►► 1st Circular
►► 2nd Circular
►► 3rd Circular
►► 4th Circular
►► 5th Circular
►► 6th Circular
►► 7th Circular
►► 8th Circular
Eigth Circular
Dear Friends and Colleagues,
The last bureaucratic obstacles — compulsory invitation to tender — for the publishing of the Proceedings of the 3rd IOTM have been solved. The chosen publishing house, EN TIPIS Publications in Nicosia, has experience in scientific and art publications.
However, to keep all deadlines we need to receive all manuscripts as soon as possible. The present deadline for submissions will expire in two days. Certainly, we can tolerate a small delay, but only a small one since the financial grant given to us by the Cypriot Ministry of Agriculture and Environment should be spent during this year. Otherwise, we will loose it. Also, it would be nice to see the freshly published Proceedings around the New Year.
Therefore, we are asking everyone who did not submit the manuscript yet to do so as soon as possible.
You can find the instructions for authors on our web site under Proceedings/Instructions
Thank you for your understanding and cooperation.
With all our very best wishes,
Patricia and Tomas
Seventh Circular
Dear Friends,
Quite a long time has now passed since we were together in Cyprus, discussing seriously about earthworms, but also enjoying the Cypriot environment. We hope that you will love to recall some nice moments by looking at the Photo Album on the web site if the 3rd IOTM. Should you have some more pictures that you would like to be in the Photo Album, please do send them to me.
We are now in contact with a publisher in Cyprus and hope to be able to give you all the details about the publication of the Proceedings in a few days.
We are also preparing the 4th IOTM and looking for a suitable place in South of France or Sardinia. We plan to organize the 4th IOTM in Spring 2009, but we would nevertheless like to pass over to you the proposal made by Sam James and ask for your opinion about it:
"I would like to suggest that IOTM4 be held just before and at least one day overlapping with ISEE9, and in alternate years thereafter (2012, 2014, etc.). An alternative is to have the IOTM every three years, starting with 2010, then 2013, 2016, .... Under the current system we have three years in a row of worm meetings, followed by a one year rest, and then three in a row again. I have discussed these ideas with several colleagues and they are generally in agreement that the present schedule is too much. In the years in which we coincide with ISEE, there could be a two day pre-ISEE meeting with taxonomic papers only, then a one day session with ISEE, with the topic of the usual opening session of ISEE- biodiversity, systematics, biogeography. In this joint ISEE-IOTM session the organizers could place the highest quality papers and/or those of greatest general interest. We have the opportunity for more exposure, because non-IOTM people could come early for little additional cost, and see the other presentations. Posters could remain in place for several days for the larger audience."
Personnally, we think that the separation ISEE/IOTM should be maintained because of the different interests of the delegates and the difficulty for certain persons to attend one or the other conference (date, location, etc.). It will be also very difficult for us to organize for example the IOTM part at a conference in China. The suggestion to organize the 4th IOTM in three years from now on is good, but then the 4th IOTM and the ISEE9 will be in the same year. We propose therefore to organize the next IOTM in 2009, as agreed upon in Cyprus, and to have the 5th IOTM three years later.
We were more than happy to be with all of you in Cyprus. These were moments of intense work, but also of great pleasure. We are ready for the next IOTM ! And do hope that more delegates will be able to join us next time.
All the very best
Patricia and Tomas
P.S.- If you like looking at pictures, have a little journey to Voyages...Visages (http://www.patricia-cardet.net/). And if you like it, I would be thankful for your comments in the Guest Book.
Sixth Circular
Dear Friends and Colleagues,
Only a few days left and you will be in Cyprus !
We do hope that you will enjoy a sunny and warm weather on that beautiful island. Don't forget however that Platres in situated in the mountains, which means it can be sometimes chilly. If you trust meteorological services, you can click on this link to get more information.
You will find more travel information and links on our web site at the page Travel. We recommend also to read some of the books we listed on the page Beautiful books, especially the books by Lawrence Durrell and Colin Thubron, to understand and appreciate better the Cypriot life.
Here are some more instructions, recommendations, requests...... which some of you already answered partly or completely.
Arrivals
Please check in the attached schedule if your arrival time is correct. This is also the list that the taxi driver, Mr Pantelis, will get from us. On this list, we have grouped (same colour) the persons who agreed to share a taxi.
