4th International Meeting on the Biology of Sphagnum

First Announcement

Alaska 2008

This is the first announcement for a (largely field) meeting intended to promote collaboration among those interested in the biology of Sphagnum and the ecology of Sphagnum-dominated peatlands.

The meeting will be held in southern Alaska, from August 2 to August 11, 2008.

Program: A general outline of the meeting plan is provided below. More detailed information will be provided in later announcements.

Southern Alaska is extremely diverse in both wetland habitats and Sphagnum species. Some representative photographs of the Sphagnum-dominated wetlands we plan to visit, as well as the present meeting information, can be viewed at http://www.biology.duke.edu/herbarium/alaska.html.

Participants should plan to arrive anytime on Friday, August 1. Accommodations will be provided for the night of August 1 and the field trips will commence on Saturday morning, August 2. Additional details will be provided in subsequent announcements.

Cost: The cost per participant, including all accommodations, food, and transportation during the meeting in both Juneau and Anchorage, as well as the flight from Juneau to Anchorage, is $1200 (U.S.). This does NOT include your transportation to and from Alaska. The meeting begins in Juneau and ends in Anchorage, so you would need to arrange your travel plans accordingly. Participants will probably have to fly through Anchorage to get to Juneau, so you should make a one-way reservation to Juneau because your flight back to Anchorage with the group is included. Alaska Airlines (http://www.alaskaair.com/) offers one-way tickets for 50% of the price of a round trip ticket.

Financial Support for Students: Partial funding for this meeting is being provided by Peatnet (http://www.peatnet.siu.edu/). In addition to general funds to support the meeting and reduce costs to participants (incorporated into the ‘discount’ cost given above), grants are available to students from the United States to offset additional travel expenses to attend. Eligible students include U.S. citizens and permanent residents, as well as foreign students enrolled in U.S. universities. To apply for support, contact Dale Vitt (dvitt@plant.siu.edu) and provide a brief statement describing why you wish to attend and how attendance at this meeting will contribute to your educational objectives.

Some funding is also available to supplement expenses incurred by non-U.S. students who wish to attend the meeting. Contact Richard (Dick) Andrus (randrus@binghamton.edu) for more information.

Funding preference will be given to students planning to present a seminar or poster in the symposium. If you wish to make a presentation, please send a preliminary title when you register and/or apply for travel support. Presentations by non-student participants are encouraged as well.

Registration will be limited to 45 participants because of space limitations on the bus(es) and in various accommodations. So if interested, please register early!

A 50% deposit ($600) is required at the time of registration to hold a place for the meeting. If you wish to register, go to the Peatnet website (http://www.peatnet.siu.edu/), or the Duke Bryology website (http://www.biology.duke.edu/herbarium/alaska.html), download a Registration Form, fill it out, and send the completed form to Sandi Vitt, Department of Plant Biology, Southern Illinois University, Carbondale, IL 62901 along with your deposit. (Registration forms without deposit will not be accepted.) If you wish to wire transfer your registration deposit, contact Sandi Vitt (svitt@plant.siu.edu) for bank information. The balance of the registration fee is due no later than March 15, 2008. All payments must be in U.S. currency.

For more information about the meeting program, contact Jon Shaw (shaw@duke.edu).

Download REGISTRATION FORM (.doc, 34KB) and FIRST CIRCULAR (.pdf, 56 KB).

Organizers