THE NEWSLETTER OF
ISSOL
THE INTERNATIONAL SOCIETY FOR THE STUDY OF
THE ORIGIN OF LIFE
David Deamer, Editor
Web site, Jason Dworkin
Report of the Site Visit Committee
Beijing, People’s Republic of China May 6-11, 2004
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Bill and Jane Schopf were in Beijng March 2004 to help with local ISSOL Committee with organization of the ISSOL'05 meetings. The photo shows Bill Schopf and Prof. Zhao Y.F., Director of the ISSOL Organizing Committee, and two students from The Chemistry Dept of Tsing-hua University at the Lama Temple in Beijing. [Medium, 160k] [Large 232k] |
The Site Visit Committe of the Executive Council (EC) of the International Society for the Study of the Origin of Life (ISSOL) visited Beijing on May 6-11, 2004. Members of the Committee included Antonio Lazcano (President), Francois Raulin (1st Vice President), Mohindra Chadha (Councillor), Kensei Kobayashi (Councillor), and Wolfram Thiemann (Councillor), The purpose of this visit was to evaluate the progress made by the Local Organizing Committee (LOC) chaired by Professor Yufen Zhao (University of Tsinghua University, Beijing), in preparation for the forthcoming triennial meeting of ISSOL scheduled for June 19-25, 2005. The five round-trip, tourist class airfare tickets required by the members of the Site Visit Committee were provided by ISSOL, while the hotel and living expenses in Beijing were paid for by our Chinese hosts, thanks to an agreement between Professors Yufen Zhao and Antonio Lazcano.
In general, the Committee members came away with a very favorable opinion of the work done by Professor Zhao and her colleagues of the LOC in preparation for the Beijing ISSOL'05 Meeting. We were very much impressed by the warm, generous hospitality of our Chinese colleagues, and believe that the necessary resources and facilities will be ready in time for ISSOL'05. Here we report the outcome of our visit.
I. The dates of the ISSOL'05 Meeting
The Beijing ISSOL'05 meeting has been fixed for June 19-25, 2005. Although Professor Zhao and her colleagues of the LOC have explored the possibility of a seven- or even eight-day meeting, we have apparently convinced her that a six-day period (including Sunday June 19, 2005 for arrival and registration of the participants and the accompanying persons) is the most convenient arrangement. After the Site Visit Committee left China, one of us (AL) sent an e-mail to Professor Zhao suggesting a number of activities including visits of distinguished scientists to China, public lectures, seminars, special courses, and exhibitions, as well as interviews and TV and radio programs. These can be scheduled during the next few months in order to promote not only the Beijing ISSOL'05 Meeting, but also as part of an outreach program to Chinese students, teachers and researchers, and the general public.
II. The venue
The LOC has suggested a major auditorium located in the Main Building of Tsinghua University (Beijing, 100084, China) as the principal venue for the meeting. This Main Building is in excellent shape and is located in a recently renovated part of the Tsinghua University campus, surrounded by beautiful gardens. Its principal auditorium can seat up to 450 participants, and is a modern, well-equipped hall with state-of-the-art computarized audiovisual facilities. An equally well-equipped smaller auditorium is located in the second floor of this building. It is an elegant room that can seat up to 150 persons. Additional rooms are located on the second floor are well-suited for interviews and press conferences, as well as for smaller business meetings, such as those required by the EC and the Editorial Board of Origins of Life and Evolution of the Biosphere.
The entrance of the main auditorium has a hall that provides a well-illuminated, ample space for the poster sessions, in which refreshments can be served. The Main Building is located near the well-equipped Tsinghua University Medical Center, where physicians and nurses are trained in both traditional Chinese and Western modern medicine in case of a medical emergency.
The Tsinghua University Computing Center is located in the Main Building’s basement. Accordingly, the availability of rooms and computers in the same venue should facilitate computer access for the Beijing ISSOL'05 participants, including free access to internet connections outside China.
III. Lodging and meals
The Main Building is located about 15 minutes walking distance from the Tsinghua Unisplender International Center, a modern, four-star, Western-type hotel with comfortable rooms and an English-speaking staff. It serves both Chinese and Western meals, and is located near a main avenue in which restaurants and shops are located. It has 170 guest rooms, and special rates of approximately $ 65.00 USA dollars/day (including breakfast) will be negotiated by the LOC for the Beijing ISSOL'05 participants.
Less-expensive accommodations have also been offered, perhaps at the Center for Foreign Students or at the Jinchuyuan Guest House, which are located at the Tsinghua University Campus. The Jinchuyuan Guest House has approximately 150 rooms, which can be offered at a price of $15 to 35 USA dollars/day.
Dr. Yuan MA, an extremely helpful and friendly associate of Professor Zhao, has informed one of us (AL) by e-mail after our visit to Beijing that a very good place in campus has been found that will offer a buffet during the lunch-breaks. During our visit we were informed that three-courses meals are available at the student cafeterias for a little over $US1.00.
IV. The Local Organizing Committee
The Site Visit Committee was impressed by the strong interest of Professor Yufen Zhao in hosting our triennial meeting, as well as her organizational and fund-raising abilities. Over one hundred people (including senior scientists and professors, staff members and graduate and undergraduate students) will assist her in organizing the ISSOL'05 Meeting. Thanks to a very careful scheduling of our trip, Professor Zhao was able to coordinate our visit with the 223th Xiangshan Conference, which is part of a prestigious scientific meetings roughly equivalent to the Gordon Conferences, and which was devoted to the "Origin of Life and the Life in the Universe", and which took place at the Xiangshan Hotel (Beijing, China). During this meeting we were able to meet and befriend a large number of Chinese scientists from different fields (geology, planetology, astronomy, biochemistry, microbiology, chemistry and molecular biology), some of which have a direct connection with the academic goals of ISSOL and its members and which are part of the LOC.
V. Advice to ISSOL participants.
The Site Visit committee recommends that ISSOL participants consider the following when making the travel plans.
1. Visas. We recommend that all ISSOL members interested in attending the Beijing Meeting and their accompanying persons contact the LOC well ahead of time in order to obtain the letters of invitation required for visas, and to report to the EC any possible delay in order for us to assist them.
2. The cost of travel to China is quite high, if not booked relatively long time in advance. In order to assure that all qualified scientists, and especially students and young researchers, can participate in the Beijing ISSOL'05, we plan to develop a special fund-raising campaign among all ISSOL full members.
3. The availability of internet and e-mail connections with sites outside China is essential for all ISSOL'05 participants. With the help of our Chinese colleagues, we will make every effort to guarantee that the Beijing ISSOL'05 LOC will provide free access to computers with e-mail connections at the venue of the meeting.
VI. Conclusions
The members of the Site Visit Committee feel that the strong commitment that Professor Zhao and her associates have with ISSOL´05 will result in a very successful meeting. In addition to the scientific results and achievements that can be expected to be presented, we are convinced that one of its most important outcomes will be the integration into our community of a significant number of Chinese scientists from different fields, who can be expected to learn, teach, and orient their research into areas which are vital for our understanding of the origins of life. The Beijing ISSOL'05 Meeting can thus become a landmark not only for the development of our society, but also for the Chinese scientific community as well. As far as the Site Visit Committee is concerned, we feel that our visit to Beijing has confirmed the significance of holding ISSOL'05 in China, and that our acquaintance with our Chinese colleagues has allowed us to develop new, long-lasting academic ties and friendships.
Additional information can be found at the ISSOL'05 web site.
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