Abstract Numbering System

Each abstract is assigned a unique 4 or 5-digit number based on when and where it is being presented. Talk presentations are a 4-digit number and Poster presentations are a 5-digit number (the last two digits of a poster are the board number). See Abstract Numbering.

ATM

An ATM is located in the main lobby of the hotel. A second ATM can be found in the lobby of the Breckenridge Building.

Audiovisual Equipment for Talks

LCD projectors are provided in the talk rooms for giving slide presentations. Computers are NOT provided. Presenters must bring their own laptop computers and set them up BEFORE the start of the session in which they are presenting. Please review the Talk Presentation Instructions for more information.

For speakers who cannot bring a laptop, there is a loaner Windows PC laptop available in the talk room. Please make advance arrangements with Jeff Wilson at the VSS Registration Desk.

Baggage Check

Bags can be checked with the Bell Hop in the main lobby.

Business Center

The Business Center is located in the hotel lobby. Computer terminals are available in the Social Lounge (located in Royal Tern). A printer is available in the VSS Social Lounge.

Business Meeting

The VSS Business Meeting is Tuesday, May 21, 12:15 – 1:00 pm in Talk Room 2. All VSS members are encouraged to attend. This is your opportunity to hear about VSS, ask questions, and give feedback.

Cashless Property

TradeWinds Island Resorts is now a cashless property with cash no longer accepted for payment throughout the properties. There are “Cash to Card” machines at both Island Grand Beach Resort and RumFish Beach Resort. These machines work as a reverse ATM (without the fees) converting cash to pre-paid debit cards that can be used anywhere. Employee partners are still able to accept cash for gratuities, but they will not be able to make change onsite.

Certificates of Attendance

Certificates of Attendance will be available in your VSS account the last day of the meeting. If you require additional assistance, visit the Registration Desk.

Code of Conduct

The Vision Sciences Society (VSS) is dedicated to the open exchange of ideas and the freedom of thought and expression. We are committed to running a successful meeting that fosters collegiality and celebrates the diversity of the Vision Sciences community. These aims and goals require an environment that recognizes the inherent worth of every person and group, that fosters dignity, understanding, and mutual respect, and that embraces diversity. To help ensure these goals, each presenter, speaker, and attendee must adhere to the Code of Conduct.

Community Table

New this year, you’ll find the VSS Community Table near the Registration Desk. Here, representatives from SPC, FoVea, Spark and Visibility will be on hand to share information about their communities as well as events happening at VSS. Stop by to sign up for group dinners or to find a VSS buddy.

Contact Us

If you need to reach VSS meeting personnel while at the meeting, call extension 7814 from a house phone. From outside the hotel, call (727) 367-6461, extension 7814. VSS staff can also be reached by email at .

Disclaimer

The Program Committee reserves the right to change the meeting program at any time without notice. Please note that this program was correct at the time of printing.

Discord

The VSS Student and Postdoctoral Committee (SPC) has created a VSS server on the Discord instant messaging platform to facilitate communication among VSS attendees. You’ll find channels such as #accommodation, #ride-sharing, and #childcare-private helpful to find buddies or share resources. Channels such as #fovea, #visibility, #spark and #spc will facilitate networking with people from the various VSS communities. See the Registration desk to join the Discord server.

Drink Tickets

Each attendee will receive two “free drink” tickets which may be redeemed at the Opening Night Reception (May 17), Demo Night (May 20), or Club Vision (May 21).

Exhibits

All exhibits are located in the Pavilion. See our list of Exhibitors and the Exhibits Floor Plan (coming soon).

Exhibit Hours
Saturday, May 18, 8:00 am – 5:30 pm
Sunday, May 19, 8:00 am – 5:30 pm
Monday, May 20, 8:00 am – 12:30 pm
Tuesday, May 21, 8:00 am – 5:30 pm

Exhibitor Setup and Tear down
Setup: Friday, May 17, 4:00 – 7:00 pm and Saturday, May 20, 7:00 – 9:00 am
Tear down: Tuesday, May 21, 5:30 – 7:30 pm

Fitness Center

The RumFish Beach Resort fitness center is open 24/7 with a room key. The Center is available to attendees staying at either of the TradeWinds hotels. The TradeWinds Island Grand fitness center is currently closed.

Food Service/Catering

Complimentary coffee and tea, as well as a light continental breakfast is available each morning in the Garden Courtyard and the Pavilion. Coffee, tea, and refreshments will also be served each afternoon between afternoon talk sessions.

Your VSS registration includes a reception and a dinner. The Opening Night Reception is held on Friday night and the Demo Night BBQ dinner is held on Monday night. Both events take place on the beach (weather permitting). Attendees may purchase a Friends & Family Pass, which will allow their guests to attend the food and social events.

