Biogeosciences Calendar Archive

2007

2006

2005

2004

Key
Conferences	Courses/Workshops

January 2005

January 10-12, Rome, Italy OASIS (Ocean-Atmosphere-Sea Ice-Snowpack) Project Planning Workshop: This workshop hopes to produce an implementation plan for the coming five to 10 years. A roadmap for the project will be developed, and decisions on locations, platforms and experiments (including laboratory, field work, and model development) will be made.
January 16-20, San Diego, California, USA Chapman Conference on the Science and Technology of Carbon Sequestration: This conference will discuss long-term sequestration of carbon as a way of reducing potential global warming. Topics will include but are not limited to an overview of current carbon sources and sinks; mechanisms of carbon stabilization and loss in soils; carbon sequestration in forests, grasslands, wetlands, and other ecosystems; oceanic CO₂ dissolution and potential dissolution of marine carbonate sediments; carbon sequestration by oceanic ecosystems; and climate controls on carbon sequestration. Sponsored by AGU.
January 24-27, New Orleans, Louisiana International Conference on Remediation of Contaminated Sediments: Held every other year, this major meeting will focus on ecological and human health risk assessments, sediment stability, evaluating the effectiveness of remedies, defining what constitutes a successful remedy, and how to manage cleanups in ports and harbors. Contact: Joan Purvis, The Conference Group, 1580 Fishinger Rd., Columbus, OH 43221 Phone: 1-800-783-6338 Fax: 614-488-5747 E-mail: info@confgroupinc.com

February 2005

February 7-11, Atlanta, Georgia, USA American Association for Aerosol Research (AAAR) Supersites Conference: The primary purpose of the conference is to disseminate results from the Supersites Program and other air quality methods, measurements, data analysis, and modeling programs that have taken place over the last half decade or so to key stake holders in the public and private sectors. Results presented should provide information that would ultimately reduce uncertainties in our understanding of atmospheric PM accumulation on urban and regional scales and to allow for the development of effective emissions management programs to reduce the impact of PM related pollution on humans and ecosystems.
February 8-11, Honolulu, Hawaii, U.S.A. Chapman Conference on Tropical-Extratropical Climatic Teleconnections, A Long-Term Perspective: This multidisplinary conference aims to promote communication between paleoclimatologists, paleooceanographers, and climate dynamicists on questions of climate change processes at different latitudes and time scales.
February 17-21, Washington, DC American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) Annual Meeting: Many of the sessions at this meeting will deal with environmental topics, including: the fundamental health and environmental impacts of nanotechnology; implications of environmental policy of the presidency; how pollution, population change and economic productivity will shape the future; systematics--the vanishing safety net for food scurity and the evironment; environmental modeling; climate change and the insurance industry; satellite monitoring of global warming; adapting to climate variability; agriculture and food in times of crisis; and energy for the future without carbon emissions. Contact: Office of Public Programs, AAAS News and Information Office, 1200 New York Avenue, NW, Washington, DC 20005 Phone: 202-326-6440 Fax: 202-789-0455 E-mail: media@aaas.org
February 20-25
ASLO Aquatic Science Meeting: The American Society of Limnology and Oceanography 2005 Aquatic Sciences Meeting is supported by The Nature Conservancy, the Geological Society of America, and the North American Benthological Society. Members of each of these societies and organizations are encouraged to submit abstracts or simply come to the meeting to discuss research with aquatic scientists with whom you may not normally interact. Deadline for abstracts submission: October 1, 2004.

