Your time is valuable! The Itinerary Builder is a convenient tool for all those who would like to have their conference schedule done before the Annual Meeting. The itinerary builder enables you to take the time to look at all events and decide what interests you most, saving you time on location!

AAEA uses the Community of Science (COS) software for the Annual Meeting. COS handles all paper submissions and peer-reviews, schedules all activities, and allows members to search the Annual Meeting schedule for topics of interest and to create individual meeting planners.

Don't forget that COS is constantly being updated, so if you can't find what you are looking for, check back later to see if it has been added.

• How To Sign In
• Finding the Itinerary Builder
• Navigating the Itinerary Builder
• Options within the Itinerary Builder
  • Simple Search
  • Session Search
  • Advanced Search
  • Search by Index
  • Calendar Search
  • Special Events
• How to Add/Remove Events
• Searching Posters

To sign in:

• Click here.
• Enter your COS user name and password (not your AAEA user name and member number).
• If you do not have a COS username and password:
  • Go to "Create a New Account" on the "Log In" page. This costs nothing.
  • Select "Register for AMS" (Abstract Management System).
  • On the "Register Your Profile" page, enter all your contact information.
  • For "Organization," click "Find." In the new window that opens, type "American Agricultural Economics Association" where it says Enter Organization.
  • Then click on the "select" button next to AAEA.
  • Choose a Username containing between 4 and 15 characters. Choose a Password with a minimum of 6 characters.
  
  

  Username and password are not case sensitive and can be any unique combination of letters, numbers, and the special characters - _ / ~ * ( ).

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Finding the Itinerary Builder:

• Log in to COS (see above for instructions).
• The first page you will see is the COS Home Page. You can return here at any time by clicking on the "Home Page" link at the top of the screen, below the AAEA logo.
• In the center of the page, you will see a line marked "Attendee Tools." Click on the second option, the Personalized Itinerary Builder. This will bring you into the Personal Itinerary Section.

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Navigating Itinerary Builder:
Once inside the Personal Itinerary Section, you will see a menu on the left. This menu allows you to navigate the different options within the Itinerary Builder and will always be there to help you. If you ever get lost and want to start over, you can click on "Instructions" on this menu to bring you back to the first page of Itinerary Builder, or "Home Page" on the white bar at the top to take you back to the COS Homepage.

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Options within Itinerary Builder:
Itinerary Builder has several different methods to allow you to find various events at the meeting. Refer to the menu on the left of every page to find these different methods.

• Simple Search
  With this function, you can find events by searching two separate categories: author's last name, and title and abstract text. Simply check the box of the category you want to search and click the "Search for Abstracts" button. Note: make sure you only use the author's last name when searching with this function.
  
  
• Session Search
  The paper sessions for this year's meeting are broken down into 34 different categories, including the AERE session. The ACCI session is categorized under the Food Safety and Nutrition Section's Track. With the Session Search, you can find all of the events taking place within a specific subject. Simply highlight the subject you want by clicking on it, then click the search for abstracts button. If you want to view the listings for more than one category, hold down the Ctrl key (apple key for Mac users) on your keyboard while you click.
  
  
• Advanced Search
  The advanced search is the most powerful search option within Itinerary Builder. With this function, you are able to search for events based on 10 different criteria. You can search by Tracking ID, Printed Program ID, Abstract Type, Membership Category, Author's Last Name, Title, Text, Subject Code, Style, or Symposium Attributes. For the items with a list of options to choose from (Abstract Type, Membership Category, Subject Code, Style, Group Title) you can select multiple items by holding down the Ctrl key (apple key for Mac users) while you click. For the tracking ID field, you can enter multiple ID numbers, as long as they are separated by commas. If you have selected an item on a list that you wish to de-select, simply scroll down to the bottom of the page and click on the "Clear All" button.
  
  It is best to use the Symposium Attributes section if you know the specific title of the group you are looking for. For example, if you know that you want something in Consumer/Household Economics, but don't know which session, you should use the Subject Code field. But, if you know that you want Consumer/Household Economics session 8, then use the Symposium Attributes field.
  
  Keep in mind that selecting multiple items within one list increases your results, but the more different criteria fields that you fill in, the more narrow your search will be. For example, if under Abstract Type, you select both Selected Paper and Free Sessions, you will find all of the results under those two headings. Yet, if you choose Selected Paper under Abstract Type and Emerging Technologies under Subject Code, you will be displayed only the events that meet both of those criteria.
  
  
• Search by Index
  This function allows you to browse the names of authors grouped alphabetically. Click on the first letter of the last name of the author you want. Then click on the author's name to find all of the events that that particular author is involved in.
  
  
• Calendar Search
  This function is most useful if you know the time of a specific event but don't know its name, or if you have some free time in your schedule and are looking for something to fill in the gaps. To use the Calendar Search, simply browse the calendar until you see an event you want then click on the name of that event. Or, click on the name of a specific day at the top of the page to bring up all of the scheduled events on that day.
  
  
• Special Events
  To find events such as luncheons, forums or receptions, use the Special Events function. This section is a chronological list of all of the special events. Simply browse the list until you find an event that you would like to attend and select it for an entry into your personalized itinerary.

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How to add/remove events:
When viewing a list of events, you can find more information regarding that event by clicking on the title of the event. A new window will open that includes the people involved with the event, a short summary, and an extended abstract (if applicable). If you wish to view specific information regarding a certain author, such as contact information, click on his/her name, located to the right of the event titles to open a new window.

Once you have found an event that you want to add to your itinerary, check the box to the left of the event's name. After you have checked all of the events you want to attend on that page, scroll down to the bottom of the page and click on the button marked "Save Itinerary Changes."

After selecting the events you want to attend, you will automatically be brought to the "Current Itinerary" page. This page shows you all of the events that you have selected in chronological order. It's important to note that Itinerary Builder WILL allow you to schedule events that overlap or conflict. Make sure you check for conflicts before deciding on your final schedule.

To remove an event on your Current Itinerary, simply uncheck the box on the Current Itinerary page, and then click on the "Save Itinerary Changes" button. This will keep only the events you have checked, and will remove all of the other events.

If at any time you wish to view your current itinerary, simply click on the "Current Itinerary" link on the menu to the left.

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Searching Posters:
To view posters, you have to leave itinerary builder, and get back to the COS homepage. To do this,

• Click on the "home page" link on the white bar at the top of the page. This will automatically bring you back to the first page you saw after you logged into COS.
• Rather than choosing "Personalized Itinerary Builder," this time click on "Search Abstracts Online."
• On the menu on the left, click on "Advanced Search."
• The third category down will be Abstract Type, choose "Poster" on this list, and then click the "Search for Abstracts Button."
• This will give you a list of all of the posters accepted for the Meeting. To view details about a specific poster, click on its title and a new window will open will all of the information regarding that poster. Once you are done reading about that poster, click on the "Close Window" button at the bottom of the window to close it.

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