Dear Colleagues:
The contracts have been signed for the joint meeting of the International Endotoxin and Innate Immunity Society/Society of Leukocyte Biology to be held in Vancouver, Canada on October 7-9, 2010. The last joint meeting of the two societies in San Antonio, in 2006 was an outstanding success. For this meeting, both the meeting site and city, Vancouver, are spectacular. The meeting will be at the Fairmont Hotel, Vancouver which is in the center of the city.
The meeting rooms will be large and comfortable, and adjacent to each other, to minimize the time that it may take to go between rooms. There will also be generous space for informal meetings, coffee breaks and particularly for the poster sessions. Steven Opal is chairing the Program Committee consisting of Roman Jerala (Chemistry), Sanna Goyert (Pathology), Holger Heine (Immunology) and Russell Bishop (Microbiology). We recently solicited the membership for their suggestions on what they would like to see in the program. The theme of the meeting is, “The Three R’s of Immunity: Recognition, Response, Resolution”. Accordingly, plenary sessions will focus on those three areas. As in the past, there will be concurrent symposia to accommodate the many interests of the attendees. Many of you responded to our request for feedback from the
Edinburgh meeting and we will be attentive to improving on those activities that worked, and try to minimize those aspects of the last meeting that were not as successful. We have not settled on the site for our social event. There will be a mixer at a local pub for graduate students and post-docs (and for senior members who want to re-live those wonderful days!)
The
Fairmont has offered a bloc of rooms at excellent rates. I would encourage attendees to make their reservations early. Graduate students and post-doctoral fellows may find that sharing rooms with colleagues will afford an excellent value and be right in the hub of the activities.
Vancouver is an exciting city situated on the water with imposing mountains just a 15 minute ride from center city. Stanley Park is within walking distance from the hotel, as are the waterfront, Granville Island outdoor market, trendy Yaletown and the Gastown District with its pub scene. The weather at the time of the meeting is sunny, mild and less likely to rain. The Vancouver Convention Bureau will be posting informational material on our website in which they will detail the various sightseeing opportunities for spouses and/or significant others and will be available during the meeting. Many attendees may want to take advantage of the wonderful opportunity to visit the environs as well, including the Okanagan Valley during the wine harvest and the Rocky Mountains. Whistler, a short train ride away and site of the 2010 Winter Olympics, has the steepest rise from sea level of any ski area, and the capital city of Victoria on Vanouver Island is not to be missed.
For those who have yet to pay their dues, I would remind you that to be eligible for travel fellowships to be offered, you must be a member in good standing.
Please visit this website for updates and feel free to contact me at any point for questions or comments (
across@medicine.umaryland.edu
), and I encourage you to make suggestions to the Program Committee in the coming months.
Warm regards,
Alan Cross, President, IEIIS