March 2005

March 6-11; Rice University - Houston, Texas, U.S.A. Geologic Problem Solving with Microfossils: The purpose pf this conference is to bring together a diverse array of geoscientists to showcase the problem-solving power of microfossils in a variety of geologic settings. The conference planning committee is dedicated to facilitating a strong program that will showcase the problem-solving power of microfossils, and stimulate the "cross fertilization" of ideas that results when a diverse group of scientists gather in a common venue. Deadline for abstracts submission: October 14, 2004.
March 11-7; Laguna Mar Chiquita, Argentina ICSU - ICGP 490: Holocene Environmental Catastrophes in South America: From the Lowlands to the Andes: These meetings focus on the inter-disciplinary investigation of Holocene geological catastrophes, which are of importance for civilizations and ecosystems. Meetings involve earth scientists, biologists, archaeologists, anthropologists, historians, meteorologists, astrophysicists and health experts. Deadline for abstracts submission: November 12 , 2004.
March 13-19; Cairo, Egypt The Cairo 9th International Conference on Energy and Environment: The conference will address issues connected with the interaction between energy and the environment. Participants will discuss the integrated analysis of the impact of new, alternative, and renewable energy sources; assist in developing and utilizing improved environmental strategies, energy conservation and management measures, control technologies, and technology transfer; provide current findings and technology; and gain a better understanding of environmental methods. Topics will include: clean fuel for the future; sediments, and solar energy, among others.
March 20-23; Baton Rouge, Louisiana 9th International Symposium on Biogeochemistry of Wetlands: The LSU Wetlands Biogeochemistry Institute and the UF/IFAS Soil and Water Science Department are co-hosting the 9th International Symposium on Biogeochemistry of Wetlands. The focus of the symposium will be on new approaches and techniques that link community structure at the micro, and macro, scales to better understand the mechanisms that control the fate of chemicals at the global scale. Deadline for abstracts submission: January 12, 2005.

April 2005

April 24-29, Vienna, Austria European Geosciences Union - 2nd General Assembly: The scientific program of the General Assembly includes Union Symposia, Oral and Poster Sessions on disciplinary and interdisciplinary topics covering the full spectrum of the geosciences and the space and planetary sciences, Short Courses and Workshops, Key Note and Medal Lectures and Townhall and Splinter Meetings. You are invited to take an active part in organizing the scientific programme of the Biogeosciences Division.

May 2005

May 2-6; Liège, Belgium 37th International Liège Colloquium on Ocean Dynamics - Gas Transfer At Water Surfaces: The focus of the 37th Liège Colloquium on Ocean Dynamics is gas transfer at water surfaces with oral and poster presentations of recent advances in this field. Discussions will identify the most critical conceptual and experimental improvements for future. For more information contact Alberto Borges: alberto.borges@ulg.ac.be; Deadline for abstracts submission: January 15, 2005. Deadline for registration: May 2, 2005.
May 4; Schwäbisch Hall, Germany Jahrestag. Wasserchem. Gesellschaft Fachgruppe der GDCh
May 20-25; Moscow, Idaho, USA Goldschmidt Conference: The Goldschmidt Conference is the premier annual meeting in geochemistry and mineralogy. This meeting in Idaho will cover the full range of geochemistry from cosmochemistry to the origin of life. It will be special because 2005 is the 50th Anniversary of the Geochemical Society - come celebrate this anniversary in the foothills of the Rocky Mountains! The conference also takes place during the bicentennial of the Lewis and Clark expedition - the Corps of Discovery.
May 12-14, Carleton College - Northfield, Minnesota On the Cutting Edge Workshop Series: Understanding What Our Geoscience Students Are Learning: Observing and Assessing

