Lyme Regis, 2011
59th meeting of the
Symposium of Vertebrate Palaeontology and Comparative Anatomy
20th meeting of the Symposium of Palaeontological Preparation and Conservation
Geological Curators’ Group
September 12-17, 2011, Lyme Regis
Second Circular
After some delays, the organisation for the event is well under way.
Booking and Abstracts
Delegates can book their places for the conference on the web site here:
bookingForm.php
Once you have made a booking, you can submit an offer for a talk or poster presentation here:
abstractSubmission.php
Offers of papers should be accompanied by a short abstract of not more than 250 words. Your abstract will form the basis of our decision as to whether or not your paper will be included. Abstracts will be evaluated by an academic committee whose members are posted on the web site here: abstractsCommittee.php
Your preference as to a poster or oral presentation will be taken into account as far as possible, depending on the availability of platform talks. Note that the abstract submitted will also constitute a submission for the symposium abstracts volume, which will be made available in PDF format from the SVPCA website.
In view of the theme of the meeting, we would like to get as many papers which refer to fossils from the Dorset and East Devon Coast World Heritage Site as possible, although this should not discourage authors from submitting offers of other papers.
The deadline for bookings and abstract submission is 4th July 2011.
Preliminary Programme:
| Monday 12th September | Marine Theatre | SPPC/GCG Talks and Posters |
| Tuesday 13th | Marine Theatre | SPPC/GCG Talks and Posters |
| …afternoon | Lyme Regis | Field trip to classic localities |
| …evening | Venue to be decided | Icebreaker for SVPCA |
| Wednesday 14th | Marine Theatre | SVPCA Talks and Posters |
| …early evening | Marine Theatre | Public Lecture |
| …evening | Philpot Museum | Reception |
| …followed by | Auction for JFMF | |
| Thursday 15th | Marine Theatre | SVPCA Talks and Posters |
| …late afternoon | Dorchester Museum | SVPCA Talks |
| …early evening | Dorchester Museum | Public Lecture |
| …evening | Reception in Dorchester museum | |
| Friday 16th | Marine Theatre | SVPCA Talks and Posters |
| …early evening | Marine Theatre | Public Lecture |
| …evening | Marine Theatre | Conference Dinner |
| Saturday 17th | Field Trips |
Field Trips
The Heritage Coast gives so many possibilities for field trips that it has been hard to decide where to go! Three trips are planned:
- Lyme Regis-Charmouth: the classic trip, covering the exposures of the Lower Lias made famous by centuries of discoveries. This trip will be run in the late afternoon of the Tuesday of the week, after the SPPC/GCG conference so that delegates attending the SVPCA can have the opportunity to join..
We are planning two alternative trips for the Saturday of the conference.
- Kimmeridge and the surrounding area. This will be a chance to visit Steve Etches collection of Kimmeridge Clay fossils, one of the finest private collections from anywhere in the world.
- Sidmouth and area. The Dorset and East Devon Coast World Heritage Site extends west of Lyme Regis, and includes lesser-known Triassic deposits. This will be a chance to go to some less familiar localities for those already familiar with the more recent deposits.
…and, of course, given the location for the conference there will be ample opportunity to stroll down to the shore during lunch breaks to collect fossils!
Conference Dinner
The conference dinner will be held in the Marine Theatre, and provided by Sweetlands, a local catering company who specialise in home produced and locally sourced organic food. Details of the menu will be posted on the web site when they are available. Cost will be £37.50/head.
More about them here: sweetlands.co.uk/
Jones-Fenleigh Award
The Jones-Fenleigh fund awards grants covering registration fees, accommodation costs and basic subsistence to help delegates with no institutional financial support to attend the SVPCA.
Applications should be sent to lyme2011@svpca.org before Friday June 10th, 2011. 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 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.
Accommodation
Delegates will need to make their own arrangements for accommodation, but if they are made in good time there should be little problem in finding B&Bs, hotels, shared flats and houses or caravans.
The Tourist Information Centre is a good first point of contact.:
Lyme Regis Tourist Information Centre
Church Street, Lyme Regis, DT7 3BS
Telephone: 01297 442138
E-mail: lymeregis.tic@westdorset-dc.gov.uk
Website: www.westdorset.com
Getting there
Lyme Regis is easily accessible by road and public transport. Axminster station is 5 miles away on the main Waterloo to Exeter line. Buses or taxis can be used to complete the journey.
Organisers
Richard Forrest (Electronic ether)
Richard Edmonds (Dorset)
Steve McLean (GCG)
