Final Announcement — June 2006

 

Hosted by —
Department of Earth Sciences
ETH Zürich, Switzerland

Sponsored by —
ETH Zürich
Swiss National Science Foundation
Swiss Academy of Sciences
Lunar and Planetary Institute
Barringer Crater Company
Meteorite Magazine
Planetary Studies Foundation
Jungfrau Railways – Top of Europe

Local Organizing Committee
Rainer Wieler, Chair,
   ETH Zürich

Bernard Bourdon,
   ETH Zürich
Ansgar Grimberg,
   ETH Zürich
Veronika Heber,
   ETH Zürich
Thorsten Kleine,
   ETH Zürich
Beatrice Lüthi,
   Luethiorganisation and ETH Zürich
Agnès Markowski,
   ETH Zürich
Valentina Müller-Weckerle,
   ETH Zürich
Ghylaine Quitté,
   ETH Zürich
Pieter Vermeesch,
   ETH Zürich
Herbert Palme (ex officio),
   University of Cologne

Scientific Organizing Committee
Rainer Wieler, Chair,
   ETH Zürich

Addi Bischoff,
   University of Münster
Marc Chaussidon,
   CRPG, Nancy
Alex Deutsch,
   University of Münster
Beda Hofmann,
   Natural History Museum, Bern
Peter Hoppe,
   MPI Mainz
Ingo Leya,
   University of Bern
Sara Russell,
   Natural History Museum, London
Nadia Vogel,
   University of Bern
Jutta Zipfel,
   Forschungsinstitut Senckenberg,
   Frankfurt a/M


  WHEN AND WHERE

  You are cordially invited to attend the 69th Annual Meeting of the Meteoritical Society, to be held August 6–11, 2006, in Zürich, Switzerland.

The city of Zürich, which dates back to the times of the Celts and Romans, is known as the "Little Big City" because of its economic and cultural importance. In addition to the city's being an international banking center, the University of Zürich and the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology (ETH), the two largest universities in Switzerland, are located in Zürich and regularly occupy top positions in international rankings.

Zürich is located on beautiful Lake Zürich and is surrounded by hills formed during glacial times. On clear days the Alps can be seen from the city.

Location: The oral and poster sessions will be held in the main building of ETH, an impressive nineteenth century building designed by the famous German architect Gottfried Semper. The meeting venue is very close to the city center and is within a few minutes' walking distance to most of the recommended hotels. Most places of interest are also within walking distance or can be reached by an excellent public transportation system.

MetSoc2006 on the Web: Additional information regarding accommodations, meeting activities, etc., can be found on the Zürich meeting Web site.

Transportation: The Zürich Intercontinental Airport is 10–15 minutes from the main train station (Zürich Hauptbahnhof or Zürich HB for short), and trains to and from the airport run every 10–15 minutes. Being in the heart of Europe, Zürich is also well served by international trains. The Hauptbahnhof is only a 5–10 minute walk from the meeting venue.

Weather: Weather in Central Europe is notoriously unpredictable, and Zürich is no exception. Daytime temperatures in early August are often in the 25°C (around 80°F) range, with much sun during the day and with mild evenings. However, temperatures often vary from the average in August, so be prepared for either hotter or cooler temperatures, with occasional rain, during the time of the meeting. The water temperature in Lake Zürich is around 23°–26°C in early August. So pack your swimsuit, but don't forget an umbrella.

Desert Meteorites Workshop: Immediately prior to this year's Meteoritical Society meeting, a Desert Meteorites Workshop will take place in Casablanca, Morocco, August 3–4, 2006. There are direct flights between Casablanca and Zürich.


  SCIENTIFIC PROGRAM

  Registration will start at 16:00 on Sunday afternoon, August 6, followed by a welcome reception to be held on the roof of the meeting venue, overlooking Zürich. Oral sessions will be held from Monday to Friday afternoon, and posters will be on display all week with a poster session on Tuesday evening. Posters may be as wide as 1.5 m, with a maximum height of 1.2 m (~60 × 47 inches). A special session on Monday will feature several leading experts on star and planet formation giving invited talks. On Tuesday morning, the "Stardust and Genesis" session will honour Johannes Geiss, on the occasion of his 80th birthday. The Barringer Invited Lecture on Wednesday morning will be presented by Michel Mayor, one of the discoverers of the first extrasolar planet.

For more detailed information, see the program and abstracts.


  OBTAINING A VISA

  Some foreign participants may need a visa for Switzerland. Note that in August 2006 Switzerland will not yet belong to the "Schengen Space." This means that a visa issued by countries like Germany, France, Italy, Austria, etc., will NOT be valid for Switzerland, and vice versa. Therefore, if you plan to visit other European countries before or after the meeting, please make sure that you have a valid visa for these countries, in addition to one for Switzerland. For more information, contact a Swiss embassy or visit http://www.imes.admin.ch/einreise/visumvorschriften_e.asp.

Upon request, we will provide registrants with official letters to be filed with visa applications. Please contact Beatrice Luethi and provide your full name, date of birth, country of citizenship, and passport number.


  ACCOMMODATIONS

  Zürich offers plenty of hotel rooms, many of them with reasonable rates. Participants are responsible for making their own hotel reservations. A list of recommended hotels (most of them near the conference site) and an area map showing their locations area provided. Links to each hotel are listed, but it is advisable to book through the Zurich Tourism Web site. Early booking is strongly recommended due to the annual "Street Parade" on Saturday, August 12 (see below).