June 2005

June 5-9, Atlanta, GA, USA American Society for Microbiology General Meeting: ASM's General Meeting is held annually in the late spring and brings together microbiologists from diverse environments. ASM members in 27 topical divisions work together to create a program that is informative and educational in the following broad categories: diagnostic microbiology and epidemiology; pathogenesis and host response mechanisms; general and applied microbiology (including environmental microbiology); and molecular microbiology, physiology, and virology. Workshops in a small-scale hands-on setting are offered immediately preceding the meeting for an additional fee.
June 5-14, Washington, DC American Meteorological Society - Summer Policy Colloquium: The AMS Summer Policy Colloquium, with support from the Paleoclimate Program of the Atmospheric Sciences Division of NSF, brings a select group to Washington, D.C. for an intense, ten-day immersion in atmospheric policy.
June 8-13, College of William and Mary, Williamsburg, VA On the Cutting Edge Workshop Series: Early Career Faculty Workshop: Teaching, Research and Managing Your Career
June 12-17, Prague, Czech Republic Acid Rain 2005: 7th International Conference on Acid Deposition: This conference will discuss topics including atmospheric chemistry and transport of S, N; air pollution by non-acidic pollutants (ozone, particles, heavy metals); S and N effects on ecosystems and recovery mechanisms; global change and air pollution; new techniques to collecting and analyzing data from local to global scale; and socioeconomic effects of air pollution.
June 19-24, Santiago de Compostela, Spain ASLO Summer Meeting - Plate Tectonics and Chemotrophy at Deep-Sea Vents: This special symposium will address new inter-disciplinary cutting-edge research in microbial geochemistry of mid-ocean ridges and back-arc basins. It will specifically focus on the role of microorganisms in metal cycling resulting from mineral dissolution, precipitation and sorption reactions, and on reactions kinetics and microbial diversity.
June 21-23, 2005, Oslo, Norway
International Workshop: Human Security and Climate Change: The aim of this workshop is to reposition the climate change debate within the context of human security. Topics include how climate change affects vulnerability and human security, the role of climate change in the array of factors affecting human security, and how climate change might directly or indirectly influence conflict or cooperation.
June 23-25, 2005, Breckenridge, Colorado, USA
International Postdoctoral Scientist Network for Earth Systems Science - First Workshop: As a step towards fuller integration of Earth system science, IGBP/AIMES are planning an international postdoctoral scientist network for Earth system science. This network will serve as a mechanism for promoting the development of the next generation of scientists to be increasingly cross-cutting as will be required by the future of Earth system modeling. An important element will be including participants from developing countries to both contribute their expertise in quickly changing and highly vulnerable environments, as well as to build the human resources in important regions of the globe for future science projects. To inaugurate the network we plan a first workshop in June, 2005. The workshop agenda will include talks from one senior person and several postdoctoral scientists on two topics: Topic 1: The end of nature? Human-Earth systems interactions Topic 2: Is there a scenario in the class? Different views of the future (Multi-scaled approaches to Earth system modeling). All participants will be invited to give a talk or present a poster during the workshop. More information (including application information and deadlines) is available at: http://www.asp.ucar.edu/ess/
June-August, 2005, Australia, China, Japan, Korea or Taiwan
Graduate Research Summer Institutes: NSF Funded Graduate Research Summer Institutes - Become an internationally experienced researcher. Spend eight weeks conducting research and experiencing life in: Australia, China, Japan, Korea or Taiwan. For U.S. Graduate Students in: Biological Sciences, Education and Human Resources, Computer and Information Science and Engineering, Engineering, Geosciences, Mathematical and Physical Sciences, Polar Research, or Social, Behavioral, and Economic Sciences.; Deadline for abstracts submission: December 10, 2004.; Download a conference circular PDF (50kb)

