Participant Information

Future Coast Citizens’ Discussion

Date and Time:	Location:
Saturday, April 28th   9:30 a.m.- 4:30 p.m.	Severna Park High School 60 Robinson Road Severna Park, MD 21146

We hope we’ll see you on April 28^th! It will be an exciting day of discussions with other Anne Arundel County residents, and experts on the science and policy of local coastal flooding and sea-level rise. Your participation is important in ensuring a full range of citizens’ views are represented at the event and in the reports presented to the media and public officials.

Please either take the survey online, or send back your RSVP form enclosed with your mail survey to let us know that you’ll be attending! Once we have that information, we’ll send you additional event details about the event including directions to the location and a code which will give you access to the full website. (Online survey participants will receive the access code when they complete the survey.) Because of planning considerations, we unfortunately cannot accept participants who arrive at the event without having RSVP’d.

The information below should answer any questions you may have about the event. If not, please email annearundel.futurecoast@gmail.com, or contact Project Manager Karen Akerlof at (703) 282-1289.

General Information

This project is part of a larger research effort being led by George Mason University. As such, you have specific rights as a participant. A copy of the participant consent information is listed below along with the event schedule. The same information will be provided to you again when you take the post-event survey.

As a thank you for your participation, and to allay any small costs you might incur as a result of your attending the session, we will provide you with a $100 VISA gift card when you complete the post-event survey at the end of the day.

The food provided during the event will be sandwiches, snacks and drinks. We will have vegetarian options. If you have other specific dietary needs that we should be aware of please email annearundel.futurecoast@gmail.com.

If you have any other special requirements that might affect your ability to comfortably attend the event, please also contact us at annearundel.futurecoast@gmail.com to ensure that we are aware of them and can develop accommodations.

What to Do Before Saturday, April 28

1. Review materials: We are asking that you look at some of the materials on this website (and others) before you attend the event on April 28^th to familiarize yourself with the issues that we will be discussing. When you mail us your RSVP along with your survey, or complete the survey online, you will receive an online access code to access those resources.
2. Plan for enough travel time: The event will be located in Severna Park, MD. Depending on where you live in the county, it may take you 15 minutes to get there, or it may be much longer. 
3. Review the day’s schedule: We’ll start at 9:30 a.m. and end at 4:30 p.m., with stops along the way for snacks and lunch. You may wish to bring an additional sweater, or other personal items to ensure you are comfortable during the day. 

Schedule

 

9:30 a.m.     Registration

10:00 a.m.    Welcome & instructions for use of online viewer

10:30 a.m.    Small group discussions & use of online viewer (Session I)

12:00 a.m.    Q&A with experts (Session I)

1:00 p.m.     Lunch
1:30 p.m.     Small group discussions & use of online viewer (Session II)

2:45 p.m.     Q&A with experts (Session II)

3:45 p.m.     Wrap-up of day’s discussions & conclusion

4:15 p.m.     Post-event survey

Study Information

Research procedures: This research is being conducted to evaluate community preferences for local policies addressing coastal flooding and sea-level rise. You have been invited to attend the Future Coast Citizens’ Discussion in Severna Park on April 28th. If you choose to participate, the event will last from 9:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. on April 28th, and include a post-event survey at the end that will take about 15-20 minutes.

Benefits: There are no benefits to you as a participant other than to further research on public policy preferences.

Confidentiality: Your information will be kept completely confidential.

Participation: Your participation is voluntary and you may withdraw from the study at any time and for any reason. If you decide not to participate or if you withdraw from the study, there is no penalty or loss of benefits to which you are otherwise entitled. $100 VISA gift cards will be provided to participants of the daylong Citizens’ Discussion event on April 28 and follow-up survey at the end of the day. Both event and survey participation are a condition of receiving one of the gift cards.

Risks: There are no risks to you from participating in this research.

Contact: For more information contact either Karen Akerlof at (703) 282-1289 or kakerlof@gmu.edu, or Todd La Porte at (703) 993-3351 or tlaporte@gmu.edu. You may also contact the George Mason University Office of Research Subject Protections at (703) 993-4121 if you have questions or comments regarding your rights as a participant in the research. This research has been reviewed according to George Mason University procedures governing your participation in this research.

 Version April 10, 2012