Each attendee will be given two “free drink” tickets, good at the Opening Night Reception, Demo Night, and Club Vision.

The VSS schedule provides a generous two-hour lunch period to take advantage of the beautiful surroundings and amenities of the TradeWinds Island Grand Hotel and the RumFish Beach Resort.

Note: VSS meeting attendees will receive a 5% discount on all food and beverage purchases in ALL TradeWinds Islands Resorts restaurants and bars. You must present your VSS badge to receive the discount.

The 5% discount does not apply to food or drinks at VSS events, such as the Opening Night Reception, Demo Night, or Grab and Go Lunches. Discounted pricing has already been applied to these functions.

Grab and Go Lunches
The TradeWinds will offer a selection of reasonably-priced lunch items just for VSS attendees.
Friday – Sunday, Tuesday 11:30 am – 2:30 pm, in the Garden Courtyard
Monday, 11:30 am – 2:30 pm, in the Grand Palm Colonnade

Friends & Family Pass

The Friends & Family Pass allows your family to enjoy our many fun VSS social events. For $120.00, your travel companion can attend the Opening Night Reception, Demo Night, as well as enjoy all Coffee/Snack Breaks and the Daily Continental Breakfast! Passes are only $120.00 for adult guests and $40.00 for children ages 6 through 12. Children under the age of 6 are free. To purchase a Family & Friends Pass, please visit the VSS Registration Desk onsite.

Passes are required for entrance to all social events and meals, including the Friday evening Welcome Reception and Monday evening Demo Night.

Note: The Friends & Family Pass does not cover entrance to the scientific sessions. For a guest pass to a scientific session, please inquire at the VSS Registration Desk. For more information, please see Guests below.

Guests

Guests are allowed complimentary entry into one VSS session to see the poster or talk of the person they are guests of at the meeting.

Guests must register at the VSS Registration Desk upon arrival and must be accompanied by a VSS attendee. Guests must wear their guest badge for entrance into the session they attend.

To attend social functions, including the Opening Night Reception, Demo Night BBQ, Coffee/Snack Breaks and Daily Continental Breakfast, attendees’ guests will need to purchase a Friends & Family Pass, available at the VSS Registration Desk.

Health Protocols

We strongly encourage attendees to ensure their COVID-19 vaccinations are up to date prior to the meeting. Masks will be available at the VSS Registration Desk. See Health and Safety Protocols.

Internet Access

VSS provides free wireless internet access in the meeting areas, guest rooms, and VSS lounges. In the VSS meeting space, connect to twgroup; password is group5500. In the hotel common areas and sleeping rooms connect to TW; password is guest5500.

If you did not bring your own computer, a limited number of laptop computers with free internet access are available for your use in both the Quiet and Social Lounges.

Lost and Found

The Lost and found is located at the VSS Registration Desk in the Grand Palm Colonnade.

Lounges

VSS offers two lounge areas exclusively for meeting attendees:

Quiet Lounge
The VSS Quiet Lounge is designed especially for attendees who need a quiet place to read, work, silently meditate, or relax. There are two laptops available. The Quiet Lounge is located in the Compass room in on the second floor of the Grand Palm Colonnade.
Quiet Lounge Hours:
Friday – Sunday, 7:30 am – 9:30 pm
Monday, 7:30 am – 12:30 pm
Tuesday, 7:30 am – 9:30 pm
Wednesday, 7:30 am – 12:30 pm

Social Lounge
The VSS Social Lounge features comfortable seating for relaxing and visiting with colleagues. There are two laptops and a printer available, as well as phone charging stations. The Social Lounge is located in the Royal Tern room on the second floor of the Grand Palm Colonnade.
Social Lounge Hours:
Friday – Sunday, 7:30 am – 9:30 pm
Monday, 7:30 am – 12:30 pm
Tuesday, 7:30 am – 9:30 pm
Wednesday, 7:30 am – 12:30 pm

Message Center

Messages for registrants can be left and retrieved at the VSS Registration Desk. A bulletin board will be available in the Grand Palm Colonnade for announcements and job postings.

Parking

Complimentary self-parking is available to all meeting attendees. Access is through the Island Grand guard gate. Valet parking is available at the TradeWinds Grand Island Resort lobby for an additional fee.

Phone Charging Station

Phone charging stations will be located at the VSS Registration Desk and in the VSS Social Lounge.

Photographing/Videotaping Presentations

Unless otherwise noted, photographing and videotaping posters and talks is permitted at VSS. Presenters who do NOT wish to be photographed or videotaped should indicate this by displaying our “No videos and photos” image on their poster or the title slide at the beginning of their talk. The image can be downloaded from the VSS website or you can pick up a printed version at the Registration Desk.

