MOLECULAR PALEOBIOLOGY Workshop December 11-12, 2004, Argent Hotel, San Francisco

NSF is deeply interested in furthering the molecular revolution by bringing together scientists who use molecular approaches to study problems of paleobiology and those who incorporate a "deep time" perspective in the molecular analysis of living systems. The goal of the workshop is to further this vision so that potential avenues of new research can be identified and new opportunities for collaboration developed. This vision will be articulated in a document where both the opportunities and the challenges will be outlined in detail.

The workshop will gather together key scientists spanning the field of Molecular Paleobiology. There will be four topical sessions: On Saturday we will have the Evolutionary Genomics and Evolution of Biogeochemical Systems sessions, and on Sunday we will have the Evolutionary Rates and Patterns and Geological Utilization of Molecular Data sessions. Each session will include ~3 keynote talks followed by breakout discussions. There will also be talks and discussion focused on other areas of Molecular Paleobiology as well.

The workshop will begin at 8:30 AM on December 11 and ends at 5 PM on December 12. Participants should plan to arrive the evening of December 10. A tentative schedule can be found here. There are three roles to this workshop:

1. Session Speaker - There will be approximately three talks for each of the four sessions, in addition to two working lunches with one-two talks. These talks should be no more than 30 minutes long. We want to emphasize that these are not seminar/meeting research summaries but statements of vision within the context of one?s particular research area. In other words, your talk should address questions like: where do you think the field will be ten years from now? What sorts of questions will be addressed by our students and our student?s students? It is important to remember that NSF needs these visions articulated so funding can be found and distributed appropriately, and it will be the role of the organizers to translate these vision statements to the written document.
2. Breakout Session Leader - At the end of the third talk in each session we will break into two groups, each led by a specified leader. A generic list of questions will be given to each breakout session leader who will then lead a discussion centering around these questions in the context of that particular session. The leader will also summarize the thoughts and conclusions of the group into a written document that will be given to the organizers for inclusion into the final document. These questions will be posted soon.
3. Overview Lecture - at the end of both Saturday and Sunday there will be a 50-minute talk by an individual whose work spans both of the covered sessions of the day. Their role is similar to the session speakers, but emphasis is placed on how seemingly disparate fields can and are unified into existing research. These talks are of particular importance because they will clearly articulate what is meant by the term "molecular paleobiology" in the broadest sense possible.

It is our hope that each of the speakers will provide a one-page summary of what they intend to present and post it to the web site. In addition, we would like to post each of the speakers' powerpoint presentations after the workshop so that we will have access to them while we are writing the workshop document. These will be password protected and only available to workshop organizers and participants. Break out session leaders will post their summaries on the site as well.

Please send your summaries and presentations as pdf files to web@chronos.org with the subject: MolBio workshop.

Participants should fly into either SFO or Oakland, and participants should inquire with a travel agent or with online travel reservation engines (e.g., Expedia, Orbitz, Travelocity etc.) to locate the lowest possible fare. Please retain a receipt of your ticket for the reimbursement (see details below). If you would rather have CHRONOS make your travel reservations, please contact Karen Hart (Karen@chronos.org; +1-515-294-7121) and let her know your departure airport, dates and preferred time of travel (to and from San Francisco), and other specific requests that you might have. She will inquire on the best possible fare and itinerary and contact you with the details before confirming the reservation.

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 website. Please check the section on Visa Waiver Program to find out if your home country participates in it. Please note that from October 26, 2004, all citizens of countries in the Visa Waiver program are required to have a visa unless they have a recent machine-readable passport. Please check with your authorities if you are unsure that your passport is machine-readable. If you need to apply for a visa, please do 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

A block of rooms will be held at the San Francisco Marriott. Travel information to and from the local airports can be found here. Door-to-door vans and BART trains connect San Francisco International airport to the hotel. More info here.

A block of guestrooms has been reserved at the San Francisco Marriott. The rate for workshop participants is $149 + taxes per night. AGU will reserve rooms for invited speakers based on the information that you provide in the registration form (see below) and for three nights (Dec 10-13) unless you have made alternative arrangements with Kevin and Roger. Please note that if you would like to extend your stay at the Marriott for the duration of AGU, you should contact the hotel directly at 1-415-896-1600 to guarantee the room for the rest of your stay with a credit card.

The workshop will be held in the Argent Hotel (one block from the Marriott). Argent Hotel Website

Please register on line to confirm your participation in the workshop. The registration deadline is November 4th.

If you have questions, please contact Kevin Peterson (kevin.j.peterson@dartmouth.edu), Roger Summons (rsummons@MIT.EDU) or (for logistics) Cinzia Cervato (cinzia@iastate.edu).

To be reimbursed for the travel expenses you have incurred to reach San Francisco, please complete the attached form with your personal details. If you reside overseas and would like to avoid paying a fee to cash a US cheque at your bank, please provide us with your complete bank account details (top right of form) and we will deposit the reimbursement of your travel expenses directly into your account.

Please attach all of your original travel receipts (flight, taxi, shuttle). Your room charge for December 10-12 (three nights) will be directly billed to AGU. You will be responsible for incidental expenses (phone calls, etc.). You will also receive $20/day to cover your dinner expenses (government per diem rate).

Please mail the completed form and your original receipts to:
Karen Hart
Iowa State University, Dept. of Geological and Atmospheric Sciences
253 Science I
Ames, Iowa 50011-3212, USA.

A copy of the report can be found here.