CHRONOS Geochemical Cycles Workshop: The St. Anthony Hotel, San Antonio, Texas, June 25th-26th, 2004

The goal of the workshop is to decide what chemical data and metadata should be included in the Geochemical Cycles domain of CHRONOS (www.chronos.org), how it should be stored, and what tools will be needed for its subsequent melding with non-chemical data, and its analysis, visualization, and use. The particular emphasis will be on data related to the chemistry of the Earth through time - with the eventual aim of integrating these chemical data, through the CHRONOS package, with stratigraphically bounded data and evolutionary trends in biology. An additional goal of the workshop is to develop a strategy for community proprietorship that will encourage participation in CHRONOS generally. The program will include presentations on CHRONOS, on related web-based IT systems, on the value of databases and IT systems as research and educational resources, and on how the geochemical cycles database will enhance research in chemostratigraphy, paleoceanography, paleoclimatology, and paleobiology.

The workshop will begin on Friday 25 June at 8:30 AM and adjourn at 5 PM on Saturday 26 June.

A detailed workshop agenda will be available here soon.

For foreign nationals If you are not a resident or citizen of the U.S., please inquire if you need to be issued a tourist visa. You can find information on entering the US at this web site. Please check the section on Visa Waiver program to find out if your home country participates in it. If you need to apply for a visa, please to so ASAP since the procedure can take up to 3 months. If you need a letter to confirm that you are going to attend this CHRONOS workshop, please contact Cinzia Cervato cinzia@iastate.edu

San Antonio International Airport SAT is located in north central San Antonio, approximately 8 miles from downtown.

We are pleased to announce American Airlines as an official carrier for the CHRONOS Geochemical Cycles workshop. They have arranged for the attendees to the conference the following discount:

• 5% discount for the Coach Class and 10% discount for the First Class for tickets purchased 29 days or less prior to travel date.
• 10% discount for Coach Class and 15% discount for First Class for tickets purchased 30 days or more prior to travel date.
• After the ticket is purchased, but prior to outbound flight departure date, the name may be changed for a service fee.

The Coach Class discount applies to the lowest applicable fare that is available for your date and time of travel.

For fare and schedule information and to make your reservations, please call the American Airlines Meeting Services at 1-800-433-1790 and provide the discount code 2764BD. Their hours of operation are 5am to 12 midnight Central Time every day of the year. International participants should contact the local American Airlines office [http://www.aa.com/content/utility/internationalReservationsPhoneContact.jhtml]. International AA partners are Aer Lingus, British Airways, Cathay Pacific, Finnair, Iberia, Lan Chile, Qantas, and Swiss Intl Airlines.

This discount is valid the 14th of June thru the 4th of July 2004, for travel to San Antonio, TX. You may review fare and schedule information at American Airlines web site: www.AA.COM (please note that ONLINE BOOKINGS ON www.AA.COM WILL NOT RECEIVE THE DISCOUNT).

Invited participants should inquire with AA and also other online travel reservation engines (e.g., Expedia, Orbitz, Travelocity etc.) to locate the lowest possible fare.

Travel time from the airport to the hotel is approximately 15 minutes. Shuttles are available from the airport to the workshop hotel. The service is provided by SATrans. Current fares are $9 one-way, $16 round-trip.

If you will be driving to the workshop, here you can find directions on how to reach the hotel. Please note that overnight guests pay $13 for self-parking per night with in/out privileges.

A block of guestrooms has been reserved at the St. Anthony Hotel. The rate for workshop participants is $91 + taxes per night. Please contact the hotel at (210) 227-4392 or send them a fax (210-227-0915 attn: Reservation manager - CHRONOS workshop, with your credit card number and expiration date as well as arrival/departure dates) to make a room reservation before May 15. Please note that the hotel is going to hold the rooms until then and it is not guaranteed that they will be available after that date. The room block is called "CHRONOS workshop".

Please register on line if you would like to participate in the workshop. The registration deadline is May 21.

If you have questions, please contact Ethan Grossman (e-grossman@tamu.edu) or Cinzia Cervato (cinzia@iastate.edu).