The ASCE/COPRI Ports and Harbors Committee invites you to become part of the Ports Conference tradition to advance science & engineering, planning, and operations of port and waterfront infrastructure. The Call for Abstracts is now open for the Ports'25 Conference in Providence, Rhode Island.
Abstracts Due: Wednesday, April 17, 2024
Topics Requested for the Ports '25 Conference
When submitting your abstract, you will be asked what topic/subtopic your abstract most closely fits. Below is a list of topic/subtopics that we intend to develop by grouping similar topical abstracts. Please view this list prior to submitting your abstract, so you can properly determine which topics you would like your abstract to be considered for.
Environmental
- Ground, Air & Water Quality
- Habitat & Wildlife: Protection, Loss, and Mitigation
- Impact Analysis & Mitigations
- Innovative Port Programs
- Net Zero Emissions
- Rehabilitation & Redevelopment
- Resilience
- Sea Level Change & Climate Change
- Sustainability
- Sustainable Vehicles & Equipment Infrastructure
- Urban and Life Quality Issues
Port Planning & Operations
- Capacity Management
- Facility Maintenance & Management
- Inland Transportation Links
- Load and Peak Management
- Master Planning
- Navigation Systems
- Security
- Urban and Community Interfaces
- Offshore Wind
Terminal Planning & Design
- Breakbulk
- Container
- Cruise & Ferry
- Liquid & Dry Bulk
- Military
- RO/RO & Automobile
- Small Craft & Recreation
Navigation & Waterways
- Air Draft Improvement
- Beneficial Reuse & Environmental Improvement
- Modeling & Simulation
- Navigation Technology
- Widening & Deepening
Landside Connections
- Road and Rail Corridors
- Rail Yards
- Flow Control and Load Management Regimes
- System Integration
Port Engineering
- Coastal Engineering
- Dredging and Dredged Material Management
- Extreme Events (seismic, tsunami, hurricane, storm surge, blast, etc.)
- Facilities & Operations
- Geotechnical & Geoscience
- Innovative Technologies
- Interdisciplinary Integration
- Mooring & Berthing
- Navigation
- Structural Design
- Structure Inspection & Rehabilitation
Equipment and Systems
- Cargo Handling
- Environmental Impact Reduction Systems
- Innovative Technologies
- Passenger Processing
- Terminal Automation
Port Infrastructure
- Reclaimed Lands
- Foundations
- Pavement
- Drainage Control
- Power Supply & Distribution
Port Security
- Threats and Mitigation
- Facility Boundaries
- Human Access
- Scanning Systems
- Government Integration
- Data Integrity
Project Delivery
- Project Management
- Port Development Financing and Economics
- Project Contracting and Delivery
- Construction Management
Other
- If you choose 'other', please justify the relevance of the additional abstract topic submitted.
Abstract Guidelines
Abstracts must be:
- The abstract must be written in the best possible technical and grammatical English.
- The abstract should not exceed 500 words.
- Abstracts cannot include lists, tables, figures, display equations, footnotes, or references.
- In addition to the abstract, authors are required to respond to the following questions in 100 words or less for each question:
- How does this project / topic contribute to the advancement of the industry and profession?
- Does the project / topic implement new and innovative techniques, materials, technologies, and delivery methods?
- What was the most challenging aspect of your project/topic and how did you handle it to ensure success?
- Who is the target audience for this paper?
Download a Sample Abstract Proposal
Propose a Technical Short Course
The Ports ‘25 Conference is committed to continuing the tradition of providing continuing education and professional development opportunities for participants.
Held on Sunday, June 1, 2025, half day and full day, technical courses offer attendees the chance to learn from and connect with industry leaders and port professionals from a variety of backgrounds. Use the on-line abstract/paper submission process to submit a proposal of 500 words or less about the proposed session.
The proposal should include the following:
- Description of the presenter’s qualifications and credentials
- Summary of the course content and duration
- Discussion of the applicability of the course to the topics of the conference
- Identification of the course target audience
- Description of the benefit of the course to conference attendees
- Proposed number of Professional Development Hours (PDHs) to be granted for course attendance.
For questions about technical short courses and the submission process, please contact the Ports ‘25 Technical Short Course Chair Michael Wray, P.E., S.E., M.ASCE at [email protected].
The Ports ‘25 Organizing Committee will accept or reject proposed short courses based on the quality and content of the proposals.
Propose Topics for Discussion
Help shape the conference by proposing a topic for a panel discussion, round table discussion, or special session.
Use the on-line abstract/paper submission process to submit a proposal of 500 words or less about the proposed session. In addition to the proposed topic, please include proposed panelists or round table participants.
For proposed topics or other conference ideas, please contact the Ports ‘25 Organizing Chair Bryan Jones, P.E., D.PE, M.ASCE at [email protected]
Invite the authors from the individual abstracts to submit their abstract prior to the special session being proposed.
Download a Sample Discussion Session Proposal
Submit a Poster for the Young Professionals Poster Session
This is a direct submission for your abstract to be considered for the Young Professionals Poster Session. Abstracts submitted through this option are not being considered for oral presentations at the conference, however, we will give you the opportunity to present your work during the conference.
Submitters must be under the age of 35 and a registered member of ASCE as a Young Professional (YP), and you must also register to attend the Ports ’25 Conference. Your project and poster must be relevant to the Ports ’25 Conference (your contributions can vary from building a model, writing a technical report, performing calculations, construction administration & observation tasks or cover all aspects of design).
