Dear colleague, We are pleased to send you the third and last announcement of the conference "Planetary nebulae as astronomical tools". Please check the new programme (to be downloaded from http://wydra.ncac.torun.pl/~pngdansk/PNaat?slcn=programme). Small changes have occured since the second announcement. In particular, check whether you have been assigned an oral or a poster presentation and follow the recommendations given in the 3rd announcement. We look forward to meeting you in Gdansk, and wish you a nice trip, Grazyna Stasinska and Ryszard Szczerba ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- THIRD AND LAST ANNOUNCEMENT International conference on PLANETARY NEBULAE AS ASTRONOMICAL TOOLS GDANSK (Poland) from Tuesday 28 June morning to Saturday 2 July evening 2005 ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- * CONTACT e-mail: pngdansk@ncac.torun.pl http://www.ncac.torun.pl/~pngdansk/ * IMPORTANT DATES: Registration, oureach events and welcome 27 June 2005 Conference 28 June - 2 July, 2005 Deadline for sending contribution to proceedings 1 September, 2005 * CONFERENCE PROGRAMME The programme can be downloaded from http://wydra.ncac.torun.pl/~pngdansk/PNaat?slcn=programme * ORAL PRESENTATIONS - format of reviews: 35 min + 5 min for questions. - format of contributed oral presentations: 15 min + 5 min for questions. - format of the discussions: 20 min introduction + 40 min discussion In order to reduce overheads between presentations, we recommend that authors of electronic presentations download their files on the conference laptops and check that they run correctly. This should be done before the first session of the day. Available conference laptops: one PC under windows one PC under Linux one Macintosh under Mac OS X available formats: Power-Point (Windows, Mac OS X), Open Office (Linux) and PDF (all systems) * POSTERS Posters will be on display during the entire conference. The maximum size of the posters is 1 m wide and 1.40 m high. Authors of posters can advertise their contribution orally with one (and only one) transparency or one powerpoint or pdf page (two minutes maximum) immediately before the poster session to which they belong. Authors of posters are kindly asked to stay beside their poster during the corresponding poster session, in order to facilitate exchanges of views. Authors of posters are encouraged to download their entire poster files in pdf format on the conference laptops so that they may be posted on the conference website and appear on the conference cd-rom. * CONFERENCE CD-ROM We plan to issue a cd-rom with the electronic presentations and the posters, to be distributed to all the conference participants as soon as possible after the conference. We also plan to post this material on the conference website. Those authors who do not wish their presentation to appear on the web and/or in the cd-rom are kindly required to inform the LOC. * PROCEEDINGS The conference proceedings will be published in AIP Conference Proceedings. Practical details will be given at the conference. * REGISTRATION - Monday June 27, 15:00 - 18:30 at the Musician's House - For those arriving after June 27, registration will be possible near the Conference Hall at the Gdansk Academy of Music * REGISTRATION FEES AND PAYMENT For those who have not paid their registration fees by May 28, the fees are of 1000 PLN (about 240 EUR or 300 USD) They must be paid in Polish zlotys (PLN) at the registration desk. Fees for accompanying persons are 300 PLN for adults and cover lunches and all the social events. There is no fee for accompanying children. * CONFERENCE LOCATION The conference will take place in the buildings of the Gdansk Academy of Music (http://www.amuz.gda.pl/pds_pl.php?site=budynki&a=7), close to the town center, on Street Lakowa 1/2. The sessions will take place in the Concert Hall. Posters will be on display in an adjacent building where coffee will be served during breaks. Lunches will be served in the Restaurant of the Musician's House. * TELEPHONE, AND FAX CONNECTION DURING THE CONFERENCE Tel: (+48 56) 326 06 00 FAX: (+48 56) 326 06 01 Please ask your correspondent to clearly specify that you are at the "planetary nebula conference". * E-MAIL CONNECTION DURING THE CONFERENCE During the conference a limited number of computers with internet access will be available for participants near the conference hall. Participants will also have the possibility to use their laptops with either a wireless network card or ethernet card. In addition, in the Musician's House participants will be allowed to connect to the internet via ethernet card only. After 4 P.M on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday and all the time during the remaining days. * HOTEL RESERVATION Participants are expected to make their own reservations. (see second announcement for details) * MAP OF GDANSK A map of Gdansk with the location of the Musician's House and Hotel Krolewski can be downloaded from http://wydra.ncac.torun.pl/~pngdansk/PNaat?slcn=lodging * PASSPORT AND VISA Nationals from countries of the European Community only need a valid document certifying their identity and citizenship. We strongly recommend nationals from countries not belonging to the European Community to check with the Polish embassies (http://www.goabroad.com/embassy/embassy.cfm?embassy=abroad&countryID=70) on the passport and visa requirements to enter in Poland If you need a letter of invitation to obtain a visa, please contact Barbara Gertner (basia@ncac.torun.pl) * HEALTH RELATED ISSUES Please make sure that you have a valid health insurance for Poland. * PLANE RESERVATIONS By now you should have made your plane reservations. If not, please do so as soon as possible. Some useful information are given at the conference website. * VOLTAGE and PLUGS 220 Volt, 50 Hz, european plugs. * WEATHER IN GDANSK You may consult 5-day weather forcast at http://www.bbc.co.uk/weather/5day.shtml?world=4311&links * MONEY EXCHANGE AND CREDIT CARDS Do not change too much money at the airport as exchange rates are rather bad there. In the old City of Gdansk there are many exchange offices called "KANTOR" where better rates are offered. There are also many credit-card machines in town. All major credit cards are accepted in Gdansk shops. * TAKING THE TRAIN FROM WARSAW TO GDANSK If you decide to take train from Warsaw to Gdansk then we suggest to buy the train ticket at the airport in the ORBIS TRAVEL office located just on the right when exiting the arrival hall. The train ticket must be to GDANSK GLOWNY (Gdansk Main Station). You can pay by credit card. (about 100 PLN) Then you can take a taxi to the Warsaw Central Railway station (Warszawa Centralna). There are 3 taxi companies at the Warsaw airport just after the exit on the left. Do not accept offers from private taxi drivers at the airport. The cost to the train station is about 30 - 40 PLN (50% more on Sunday). The taxi ride should take about 20 minutes. * IN GDANSK, GETTING TO THE HOTELS AND CONFERENCE LOCATION From the Gdansk Glowny railway station, take a taxi bearing the number 91-92 or 96-26 from the taxi stop on the left after exiting the station. Cost to the Gdansk Academy of Music (on Street Lakowa 1/2) is about 20 PLN. From the Gdansk airport, take a taxi from the "Taxi PLUS" company, in front of the exit of the terminal. Cost to the City is about 30 PLN (50% more on Sunday). * TELEPHONE phone cards (KARTA TELEFONICZNA) can be bought in kiosks, for example at the airport. local calls - from public phones just dial the number - from non-Polish mobile phones dial (+48) (city code number - e.g. Gdansk is 58) and then the number From other ciies in Poland to Gdansk - from public phone 0-58 - number - from non-Polish mobile phones as above To Polish mobile phones - from public phones dial 0 - Polish mobile phone - from non-Polish phone to Polish mobile phone (+48) - Polish mobile phone * CAR RENTAL During the conference, there is no need to have a car. However, if you consider extending yur stay and renting a car, it is preferable to do this with well-known international companies present at the airports. * PREPARE YOUR TRIP TO POLAND Interesting information about Poland (history, geagraphy, tourism) can be found at http://www.poland.gov.pl. More specific information about Gdansk and surroundings can be faund at http://guide.trojmiasto.pl/, http://www.gdansk.pl/en/, http://www.gdansk.pl/en/article.php?category=454&article=993&history= * POLISH YOUR POLISH two sites with polish survival phrases http://www.learn-polish-language-software.com/phrases/FSPolish.htm http://www.travlang.com/languages/cgi-bin/langchoice.cgi?lang1=english&lang2=polish&page=main * OUTREACH EVENTS - An art contest "Planetary Nebulae, Flowers of Cosmic Fields" is organized for school children of the Gdansk region. The works will be exposed at the conference site during the entire conference. - Monday 27 June at 16:00 prize ceremony (in Polish) including a few short astronomical movies at the Gdansk Academy of Music, followed by a small snack. Astronomers are welcome to join. - Monday 27 June at 17:30 open public lecture on planetary nebulae (in Polish) in the conference room of the Academy of Music. Polish accompanying persons are welcome. * SOCIAL EVENTS DURING THE CONFERENCE - Monday 27 June at 19:00 welcome cocktail in Artus Palace, in Gdansk old town - Tuesday 28 June at 20:00 barbecue at the Gdansk Academy of Music - Wednesday 29 June at 20:00 classical concert in the Gdansk Academy of Music - Thursday 30 June at 15:00 guided walking tour in old Gdansk - Thursday 30 June at 18:30 visit of the cathedral in Oliwa - Thursday 30 June at 20:00 conference dinner in the Harnas tavern in Sopot - Saturday 2 July, around 18:00 farewell drinks and Cashubian folk music ______________________________________________________________________________ Conference on Planetary Nebulae as Astronomical Tools Gdansk (Poland) 28 June-2 July 2005 mail: pngdansk@ncac.torun.pl http://www.ncac.torun.pl/~pngdansk