Travel to Budapest on FCS Express

The beautiful city of Budapest, Hungary is the location for the upcoming XXIV ISAC Congress on May 17–21, 2008.  As you may already know, the ISAC Congress is the premiere conference for Cytometry, highlighting the use of Flow Cytometry in a vast array of applications.

The point of the contest is to design the coolest, most comprehensive and artistic layout that you can and Publish it to the De Novo Software Publishing Site. FCS Express is full of presentation features that allow you to create visually stunning layouts as well as analysis features that allow you to perform original and sophisticated analyses.  Publishing your layout will allow anyone who has downloaded the free FCS Express Reader to view and interact with your data.  It is our ultimate goal to provide a protocol database on our website and this is our tricky way to get you, our users, to send in great examples of the kinds of layouts, experiments and protocols you are using FCS Express for. 

In order to qualify, you must submit the following:

• Your Published layout URL.
• Please include a page in your layout with a short abstract describing the purpose and basic methodology of the experiment.
• A short explanation as to how the features in FCS Express helped you perform the analysis. 
• Incorporation of instructions or analysis explanations or descriptions.  For example, reasons why you selected a particular region or gate placement, why you are using certain parameters, which plots are your controls, which are samples, etc.

Points will be awarded according to the following criteria:

Scientific Merit (10 Points). Is the abstract clear and describes the experiment accurately? Does the analysis in the layout correspond to the experiment description? Were the appropriate controls shown? If many samples were analyzed based upon the layout, would it be sufficient to answer the experimental questions? Are the appropriate plots and graphs used?

Artistic Merit: (10 Points): Is the layout visually appealing? Is it arranged in a clear manner that effectively communicates that main point of the experiment or protocol?

Features Used: (10 Points): Are a wide variety of FCS Express features used? Does the layout indicate that the author has an understanding of the analysis features of FCS Express. (Hint: creative use of tokens, custom tokens, batch processing, alerts, tables and advanced features found under the Tools menu will all count towards this category). Try to use as many features as possible to get the most points.

Entries must be received by Feb. 25, 2008. Please email entries to bestlayoutcontest@denovosoftware.com. In the email, please include your name and mailing address. Please also include a title for your submission.

Winners will be chosen and notified by Feb. 29, 2008.

Eligibility

The contest is open to graduate students, post-docs, technicians and staff. It is not open to faculty; who generally have other sources of funding.  No purchase is necessary. If you have not yet downloaded FCS Express, you can download a free 30 day demo from our web site. You can enter as many times as you like.

Contest Details

• To participate in the Best Layout Contest, you must be at least 18 years old.  Employees and contractors of De Novo Software and members of their immediate families are not eligible to enter. Void where prohibited.
• All submissions, and all parts of the submission, become the sole property of De Novo Software and will not be returned to the customer. If the data being submitted contains confidential information in the data file, it must be removed before submission. The contestant is responsible for ensuring that all confidential information is removed prior to submission. De Novo Software will not be responsible for the confidentiality of any data submitted. Please contact support@denovosoftware.com if assistance is required in removing confidential information prior to submission. 
• If you are selected as a contest winner, you agree that De Novo Software may publicize your name, likeness, and the description of work you did to win the contest. Apart from the prizes associated with being selected as a winner, De Novo Software shall not be obligated to compensate you in any way for such publicity. In addition, winning entries will be posted on one or more De Novo Software web pages.
• Each entrant shall indemnify, defend, and hold De Novo Software harmless from any third party claims arising from or related to that entrant's participation in the Contest. In no event shall De Novo Software be liable to an entrant for acts or omissions arising out of or related to the Contest or that entrant's participation in the Contest.
• Odds of winning depend on the number and quality of entries received. All taxes, including income taxes, are the sole responsibility of winners. No prize substitution is permitted. Winner(s) may be required to verify their entry.
• Your submission must be entirely your own original creation and must not infringe upon or violate any laws or any rights of third parties, including, but not limited to, such violations as infringement of copyright, patent, trademark, trade secret or other proprietary or property right, libel, defamation, violation of rights of privacy, publicity, personality or celebrity, or any contract right, or any other right of any individual, corporation or entity. Entrants must obtain all necessary permissions, licenses, clearances, releases, waivers of moral rights and other approvals from third parties (including but not limited to all copyright holders), necessary to use the submission, in whole or in part, in any way, including without limitation, to reproduce, make derivatives, edit, modify, translate, distribute, transmit, publish, license and broadcast worldwide, by any means. Any and all such permission, licenses, clearances, releases, waivers of moral rights and approvals must be provided to De Novo Software upon its request.
• These rules are subject to change without notice for any reason including, without limitation, if necessary to comply with any applicable laws or regulations. By entering the contest, entrants agree to abide by these contest rules and regulations and acknowledge that De Novo Software shall not be responsible for any damages, costs, demands, claims or losses of any kind, made in connection with, in respect of or arising out of this contest or the prizes, including without limitation, in connection with the development or use of the submissions.
• Grand Prize Travel Award will be given as reimbursement for expenses incurred to attend the ISAC convention.  Award can be used to pay for airfare, hotel, or meeting registration fees.  Winner needs to submit receipts to De Novo Software for reimbursement.