The Young Professional submitting the abstract must be able to demonstrate a significant contribution to the project of interest.
Submit a Poster for the Young Professional Session
Paper Guidelines
Draft Paper Deadline: Wednesday, July 24, 2024
- All draft and final papers must be written and submitted in Microsoft Word.
- Draft and final papers should be 10-12 pages (including abstract, text, and graphics) and must follow the ASCE Paper Formatting Instructions described in the next section.
- Authors whose abstracts and/or final papers are selected for inclusion in the technical program will be required to register for the Ports '25 Conference at the appropriate fee, attend the conference, and make their presentations in person.
- Final paper submission is mandatory.
- Each paper must be accompanied by an ASCE Authorship Originality and Copyright Transfer Agreement signed by one author on behalf of all the authors.
Formatting Instructions
We have created instructions for formatting you paper and have embedded those instructions into this paper sample for your reference.
Download Formatting Instructions Paper Sample
- A proceedings paper consists of a title; an author byline and affiliation(s); an abstract; the text with optional tables, figures, and mathematics; a conclusion; and references. Acknowledgments, appendixes, and notations are optional.
- Use 12-point type for text, captions, and author contact information. For type within figures or tables, the 12-point size is preferred. ASCE Publications recommends selecting a serif text font such as Times Roman. Italics, bold, and bold italics may be used; using only one “family” of typefaces yields the cleanest results.
- Do not put any information in the header. The only acceptable content in the footer is a single page number.
- All text must be single-spaced. Page design should be consistent throughout the paper. Margins should be 1 inch (25.4 mm) on all sides, and all elements (text, figures, tables, captions) must fit within those margins.
- All graphics (photos, line art, graphs, charts, tables, etc.) must be included electronically (embedded) within the document and fit within the margin settings.
- Illustrations should be single-numbered consecutively as they are presented (Figure 1, Figure 2, etc., and Table 1, Table 2, etc.). Each figure should be mentioned in the text or “called out.” Do not use field codes or any other internal links—they may cause error messages in the text.
- Figures may be placed in the text or in a “gallery” at the end of the paper. More than one figure may appear on a page. Do not wrap text around the figure, even to save space. Portrait orientation is preferred; landscape-orientated figures and tables may be altered to fit.
- A descriptive caption, including figure number, should be placed directly below the illustration (see Figure 1). A descriptive legend, including table number, should be placed immediately above the table.
- The paper must be written in the best possible technical and grammatical English.
- All mathematics must be embedded in the text. Equations need to be numbered only if they are referred to more than once. If numbering is necessary, equations should be single-numbered consecutively as they are presented (Eq. 1, Eq. 2, etc.). More information on mathematics style is available online.
- ASCE encourages the use of SI units. For more information about SI units, visit the Web sites of the U.S. Metric Association (USMA), Inc. or the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) or consult the book Metric Units in Engineering: Going SI.
Important Deadlines
- Abstracts Due: Wednesday, April 17, 2024
- Speaker Notifications Sent - Wednesday, May 15, 2024
- (Draft) Final Paper Deadline: Wednesday, July 24, 2024
- Speaker/Author Registration Deadline: Wednesday, January 22, 2025
Should an author submit their final paper but fail to register by the deadline, the unregistered paper will be removed from the conference program and proceedings.
Agreements
By submitting an abstract to the Ports '25 Conference, you acknowledge that you understand that:
- You are available to present in person (no virtual) at any time that the conference staff assigns your presentation (Monday, June 2 - Wednesday, June 4, 2025), or on Sunday, June1, 2025, for Technical Short Courses. This conference will take place in person in Providence, Rhode Island.
- All authors are expected to submit a written paper to be included in the conference proceedings. Written papers will be due by Wednesday, July 24, 2024. Paper submission is mandatory.
- As a speaker, it is mandatory that you register and pay for the conference by Wednesday, January 22, 2025.
- Please note: Should an author submit their final paper but fail to register by the deadline, the unregistered paper will be removed from the conference program and proceedings.
- ASCE will not pay for your travel or other expenses.
- You have obtained permission and funding from your agency/company to make this presentation, including registration and affiliated travel. (if applicable)
- You have applied for your international travel paperwork in advance to obtain international travel permissions (if applicable).
- Please note: Visa appointments can take up to 8 months, so please do not wait to start this process. An international letter of invitation will not be sent until you have registered and paid for the conference. Visit the for international travel page for more information.
Submitting your Abstract
When you are ready to submit your abstract, here's what you will need:
- Please make sure you browse the topical sessions in the section above before continuing with the abstract submission process.
- If you are adding a co-author, you will need their email address. A co-author speaker profile will need to be set up in Cadmium. Please notify your co-authors so they are aware that they have been included in the abstract listing
When you select the Submit Abstract Now button below, the site will redirect you to Cadmium, our speaker management platform.
COPRI Ports and Harbors Committee will accept or reject proposed papers based on information provided on-line in the abstracts. To the extent possible and appropriate, papers will be assigned to conference technical sessions based on the track and session identified by the topics selected by the author and co-authors, as the best suited for their subject material. The Ports and Harbors Committee reserves the right to assign papers to other conference technical sessions other than the track and session identified by the author and co-authors.
For questions about the abstract/paper submission process, please contact [email protected].