Paleonet: NAPC 2009 Abstract Deadline, Third Circular, and a Movie!

[KATHERINE V. BULINSKI]

Dear Fellow Paleontologists:

Happy New Year!  Now that 2009 is upon us, it is time for all of you to turn your attention to the Ninth North American Paleontological Convention (NAPC 2009), which will take place June 21-26 at the University of Cincinnati. 

A third circular for the meeting is available at the NAPC 2009 website, http://www.napc2009.org/   In addition, we have prepared a brief (and distinctly amateur...) movie that provides an overview of the venue for the meeting.  We have now embedded the movie at the website, but, if you encounter any difficulties, it can also be viewed at:
  
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_G_bxOhtw8s

As we noted in an earlier communication, abstract submission is now underway.  Abstracts should  be submitted electronically at the NAPC 2009 website. Deadline for submission is February 12, 2009 (NOT a coincidence......). 

Please note:

- In the spirit of the recent holiday season, we ask you to please e-mail your abstract early!  Unless you have an abiding faith in our little server to handle a last-minute crunch, don't wait until 11:59 pm on Feb. 12 to submit your abstract!!

- There is no fee for submission of an abstract.

- You have the option of presenting a talk or a poster.

- Unless you are presenting a plenary talk, you are limited to one talk at the meeting (plenary speakers may submit an abstract for a second talk). You are permitted to submit a second abstract for a poster presentation.

- All talks at the meeting, except for plenary-session presentations, will be fifteen minutes in duration.- On the webpage for abstract submission, invitees for plenary sessions and symposia will be asked to indicate their session code from a pull-down list (see the instruction page at the website for a list of sessions and their codes). In addition, you will have the opportunity to categorize the general subject area of your presentation with two additional pull-down lists; your choices will help the organizers to assemble topical sessions for the meeting and to assign some presentations to open slots in symposia.

- Although a large number of symposia have been assembled, we STRONGLY encourage submissions as well for topical sessions.  At past meetings, topical sessions have proven to be focal points for some of the most provocative, cutting-edge  presentations.

- Presenters are limited to three additional co-authors on an abstract.  Information about each co-author can be entered in text boxes at the bottom of the abstract-submission page.

- If you have any questions or problems with abstract submission, please feel free to contact Arnie Miller  (arnold.miller at uc.edu) chair of the NAPC organizing committee.

We look forward to seeing you in Cincinnati next June! Please check back regularly at the website for meeting updates.  In advance of the start of pre-registration in March, we will post a fourth circular that provides additional details about logistical arrangements for all aspects of the meeting. 

All the best,

The NAPC 2009 organizing committee