July 2005

July 6-9, University of Washington, Seattle, WA On the Cutting Edge Workshop Series: Teaching About the Ocean System Using New Research Techniques: Data, Models and Visualization
July 17-22, Waterville, Maine USA Gordon Conference on Catchment Science: Eighth conference in a series that has become a prime venue for international exchange of cutting-edge research in catchment science. The conference theme this time is Biogeochemical Cycles in a Changing World: From Process to Practice, and will feature sessions on disturbance, restoration, and long-term monitoring as well as a field trip to catchment research sites in Acadia National Park. For more information contact: Doug Burns - U.S. Geological Survey 425 Jordan Rd. Tory, NY 12180 - Phone/Fax/E-mail: daburns*at*usgs.gov - 518-285-5662 Abstracts Deadline: 07/15/05 Registration Deadline: 07/15/05
July 18-22, San Diego Supercomputer Center, San Diego, CA Cyberinfrastructure Summer Institute for Geoscientists: A week-long Cyberinfrastructure Summer Institute for Geoscientists (CSIG) will be held from July 18-22, 2005 at the San Diego Supercomputer Center, University of California, San Diego. The CSIG is designed to introduce geoscientists to commonly-used as well as emergent information technology (IT) tools. Topics to be covered include Data Modeling, Web Services, and Geographic Information Systems. A brief introduction will also be provided to key concepts in Grid Computing, Parallel Programming, and Scientific Workflows, with a view towards covering these topics in more detail in a subsequent Institute offering. If interested in attending the Institute, please submit a brief Statement of Interest explaining its potential value to your research and education activities by going to: http://www.geongrid.org/CSIG05/. The application deadline for this CSIG is June 13, 2005. While the Institute is open to everyone, graduate students and postdocs are especially encouraged to apply. A maximum of 40 attendees will be selected from the pool of applicants. This CSIG is made possible through funding provided by NSF (http://www.nsf.gov). Attendees local expenses (on-campus accomodations and meals) will be paid for, though travel arrangements and expenses will be the responsibility of the attendee.
July 18-22, Vancouver, B.C. Canada GML Days 2005: Galdos Systems is pleased to once again be hosting GML Days 2005 (www.gmldays.com) in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada from July 18th to July 22nd. GML Days 2005 will be the fourth annual conference on the OGC Geography Mark-up Language (GML) and Web Services for GIS. GML is rapidly emerging as the world standard for the XML encoding of geographic information and is the foundation for the Geo-Web. GML Days 2005 will provide participants with an opportunity not only to expand your knowledge of GML and its uses; you can also use this interact with some of the world's leading GML and Web Services experts. As in the past, the conference will include key note speakers, panel sessions, product demonstrations, workshops and educational sessions. Call for Papers GML Days is now actively soliciting abstracts for papers to be presented at this year's GML Days. Papers should be of general interest to the conference participants and be related to GML and/or Web Services. Paper presentations will be provided in many areas including: Processing GML data - schema parsers, object filters GML and Imagery GML and Geographic Ontologies GML Applications (ITS, LBS, Telematics, Resource Management, Oceanography, Geo-Intelligence) Real World examples and use cases GML and Web Services Web Service Visualization Send your abstract to: papers@gmldays.com Abstracts should be a maximum of 200 words and are due no latter than April 30, 2005. For further information on the GML Days please contact us at +1 (604) 484-2750 or at info@gmldays.com. We look forward to seeing everyone in July. Abstracts Deadline: 05/30/05 Registration Deadline: 06/30/05
July 21-25, Penn State University, State College, PA On the Cutting Edge Workshop Series: Preparing for an Academic Career in the Geosciences: Workshop for Graduate Students and Post-Doctoral Fellows
July 23-28, University of Nebraska, Lincoln, NE On the Cutting Edge Workshop Series: Teaching Hydrogeology in the 21st Century
July 24-29, Connecticut College - New London, CT, USA Gordon Research Conference: Applied & Environ. Microbiology

