Glasgow 2007 - Second Circular
Dear Colleagues,
Thanks for your responses to the first circular.
Outline plan of the week
| Monday 27th August | SPPC registration at QM Residence |
| Tuesday 28th August | SPPC papers/SVPCA Registration / Icebreaker |
| Wednesday 29th August | SVPCA papers/evening reception |
| Thursday 30th August | SVPCA papers/evening reception |
| Friday 31st August | SVPCA papers/Annual Symposium dinner |
| Saturday 1st September | Field Trip |
Paper and Poster Invitation
Offers of papers are welcomed for oral and poster presentations at both SPPC and SVPCA. An abstract (in English) of no more than 250 words should be sent as an rtf electronic attachment (or in the body of an e-mail message) to glasgow2007@svpca.org no later than Friday June 15th. The abstract should indicate which meeting it is for, and whether it is preferred as the basis for an oral or a poster presentation. Relevant references should be placed at the end of the abstract. No figures should be included. They should take the following form:
Authors
Contact details (addresses and e-mail)
Title
Main Text (no more than 250 words)
References (full journal titles - no abbreviations)
Formatted examples of last year's abstracts are available here.
It should be noted that some presentations intended for oral presentation might need to be presented as posters. Such a decision will be made on the basis of the abstract by the organisers. If such an issue arises, the author(s) concerned will be notified before the end of June. Accepted abstracts will be included in an abstracts volume within the registration pack and posted on the conference website.
Venue and Access
The University of Glasgow is situated in the cultural West End of the City. It is easily reached via the City's underground network (the third oldest in the world after Budapest and London and locally known as the 'clockwork orange'), which connects Buchanan Street (Queen Street Railway Station) and St Enoch (Central Railway Station) to Hillhead (University of Glasgow main campus) tube stations. The University campus is fifteen minutes from Glasgow International Airport by taxi (note, Glasgow Prestwick Airport, and Edinburgh International Airports are both 45 minutes further away by rail).
Accommodation
As stated in the 1st Circular, this will be at Queen Margaret residence and I refer you to the relevant part of the www.svpca.org website for more information. As bookings are coming in and space at this accommodation site is limited, I would suggest that you book early, particularly if you wish to reserve one of the scarce twin rooms. The rooms have free internet access (just bring your own connection cable!) and reserved car parking.
Local lunch facilities
There are multitudes of eateries and 'sitooteries' (Scottish expression) in Byres Road, the heart of Glasgow's West End, a mere 4 minutes from the front door of the lecture theatre building. They cater for an exceptionally wide range of pockets and palates.
SPPC
As has become traditional, the SPPC meeting will take place on the Tuesday (28th August) before SVPCA. As announced in Paris, the Graham Kerr (Zoology Department) Building lecture theatres will host both meetings. Again, offers of presentations or workshops should be made following the format above to glasgow2007@svpca.org before Friday June 15th.
Receptions
A series of three evening receptions incorporating a whisky-tasting (possibly with a geological twist) and the annual SVPCA charity auction (including an evening in the newly-refurbished Hunterian Museum, celebrating its bicentenary - provided it is finished in time...) will take place during the week. The specific details of times and venues for each night will be sent out in the 3rd Circular.
Symposium Dinner
The annual symposium dinner will take place on Friday 31st August at the Arisaig Restaurant. Details including start time and menu options will be sent out in the 3rd Circular.
Field Trips
As indicated in the 1st Circular, three options are available for the field trip on Saturday 1st September. To reflect the spirit of this interactive age, you will be asked to choose one of the three localities during the registration and booking phases, and based on the votes cast, the destination will be selected. Or, put another way ..."where do we go? You decide ..."
SVPCA Charity Auction
The annual SVPCA charity auction in aid of the Jones-Fenleigh Memorial Fund will take place on either the Tuesday or the Wednesday evening. Please support this event by donating books, offprints, casts, models, reconstructions - even t-shirts and chocolate palaeoconfections are warmly welcomed. There will be a prize for the most original object donated (and accepted!) for auction. Also, crucially, please support this by attending with cash and chequebook - it's for a good cause!
