ISPB: 2008 Meeting

The International Society for Plasmid Biology and other Mobile Genetic Elements (ISPB) is pleased to announce the next International Plasmid Biology Conference (Plasmid Biology 2008) which will be held from August 30th to September 5th 2008 in Gdansk, Poland. The conference will cover all areas representing plasmids and other mobile genetic elements such as replication, partition/stability, transfer, evolution, ecology, genomics, systems biology, medical and veterinary aspects, applied aspects, and bioinformatics. The conference will consist of oral presentations, poster sessions and informal discussions. It will include both invited speakers as well as speakers selected from submitted abstracts.

Prizes

The Brian Wilkins Prize for early career scientists (see http://www.ispb.org/Prizes/ for details) will be awarded at the Plasmid Biology 2008. Candidates must be planning to attend PB2008 - there is no specific help with travel and registration costs. Short-listed candidates will be expected to deliver a short talk on their work. The Prize is $1,000 to be spent in whatever way best supports their career development. The Rules and Application Procedure can be found at http://www.ispb.org/Prizes/Rules.htm.

News: The deadline for receipt of nominations for the Brian Wilkins Prize has been extended to 20^th May 2008, to coincide with the registration deadline for this conference.

Location

The historical city of Gdansk is located on the Baltic coast and is part of the Tri-City region that also includes Sopot and Gdynia. Besides beautiful sandy beaches, Gdansk also offers the wonderful Old Town with its impressive St. Mary's Church, the Oliwa Cathedral (surrounded by a beautiful park), and the Westerplatte peninsula (where the first shots of the World War II were fired). Another notable site is the Gdansk Shipyard from which a worker's strike in 1980 resulted in the foundation of 'Solidarity', which led to the fall of communism in this part of the world.

The International Lech Walesa Airport and several low-cost airlines offer easy and inexpensive connections to Gdansk from major European airports. Gdansk and the surrounding region is also a major scientific and educational center that includes the Gdansk Technological University, the Gdansk University, the Gdansk Medical University and the Navy School in Gdynia.

The conference will be held in the Old Town of Gdansk in a new auditorium of the Gdansk University complex. Accommodations will be provided in a hotel located within the University complex. Dinners are planned in the nearby restaurants on Dlugi Targ, the main street of Gdansk Old Town. We invite you to Plasmid Biology 2008 and look forward to an exciting conference in Gdansk!

Plasmid Biology 2008 Conference Contact Information

Local organizers:

• Prof. Igor Konieczny
  Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology
  Faculty of Biotechnology
  University of Gdansk
  ul. Kladki 24
  80-822 Gdansk
  Poland
   
• Prof. Grzegorz Wegrzyn
  Department of Molecular Biology
  Faculty of Biology
  University of Gdansk
  ul. Kladki 24
  80-822 Gdansk
  Poland
   

To contact local organizers:

• E-mail: plasmid@biotech.ug.gda.pl
• Fax: +48 58 301 9222
• Phone: +48 58 523 6365

General Information:

• Prof. Saleem A. Khan
  Secretary, International Society for Plasmid Biology
  Department of Molecular Genetics and Biochemistry
  University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine
  Room East 1240 Biomedical Science Tower
  Pittsburgh, PA 15261, USA
  E-mail: plas2008@pitt.edu
  Fax: +1 412 624 1401
  Tel: +1 412 648 9025
   

Nominations for the Brian Wilkins Memorial Prize:

• Prof. Christopher M. Thomas
  School of Biosciences
  University of Birmingham
  Edgbaston
  Birmingham B15 2TT, UK
  Email: c.m.thomas@bham.ac.uk
  Fax : +44 121 414 5925
  Tel : +44 121 414 5903