August 2005

August 2-11, Beijing, China 9th International Association of Meteorology & Atmospheric Sciences: The theme of the IAMAS meeting is "The Fascinating Atmosphere: Changeable and Changing". The scientific program will cover all areas of meteorology and atmospheric sciences from the surface to the middle atmosphere, both for the Earth and for other planets. For more info, please contact Mike MacCracken (mmaccrac@comcast.net).
August 8-11, Calgary, Alberta Canada Earth System Processes 2: An interdisciplinary, integrative scientific meeting exploring the interactions among Earth's lithosphere, atmosphere, hydrosphere, cryosphere, and biota. Broad themes include: Ancient Earth Systems, Modern Earth System Processes, and Earth System Futures. Contact Lee Kump at lkump@psu.edu with any questions.
August 8-12, Gainesville, Florida USA Short Course on Geostatistical Analysis of Environmental Data: This short course will introduce a suite of geostatistical methods for the spatial analysis of environmental data. Participants will learn how to apply geostatistics for the description of spatial patterns and identification of scales of variability, spatial interpolation and stochastic modeling of environmental attributes, creation of risk maps and their use in decision-making. Lectures will alternate with analysis of environmental data using the Stanford Geostatistical Modeling Software (S-GeMS) and the TerraSeer Space-time Information System (STIS). Test datasets will be prepared so that results of geostatistical prediction and impacts on decision-making can be compared and discussed during the course. A copy of the public domain S-GeMS software will be provided. Ample time will be allocated to discussion, and participants are invited to bring their own case studies to seek Dr. Goovaerts opinion. The course provides 30 hours of training and instruction, and a Certificate of Completion will be provided upon conclusion. Registration Deadline: 8/1/2005
August 10-12, Beijing, CHINA PAGES Second Open Science Meeting: Paleoclimate, Environmental Sustainability and Our Future: Themes for the conference will include: Future Change: Historical Understanding, PAGES Research Initiatives, Humans and their Environment: Past Perspectives on Sustainability, Ocean-Continent-Cryosphere Interactions: Past and Present, and Climate, Humans and the Environment in Asia.
CONTACT: PAGES IPO
Sulgeneckstrasse 38
3007 Bern
SWITZERLAND
Phone: +41-31-312 31 33
Fax: +41-31-312 31 68
Email: osm@pages.unibe.ch
August 14-19, Jackson Hole, Wyoming, USA The Joint International Symposia for Subsurface Microbiology (ISSM 2005) and Environmental Biogeochemistry (ISEB XVII): ISSM/ISEB 2005 will address important scientific and engineering issues for which biogeochemistry and subsurface microbiology play essential roles. These symposia will provide opportunities for international attendees to advance ideas on current research topics, scientific interconnections, and future directions for the biogeosciences.
August 21-27, Tokyo, Japan 13th International Clay Conference: This conference will have as part of it a "Clay-Biology Interface" session. The key words of this session are biogeochemistry, biomineralization, biodissolution, and origin of life. Please check out the following site for additional information: http://wwwsoc.nii.ac.jp/cssj2/13ICC/

September 2005

September 4-8, Ghent, Belgium WETPOL - International Symposium on Wetland Pollutant Dynamics and Control: The conference will focus on pollutant dynamics and control, environmental toxicity and ecosystem development in natural wetlands, controlled flooding areas and constructed wetlands for wastewater treatment. Conference topics cover cycling of nitrogen, phosphorus, carbon, heavy metals and organic pollutants in wetlands, hydrology, water quality and redox reactions, sediment dynamics, modelling of pollutant removal and fate, wetland design and operation, functioning of plants in the wetland environment, assessment and evaluation of ecological effects, modelling of fate and effects.
Contact Information: Gijs Du Laing
E-mail: wetpol@biomath.ugent.be
September 19-22, Crowne Plaza Surfers Paradise, Gold Coast, Queensland Australia 8th International Thermophile Conference "From Evolution to Revolution": The organising committee is pleased to invite you to participate in the 8th International Thermophiles Conference which will be held at the Crowne Plaza Surfers Paradise, Gold Coast, Queensland, Australia from 19th to 22nd September 2005. After the very successful New Zealand conference in 1993, Thermophiles 2005 is only the second such meeting in the Southern hemisphere. It will be an exciting opportunity for the colleagues of the Northern hemisphere to enjoy the scientific content of the conference as well as the remarkable and breathtaking natural beauty of Australia. The conference theme is "From Evolution to Revolution". This theme covers all aspects of microbes living at high temperatures including evolution, diversity and application. The deadline for submission of abstracts is: 30th June 2005.
September 21-25, Pamukkale University (PAU) in Denizli, TURKEY International TRAVERTINE Symposium & Technologies Exhibition: International Travertine Symposium and Stone Technologies Fair will be held between September 21 - 25, 2005 in Denizli, Turkey by Demos Fuarcilik ve Organization Ltd. Sti. in cooperation with Pamukkale University , Faculty of Engineering, Department of Geology Engineering. For more information please go to: http://travertine.pamukkale.edu.tr/Travertine'05/index.htm

