ISSI
Workshop on "Geology and Habitability of Terrestrial Planets"
5 - 9 September 2005
ISSI, Bern, Switzerland
1st Circular
WORKSHOP OBJECTIVES
As initially suggested to ISSI
by Philippe Lognonné (acting on behalf of the European Union -
Mars European Geophysical Network, MAGE) and further articulated by the
convenors, the workshop will focus on the relationship between a
planet’s evolution and the evolution of habitability on that
planet. In this sense, the workshop will add a new dimension to
the current focus of astrobiological studies by assessing not only the
probability that unicellular life ever did or still does exist on Mars
but also by focusing on the long-term habitability of any
terrestrial-like planet. Additionally, the workshop has the
distinction of being truly interdisciplinary in nature, intimately
weaving geologic, atmospheric, geophysical, magnetospheric, and
biological planetary studies together. To this end, we are
inviting both a biologist and a geoscientist to serve as co-chairs for
each session and are inviting scientists from many different fields to
participate and give talks. As a result of this workshop, we will
produce a volume in the ISSI Space Science Series published by
Kluwer. Each book chapter will correspond to the sessions, and
the sessions chairs will serve as lead authors. Other workshop
participants and experts not present at the workshop are encouraged to
contribute as co-authors. For more detailed information on the
workshop structure, please see the preliminary program on the workshop
website. For more information about ISSI itself, please see the
ISSI website at www.issi.unibe.ch.
?????? Questions about
workshop objectives? Please contact Dr. Kathryn Fishbaugh
(fishbaugh @ issi.unibe.ch)
INFORMATION FOR SPEAKERS
Talk Length
There are 40 minutes scheduled for each talk. This 40 minutes
includes question and answer time, so we ask that you please limit your
formal talk to 30 minutes, leaving 10 minutes for questions. The
1.5 hour discussion time set aside for each session is reserved for
general discussion about the session topic and all talks
presented.
Presentation
Equipment Provided by ISSI
For talks,
ISSI will provide:
-- 2 digital projectors (1 portable and 1 mounted to the
ceiling)
-- a PC laptop and a Mac laptop, each with:
-- The latest Operating
Systems
-- USB port for memory
sticks
-- CD drive
-- Adobe Acrobat
-- Microsoft Powerpoint
-- 2 transparency projectors
-- 2 screens
-- 2 white boards
-- laser pointer
You are also
welcome to bring your
own laptop (Mac or PC) to hook up to the projector. Don't
forget:
-- the
converter cable which came with your laptop.
-- power/plug converters (Swiss power outlets:
230V, 50 Hz, will accomodate
the same type of plug as mainland Europe)
If
you will be here, please give your talk (Powerpoint or Acrobat) to
Saliba (memory stick, CD, email) on the day before your talk OR
test your own computer with the projector the day before your talk.
?????? Questions
about equipment? Please contact ISSI System Adminstrator,
Mr.
Saliba Saliba (saliba @ issi.unibe.ch).
Abstract
Submittal
As indicated to you in our invitation
letter, we have asked each speaker to give a talk on a particular
topic. We have constructed the workshop program such that the
goals of the workshop will be fulfilled, and that the resultant book
sufficiently covers the workshop topic. It is of course up to the
speaker how he/she wishes to address the provided topic, but given the
goals of the workshop, we ask that you please be mindful of how
habitability ties in to your topic and of how your talk fits into the
“big picture” of the entire workshop.
So that the abstracts can serve as useful references themselves, please
submit a maximum of 2 pages (minimum of about 1) in 2 column, 10pt.
font format. Right-Click here
for a Word format template into which you can type directly.
Click here for a PDF template
which you can use as an example.
Please send them in PDF format to Kate Fishbaugh at fishbaugh @
issi.unibe.ch. Talk titles and abstracts are due
by 30 June.
??????
Questions about abstract submittal? Please contact Kate
Fishbaugh (fishbaugh @
issi.unibe.ch)
INFORMATION FOR SESSION
CHAIRS
Session
Preparation
As
session chairs, you will serve as the lead co-authors for the book
chapter corresponding to your session. Additional authors can
include other workshop participants and other experts not present at
the workshop. Since it is essential to the goals of this workshop
that the book is truly multidisciplinary, we ask that you communicate
with your co-chairs before the workshop to formulate an outline of the
chapter and to discuss who could serve as appropriate co-authors
(including young scientists, such as graduate students and
post-docs). We will provide more information on the
technicalities of the chapter submittal, book organization, and make-up
of the editors at the workshop.
We have scheduled 40 minutes for each talk and have asked the speakers
to limit their talks to 30 minutes, leaving 10 minutes for
questions. Please do your best to keep the speakers on a tight
schedule so that there is plenty of time for discussion. Unlike
the usual conference, we would like for this workshop to include plenty
of discussion time for all participants. Thanks.
At the end of the workshop, you will also be providing summaries of the
discussions which take place in each of your sessions. As part of
this summary, you could include the tentative chapter outline so that
other participants and potential co-authors are able to give you
feedback. To help you with the summary, you may want to consider
taking notes in real-time during your session's discussion and
displaying them on one of the screens (possibly leaving one screen free
for participants to show any relevant data, etc. during discussion).
?????? Questions
about session chair preparation? Please contact Kate Fishbaugh (fishbaugh @
issi.unibe.ch)
INFORMATION FOR ALL
PARTICIPANTS: FACILITIES
Workshop Room
The room in which the
workshop will take place seats about 55 people comfortably, in an
amphitheater-style lecture hall with tables. The screen(s) is
easily visible from the back of the room. The ISSI wireless
network is NOT available within the lecture hall. Some power
outlets are
available for computers, but not everyone will be able to plug-in
his/her computer, so please be mindful of this. Swiss power outlets:
230V, 50 Hz, will accomodate
the same type of plug as mainland Europe.
Wireless Network Access: Need to Sign-up for Account
ISSI has a reliable wireless
network to which you will be able to
connect during breaks and free time within the ISSI rooms but not
within the lecture hall itself. Since the ISSI wireless
network can only be accessed by password, please contact ISSI System
Adminstrator, Mr. Saliba Saliba (saliba @ issi.unibe.ch), by
22 August so that he can set up an account for you.
Meeting
Rooms and Available Computers
During the workshop, there will be rooms available for meetings of
small groups during
free time. You will also be able to connect your own laptop to
the Ethernet in these rooms or to use your ISSI wireless account (see
above). PC and Mac computers are available
for all participants to use during free time.
?????? Questions
about facilities? Please contact ISSI System Adminstrator,
Mr.
Saliba Saliba (saliba @ issi.unibe.ch).
TRAVEL AND HOTEL
ARRANGEMENTS:
Please see information under Logistics
>>.
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