  SOCIAL EVENTS AND GUEST ACTIVITIES

  On Monday evening, August 7, the Mayor of Zürich will offer a welcome reception in the City Hall at the riverfront close to the lake. Following the reception the traditional Meteoritical Society soccer game will be held in front of the new headquarters of the International Football Association, which will be inaugurated in spring 2006.

On Wednesday afternoon, August 9, there will be an excursion to the beautiful city of Rapperswil on an early twentieth-century steamboat. Called the City of Roses, Rapperswil is a charming old town with a castle. In addition to walking around the town, you can cross the lake at its most narrow point on a reconstructed traditional wooden bridge, as well as visit the Children's Zoo. Transportation back to Zürich will be by bus.

The annual banquet will be held on Thursday evening, August 10, at the lakeshore, within walking distance of the city center or easily reached by public transportation. Please indicate on the meeting registration form if you prefer a vegetarian meal. The banquet is included in the registration fees of participants and guests.

During the meeting, a help desk maintained by Zürich Tourism will assist meeting participants and guests in planning their sightseeing activities in and around Zürich. Some of the major tourist attractions are described on the Zürich meeting Web site. If you plan to stay in Switzerland before or after the meeting, you may find the MySwitzerland Web site useful.

The Annual Street Parade in Zürich will take place on Saturday, August 12, after the meeting has concluded. The Street Parade is Europe's largest Techno Music Party and will attract perhaps 500,000 people of all ages, all of whom feel young on this day. To be part of this truly remarkable event, meeting participants may want to consider extending their stay for one more night. Ear plugs will be included in the meeting's welcome package in case participants decide to stay for the noisy Street Parade.

While this event is extremely popular, it is not anticipated that there will be a shortage of hotel rooms during the week of the meeting. Nevertheless, we recommend early booking, in particular for the low-cost hotels.


  POSTCONFERENCE EXCURSIONS

  Two postconference excursions are planned. By mid-June 2006, openings were still available for both excursions. Nevertheless, we recommend that you register early.
(1) A four-day excursion to the Alps, guided by expert geologists and staff members of the High Altitude Research Station at Jungfraujoch, is planned for Saturday, August 12, to Tuesday, August 15. The tour is limited to 40 people, due to restrictions at the Jungfraujoch Research Station. Places will be allocated on a first-come, first-served basis. For more information on this excursion and registration, please visit the Zürich meeting Web site.

(2) A one-day field trip is planned for Saturday, August 12, to a little known outcrop of distal Ries impact ejecta, located in the valley of the Sitter River, about 8 km north of St. Gallen, ~180 km from the Ries crater. Prior to the outcrop, we will visit the baroque cathedral and abbey district in St. Gallen dating back to the eighth century. This assemblage contains the most impressive abbey library in Switzerland and was declared a UNESCO World Cultural Heritage in 1983. The field trip is limited to 20 participants and places will be allocated on a first-come, first-served basis. For more information and registration, please visit the Zürich meeting Web site.


  REGISTRATION

  We urge participants to register electronically via the Zürich meeting Web site, with fees being paid by credit card. Separate instructions will be given to those unable to register electronically.

The registration fee covers meeting attendance and all social events such as the Wednesday afternoon excursion and the Annual Banquet. No reduced single-day registration fees are offered. Fees have to be collected in Swiss Francs. The exchange rate between Euro and Swiss Franc has been very stable lately; hence the prices in Euro given as guideline should not change very much until summer.

The registration fee does not include abstract fees. If you have not already paid your abstract fee, please do so immediately using the journal's electronic payment page..

The pre-registration deadline is June 26, 2006.

  Preregistration
(BEFORE June 26)
Registration
(AFTER June 26)
Meteoritical Society member CHF 420 (EUR 270) CHF 510 (EUR 330)
Non-memberCHF 510 (EUR 330)CHF 590 (EUR 380)
Student MemberCHF 185 (EUR 120)CHF 265 (EUR 170)
Student Non-memberCHF 250 (EUR 160)CHF 310(EUR 200)
GuestCHF 230 (EUR 150)CHF 310 (EUR 200)

Cancellation policy:  A 15% cancellation fee will be charged on cancellations received until July 24, 2006. NO refunds will be given after July 24, 2006.


  CONTACT INFORMATION

  For further information regarding the format and scientific objectives of the meeting, contact

CONFERENCE ORGANIZER
    Rainer Wieler
    ETH Zürich
    Department of Earth Sciences, NO C61
    CH-8092 Zürich, Switzerland
    Phone: +41 44 632 37 32
    Fax: +41 44 632 11 79
    E-mail: [email protected]

MEETING SECRETARIAT
    Valentina W. Müller
    E-mail: [email protected]

TREASURY AND CONGRESS OFFICE
    Beatrice Luethi
    E-mail: [email protected]

For information regarding meeting logistics and announcements, contact

LPI MEETING COORDINATOR
    Kimberly Taylor
    Publications and Program Services Department
    Lunar and Planetary Institute
    3600 Bay Area Boulevard
    Houston TX 77058-1113
    Phone: 281-486-2151
    Fax: 281-486-2125
    E-mail: [email protected]

SCHEDULE
June 26, 2006Deadline for preregistration
August 6–11, 200669th Annual Meeting of the Meteoritical Society
August 12, 2006Postconference Excursion to distal Ries ejecta near St. Gallen
August 12–15, 2006Postconference Excursion to the Alps


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