October 2005

October 5-7, Atlanta, Georgia, U.S.A. 1st International Conference on Environmental Exposure and Health: The purpose of this conference is to provide the proper environment for communication among scientists and engineers to achieve a better understanding of the development of economic resources and the preservation of the environment. This conference will bring together health specialists and scientists, social and physical scientists, and engineers to evaluate current issues in environmental exposure and health, and chart future directions and needs in the field. Topics include multipathway exposure analysis, advanced methods and computational tools, exposure monitoring, health risk analysis, and other related subjects.
October 9-13, Monterey, California, U.S.A. The Second International Conference on Mechanisms of Organic Matter Stabilization and Destabilization in Soils: The Second Conference on Mechanisms of Soil Organic Matter Stabilization will be held at the Asilomar Conference Center near Monterey, California, overlooking the Pacific Ocean. As before, the goal is to bring together scientists from a range of backgrounds to share ideas and present recent research results. We welcome participation by researchers in organic geochemistry, soil science, microbiology, agronomy, ecology, and other disciplines related to the conference theme. We hope that this meeting will encourage new collaborations among researchers, generate new research ideas, and help lower barriers among disciplines.
October 16-19, Salt Lake City, Utah, USA Geological Society of America Annual Meeting

November 2005

November 6-11, Mendoza, Argentina Gondwana 12: Geological and Biological Heritage of Gondwana: This conference will focus on such topics as Gondwana assembly (Brazillian, Pan-African,Cadomian events); Gondwana reconstructions, paleogeography, and paleobiogeography; Gondwana margins; Gondwanan paleoclimate; mass extinctions and biodiversity; Gondwana basins: stratigraphy and correlations; and break-up and dispersal of Gondwana, geological and biological aftermath. Field trips are also planned.
November 14-16, Arlington, VA , USA U.S. Climate Change Science Program Workshop: Climate Science in Support of Decision Making: The workshop will serve as a forum to address the Program’s progress and future plans regarding its three decision support goals: 1) Prepare scientific syntheses and assessments on key climate science issues. 2) Develop and illustrate adaptive management and planning capabilities. 3) Develop and evaluate methods to support climate change policymaking.
The workshop will include discussion of decision-maker needs for scientific information on climate variability and change, as well as expected outcomes of CCSP’s research and assessment activities that are necessary for sound resource management, adaptive planning, and policy formulation.

December 2005

December 3-4, Berkley, CA , USA Short Course Sessions in Molecular Geomicrobiology: The Minerological Society of America presents a short course inspired by the development of genomics methods and insights obtained from genomic data from geomicrobiologically-relevant (geochemically-relevant) microbes.
Registration information, and short course topics can be found at: http://www.minsocam.org/msa/sc/MolGeoBio_descrp.html
December 5-9, San Francisco, California, USA 2005 AGU Fall Meeting: Don’t miss the largest international science event of the year: the 2005 AGU Fall Meeting! The Fall Meeting is expected to draw a crowd of over 11,000 geophysicists from around the world and provides an opportunity for researchers, teachers, students, and consultants to present and review the latest issues affecting the Earth, the planets, and their environments in space. Held in San Francisco, California, at the Moscone Center, the meeting will cover topics in all areas of Earth and space sciences. Mark your calendar for 5-9 December 2005.
December 5-9, San Francisco, California, USA AGU Special Session - Kinetics of Biogeochemical Reactions: Kinetics of Biogeochemical Reactions: Emergence of Scaling Laws: Limitations in extrapolating laboratory scale studies to observations made at the field scale arise due to the coupling between the large degrees of complexity that characterize these systems and the breadth of length and time scales that must be taken into account. Linking the chemical kinetics from the small scale that can be studied in the laboratory to observations made in the field remains one of the most important challenges facing geochemists and environmental scientists today. This symposium will focus on experimental and theoretical techniques that can be used to develop scaling laws for rates of environmentally important reactions. Papers that investigate the kinetics of biogeochemical processes at the solid-water interface in both biotic and abiotic systems across a variety of length and time scales are sought. This special section is co-sponsored by Biogeosciences and Hydrology. The deadline for submission of abstracts is: 8th September 2005
December 5-9, San Francisco, California, USA AGU Special Session - Recent Advances in Biogeosciences in Asian Countries: Science is becoming increasingly global and international partnerships are indispensable in addressing complex and critical global scientific questions. Asian countries are becoming increasingly strong in economy, which is accompanied by rapid scientific growth. This special session aims to demonstrate recent developments in biogeosciences in Asian countries. Papers are solicited from all countries around the world. We particularly encourage collaborative projects between Asian countries and the rest of the world; however, the topic must be on a project conducted in an Asian country. Special interests will be on modern and ancient microbial and biogeochemical processes in oceanic and terrestrial environments, deep subsurface biosphere, and life in extreme environments.
Conveners:
Chuanlun Zhang, Savannah River Ecology Laboratory - University of Georgia
Aiken, SC 29802, USA
Tel: 803-572-5299
Email: zhang [at] srel.edu
Webpage: http://www.uga.edu/srel/AACES/zhang.html
Hailiang Dong, Department of Geology - Miami University
Oxford, OH 45056
Tel: 513-529-2517
Email: dongh [at] muohio.edu
Webpage:http://www.users.muohio.edu/dongh/