The Jones-Fenleigh Memorial Fund
This year, the fund will be able to award three grants (covering registration fees, accommodation costs and basic subsistence) to assist delegates with no institutional financial support to attend the SVPCA.
Applications should be sent to glasgow2007@svpca.org before Friday June 15th, 2007. They should include: - an abstract (see above for abstract formatting guidelines) - a covering letter explaining your circumstances and need, - and (where appropriate) a letter from your employer/institution supporting your application and including an assurance that you will not be financially supported by them. Selection of the three successful candidates will be made on the basis of the relevance, originality and general quality of the abstract. The successful applicants will be notified before the end of June.
Bristol SVP session
A short session is planned during the meeting in Glasgow, in order to give some opportunity to discuss the possible implications of the 2009 SVP meeting in Bristol. To express any thoughts you may have on this (or other issues), contribute to this thread on the SVPCA Forum. A statement from the Bristol organisers is included here:
"The American Society of Vertebrate Paleontology has voted to hold its first
meeting in Europe, in September 2009, and it has chosen Bristol as the venue.
It's early days in the planning for this, but this is an exciting opportunity,
and we expect 600 or more people to attend. The meeting will coincide with
celebrations in honour of Darwin's birth (1809) and publication of the 'Origin'
(1859), and there will doubtless be many fascinating workshops and fieldtrips
to celebrate historical aspects of evolution and palaeontology, as well as
current 'hot' research topics. There is no reason that the SVPCA should not
run regardless of the SVP meeting, but we felt it would be best to allow some
discussion. Clearly, SVPCA is a smaller and more intimate meeting and regular
attenders, including us, very much value it. Equally, there might be a risk
that the larger SVP meeting could draw some members away who can afford to
go to only one meeting. We very much hope that an opportunity for discussion
in Glasgow will allow us all to work through a reasonable compromise, and
especially to avoid the risk of holding two meetings that conflict or compete."
Mike Benton, Phil Donoghue, Emily Rayfield
The Collections of Alfred Nicholson Leeds (1847-1917): Life, times, and current research
"Although Scotland's fossil treasures are generally Palaeozoic in nature,
the Hunterian Museum is also home to the largest number of specimens from
the Leeds' collection of Jurassic vertebrates (over 600). As 2007 is the 160th
anniversary of his birth and the 90th of his death, the organisers of SVPCA
2007 are particularly keen to encourage talks related to the work of Alfred
Nicholson Leeds. Specimens from the first Leeds collection are housed in the
Natural History Museum, London and from subsequent collections can be found
in Museums throughout the UK, Europe and in North America. This was one of
the first complete palaeoecosystems systematically collected and catalogued
from a small area and restricted geological horizon prior to mechanisation
of the brick making industry for which the clays in which they were buried
were being dug. Although numerous collectors were active in the area, none
exhibited the scope attained by Alfred Leeds. Leeds specimens are currently
being used by researchers from numerous disciplines due to their exceptional
(often near 3-D) preservation, completeness, and wide range of taxa represented.
In addition, ongoing work is shedding light onto the collection by investigation
of historical documents related to the collection, including specimen catalogues,
letters, and so on. We therefore invite participants that have used the collections
of Alfred Leeds in any way, to answer questions in vertebrate palaeontology
(in the widest sense), to participate."
Lez Noè
Other matters
In addition to staying clear of other meetings planned for this time of the year, one of the advantages of the meeting being held in Glasgow at this time is that delegates will be able to take advantage of the nearby world-famous Edinburgh International Arts Festival (10th August-2nd September), Edinburgh Festival Fringe (5th-27th August) and Edinburgh International Film Festival (15th-26th August), only a 50 minute train journey away.
http://www.edinburgh-festivals.com/festivals.cfm
Booking and Payment options
An 'early bird discount' is available to those delegates that book and pay before the end of May - thereafter, the cost of SVPCA registration will rise to £40. Payment can be made by cheque < Bank Transfer/BACS. After completing the Booking Form you will be asked to indicate which method of payment you intend to use. If these methods are problematic, then contact the organisers. All payments MUST be received by the END OF JULY (unless by prior arrangement with the organisers).
3rd Circular
It is anticipated that this will be sent out in July, with provisional programme, details of field trip, maps etc.
