibits anyone from charging for the recorded material. This is a commonly-used license for creative works, which allows anyone to copy and redistribute the material in any medium or format under the following terms:

Attribution — You must give appropriate credit, provide a link to the license, and indicate if changes were made. You may do so in any reasonable manner, but not in any way that suggests the licensor endorses you or your use.

NonCommercial — You may not use the material for commercial purposes.

NoDerivatives — If you remix, transform, or build upon the material, you may not distribute the modified material.

Will I receive a copy of my presentation video?

Yes. After the conference, Microsoft will make the videotaped recordings available on Channel 9 where they may be viewed or downloaded. You (and anyone else) may share the video in any medium according as allowed by the Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported license.

Am I giving up any rights to my presentation (slides, etc.)?

No. You retain all rights (including copyright) to your content. By agreeing to the waiver, you are allowing for this video of your presentation to be shared as described above.

What if I don’t agree to the “Permission to Use” waiver?

If you don’t agree to the terms of the Permission to Use waiver, or simply do not want your presentation to be shared, simply respond “No” to the “Permission to Use” survey. If you are a keynote presenter, your presentation will not be livestreamed, and your presentation video will be erased and won’t be shared in any medium.

Older Questions

I am a part-time student with a full-time job. Should I pay the student fee or the industry fee?

We would ask that you register as an industry participant. This enables us to keep costs down for full-time students.

I am a postdoc. Do I register as a student or an academic?

You would register as an academic.

I work in a non-profit. Do I register as Industry/Other?

Yes, we request that you register as Industry/Other. We are trying to keep the costs low for students/postdocs/academics.

Is it possible to get a travel stipend/scholarship to attend useR?

Yes, there are a limited number of scholarships with some criteria for selection. Check out our Diversity Scholarships here. The American Statistical Association is also sponsoring two scholarships. Please see the link ASA Scholarships.