Poster Sessions

All poster sessions are held in Banyan Breezeway and the Pavilion. The last three digits of your poster number indicate the number of your poster board. See Abstract Numbering.

Posters should be put up at the beginning of a session and taken down at the end. Authors of even numbered posters are expected to be present at their posters during the entire “Even Authors Present” time, and authors of odd numbered posters are expected to be present at their posters during the entire “Odd Authors Present” time. Authors may be present during the entire session, if desired. Abstracts not presented at the meeting during the designated author present time will not be published in the Journal of Vision. See Poster Presentation Instructions.

Please be courteous and take down your poster promptly at the end of the session so that the board is empty when the next presenter arrives to put up their poster.

Push pins are available for your use and are located in the Banyan Breezeway and Pavilion.

Printing

Need your poster printed?  The local UPS store offers a variety of services.

Quiet Lounge

See Lounges.

Registration

The Registration Desk is located in the Grand Palm Colonnade. The Registration Desk is open during the following times:

Thursday, May 16, 4:00 – 7:00 pm
Friday, May 19, 7:00 am – 6:00 pm
Saturday, May 20, 7:30 am – 6:45 pm
Sunday, May 21, 7:30 am – 6:45 pm
Monday, May 22, 7:45 am – 1:30 pm
Tuesday, May 23, 7:45 am – 6:45 pm
Wednesday, May 24, 7:45 am – 12:45 pm

Shipping

To ship your poster or other items home from the meeting, ask for the Concierge at the front desk of the TradeWinds Island Grand.

Social Lounge

See Lounges.

Spa Services

The BodyWorks Spa is located at RumFish Beach Resort inside the Loggerhead Building. The Spa is open Daily from 9:00 am – 5:00 pm. For appointments call 727.363.2348 or extension 6019 from your room. Appointments must be made 24 hours in advance.

Speakers

Please arrive at the meeting room 30 minutes prior to the start of your session to allow time for setup and to check your presentation. Please see Talk Presentation Instructions.

Student Events

Tuesday, May 21, 2024, 1:00 – 2:30 pm, Blue Heron, Snowy Egret, Spotted Curlew

To reflect the range of interests and career goals of VSS attendees, we are pleased to offer our popular ‘Connect with Industry’ event at VSS 2024. This is an opportunity for our members to interact with representatives of industry. Representatives from a range of organizations and industries will be present to discuss opportunities for vision scientists in their companies and to answer questions about collaborating with, and working within, their organizations. No advance sign-up is required.

Representatives from companies including Apple, Brain Vision LLC, Exponent, J.S. Held, Meta, NIRx Medical Technologies, VPixx, and Zeto Inc. will be present to discuss opportunities for vision scientists in their companies and to answer questions about collaborating with and working within, their organizations.

Three 25-minute sessions will be scheduled (1:00 – 1:25 pm, 1:30 – 1:55 pm, and 2:00 – 2:25 pm). Drop in for one, or stay for all time slots. Representatives will present an introduction to their company at the start of each session (1:00 pm, 1:30 pm, and 2:00 pm).

No sign-ups are required. Although light snacks will be served, please feel free to bring your brown bag lunch to enjoy during the event.

All VSS attendees are welcome.

The VSS Student and Postdoctoral Committee (SPC) has created a VSS server on the Discord instant messaging platform to facilitate communication among VSS attendees.

Sharing Accommodations

Are you looking to find roommates to share a hotel room or off-site rental?  Check out the#accommodationchannel.

Sharing Rides

Would you like to share a ride to/from the airport or supermarket?  Check out the#ride-sharingchannel.

Sharing Childcare

Are you a parent looking to share childcare with other parents at VSS?  Check out the#childcare-privatechannel. 

For security, this channel is private.  To join it, send a direct message on Discord to @VSSmoderator

Getting to know the VSS community

Would you like to network with people from VSS community organizations?  Check out channels for#fovea for the Females of Vision et al. (FoVea),#visibility(for LGBTQ+ members and allies),#sparkfor the SPARK Society (networking for scientists of color), and#spcfor the Student Postdoc Committee.

How to sign up

Current VSS members and registrants can join the server.  An invitation will be sent to the email address associated with the VSS account for all 2024 registrants and members.  If you do not receive an email today, but would like to join, email for the link.

The VSS Discord server is intended only for the VSS community.  Please do NOT share sign-up information with others or post on public forums (e.g., Twitter/X).  

Information you post is visible to all others who have joined the VSS Discord server.  

Please do not post sensitive information.  For safety, the “childcare” channel has been made private, but still, users of the #childcare-private channel should be careful not to overshare information and should take extended discussions to another medium (e.g., email or text messaging).

Please be respectful.  Communications over Discord will be subject to the VSS Code of Conduct.  Any problematic posts or users will be removed. If problems arise, contact @VSSModerator on Discord or email .