“第69届北美古脊椎动物学会暨第57届古脊椎动物与比较解剖学会年会”将于2009年9月23日-26日在英国布里斯托尔召开
2009年是“达尔文年”，既是达尔文的200年诞辰，也是他的划时代巨作《物种起源》发表150周年。该书不仅完全改变了人类对生命及人类本身的认知，也直接引发了一场科学大革命、奠定了生命科学的基础。
因应“达尔文年”，创立于1940年、会员达2300多人的北美古脊椎动物学会在其历史上首次把年会举办地移到北美以外、达尔文的故乡-英国。
这次会议不仅是一次专业人士的学术盛会，届时将有大量的学术报告和研讨会介绍生命演化研究的最新进展，而且也是生命科学爱好者、相关科普学者及媒体人的一场“盛宴”，将有大量有关进化理论探索、关键人物的台前幕后故事展示，和参观不列颠各主要生命演化历史“圣地”等活动。
本年会仅是英国 “达尔文年”各项活动之一，其他各纪念活动将贯穿2009全年。这种前所未有的纪念方式直接反映了达尔文在人类历史上的地位，因为迄今也只有牛顿和爱因斯坦可与之比肩。
会议举办地-布里斯托尔市也是英国BBC自然历史频道制作部的所在地，BBC资深媒体人、博物学家David Attenborough届时也将推出特别演讲。矜持、文化氛围浓郁的布里斯托尔位于英国西南部，具国际机场，有多条航线直达；距英国首都伦敦两个小时的车程。有关会议及相关详情参见会议网页：http://www.vertpaleo.org/meetings/index.cfm
9月见！布里斯托尔欢迎您！
2009年北美古脊椎动物学会年会组委会
69TH MEETING OF THE SOCIETY OF VERTEBRATE PALEONTOLOGY, AND 57TH MEETING OF THE SOCIETY OF VERTEBRATE PALAEONTOLOGY AND COMPARATIVE ANATOMY
September 23-26, 2009, Bristol
The Palaeobiology and Biodiversity Research Group at the University of Bristol is proud to host the 69th Annual Meeting of the Society of Vertebrate Paleontology. This will be a momentous occasion for the Society, the first time it has held its annual meeting outside North America.
We send this notice to encourage all colleagues throughout the world, and especially from Europe, to attend. This is a wonderful chance to meet hundreds of our colleagues from North America and to show them the best of what Europe has to offer. It is also a splendid opportunity for younger colleagues to meet leading figures and discuss opportunities for graduate study or for postdocs.
We will offer a number of special events to reflect the history of Bristol and England. There will be special events in honour of the centenary of the University of Bristol, the early study of Mesozoic reptiles (Anning, Buckland, Mantell, Owen), and of course Darwin. 2009 is Darwin year (the 200th anniversary of his birth, and 150th anniversary of the publication of On the origin of species). The meeting will provide an opportunity to explore the history of evolutionary thought, and modern responses to Darwin – we plan special lectures, workshops, and visits to Darwin locations across England. Finally, as Bristol is home to the BBC Natural History Unit, we will offer an extensive programme on media, education, and engagement in vertebrate palaeontology, including a special lecture by Sir David Attenborough.
Bristol is located in southwest England, less than 2 hours by train, from London. You can fly direct to Bristol from many centres in Europe, using Air France, Brussels Airlines, Easyjet, KLM, Lufthansa, or Ryanair. Heathrow is 2 hours away by direct coach connection to a station close to the University. Train services also connect Bristol with London and other cities in the UK.
We send a special invitation to all European vertebrate palaeontologists to consider attending the meeting. Membership to SVP is not required to attend this special meeting. Further details, including booking details may be found at: http://www.vertpaleo.org/meetings/index.cfm
See you in September!
Sincerely,
2009 SVP Host Committee