We encourage you to participate in this session and appreciate it if you post this information (see attachment) in your department or institute and pass this information to your colleagues working on projects in other Asian countries.
Please be aware that AGU advises anyone who may need a visa for an AGU meeting to apply early (at least 3 months in advance). Please visit http://www.agu.org/pubs/visa_info.html for details.
December 5-9, San Francisco, California, USA AGU session B16 - Organic Compounds in Volcanic Hydrothermal Systems: Field, Experiment and Theory: Organic compounds are ubiquitous in volcanic hydrothermal systems on Earth, and are subject to a variety of both abiogenic and biogenic processes. Abiogenic syntheses and alteration proceed over a wide range of conditions, including in volcanic gases and fluids (350-1100°C) and in moderate to elevated temperature aqueous fluids (100-300°C approximately). Biogenic processes, such as those resulting from hyperthermophilic communities of organisms, also produce or alter organic compounds and operate under comparable range of environments, including high temperatures, pressures, pH, and salinity. Much remains unknown regarding the origin, reaction pathways, sinks, and decomposition of organic compounds in volcanic hydrothermal systems, whether due to biogenic or abiogenic processes. Recent years have seen increasing contributions from the different perspectives of field observations and analysis, experimental laboratory studies on organic compounds, field and laboratory microbiology, and theoretical approaches. Overlapping disciplines are diverse and include areas such as volcanology, analytical and experimental geochemistry, atmospheric chemistry, physical chemistry; biochemistry, microbiology, astrobiology, and "origin of life" research. We welcome contributions which focus on the organic chemistry of volcanic hydrothermal systems using field, experimental and theoretical approaches. Particularly sought are contributions which are able to relate one or more of these approaches, or are cross-disciplinary.The deadline for submission of abstracts is: 8th September 2005
December 12-14, Washington, DC USA Frontiers in Soil Science Research Workshop: On December 12-14, 2005, the National Academy of Sciences will be holding a workshop on Frontiers in Soil Science Research in Washington, DC. The workshop will convene experts in soil science and associated disciplines to identify emerging research opportunities and to address the integration of the biological, physical, geological, and chemical sciences within soil science. Speakers and participants will identify research priorities and potential breakthroughs within soil science, including interdisciplinary and cross-disciplinary research and technological and computational needs to advance soil science. On the evening of December 12, the workshop will open with a keynote presentation by Brent Clothier of the Horticultural and Food Research Institute of New Zealand. The workshop will continue on December 13-14 with topic sessions headed by lead speakers, followed by comments from pre-selected discussants and then a general discussion among participants. Additional information about the workshop, including the agenda, list of speakers and registration is available at: http://www7.nationalacademies.org/soilfrontiers.

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