If your flight should be delayed, please inform us immediately.
Please give us, if possible, your mobile phone number.
Mr Pantelis or one of his colleagues will wait for you with a poster marked "3rd IOTM".
Don't forget that driving is on the left in Cyprus ! So, be careful when you cross a street.
Visas
We do hope that all delegates who needed a visa for entering Cyprus could obtain it in time.
Diet
If you have any request regarding food/diet, please let us know immediately, so that we can inform the hotel.
Lectures
Please bring the file of your lecture on a CD or a USB-key (disk-on-key), but not on a diskette, or send it in advance per e-mail, ftp or Skype.
Proceedings
We are expecting an answer for the publishing of the Proceeding in the next days. The best would be if your full-fledged manuscript could reach us at the conference in Cyprus. You can find the Instructions for Authors on this page of our website.
And now, we wish you all : KALO TAXIDI ! BON VOYAGE !
Patricia and Tomas
Fifth Circular
Dear Friends and Colleagues,
Your are probably very busy now with the preparation of your trip to Cyprus. We are also - trying to organize your stay in Platres the best way possible. But for this, we, as well as the Pendeli hotel, need all information concerning your participation in the meeting quite well in advance. Among others, we have to give the hotel a rooming list as soon as possible, we have to organize the transfers from and to the airport, the bus for the excursions, to prepare the Book of Abstracts, the Proceedings, the detailed programme and a multitude of others details. The web site has also to be updated accordingly.
Some of the delegates sent us already all the necessary data and paid the registration fee - THANK YOU VERY MUCH ! - but some did not yet.
Here is what we need for the moment:
- The payment of the registration fee (if possible in Cyprus pounds to avoid conversion fees in Cyprus)
- Your arrival and departure times with the number of the flights
- If you require extra nights at the Pendeli hotel, please let us know so that we can make the reservation for you. These extra nights as well as extra meals can be paid in advance or in Platres.
- If you require a special diet, please inform us.
- If you already know if you want to participate in the excursion on Friday, April 6th, please tell us.
- Your abstract(s), for oral presentations as well as for posters.
- Your mobile phone number (optional, but advisable).
Besides we would be very grateful if you could send us the file with your PowerPoint (Windows XP compatible) presentation about one week before the conference (by e-mail, Skype or gmail/gspace - addresses will be provided). Please bring also your presentation on a CD or a USB key to Platres. Other requirements for the presentations (e.g. overhead projector) should be discussed in advance.
In our next Circular Letter we will give you the layout details for the posters and the manuscripts for the Proceedings.
!!! Please consider that the 3rd IOTM will take place around the Easter (catholic and orthodox) holidays. We already heard from Cyprus Airways and from some delegates that some flights are completely booked up. !!!
Have our best wishes
Patricia and Tomas
Fourth Circular
Dear Friends and Colleagues,
We would like to remind you that the end of Early Bird discount period and the deadline for the submission of abstracts are December 31, 2006/January 1st 2007. You can see all the details in the text of the Third circular letter that you will find below.
We are happy to announce you that the Vouni Panayia Winery will also sponsor our meeting. Good wine in prospect!
We wish you all a very good 2007. Sure you are already longing to be on the Aphrodite's island and hope to find there the rarest, longest, most beautiful earthworm of the world!
Tomas and Patricia
Third Circular
Dear Friends and Colleagues,
The date of the opening of the 3rd IOM draws nearer and things becomes more and more concrete.
We would like to remind you that if you would like to take advantage of the Early Bird discounts on the registration fee, the payment of the registration fee should be made before December 31, 2006. You will find all details regarding payment on this page of our website.
Please give us as soon as possible all the details regarding your arrival and departure time (with flight numbers) in/from Cyprus so that we can arrange the transport from/to the airport. Let us know also please if you need a special diet.
Check also with the representative of the Republic of Cyprus in your country about the visa conditions. You should also be informed that we cannot influence the decisions of the Cypriot Authorities as regards the granting or rejecting of a visa.
May we remind you also that the deadline for the submission of abstracts is January 1st, 2007. Please use the form on that page of the website.
With all the very best wishes,
Dr Tomas Pavlicek
Convenor of the 3rd IOTM
Second Circular
Dear Colleagues,
Since our first circular, the preparation of the 3rd IOTM made quite a big progress - in the number of participants, in the subjects proposed for the communications and in the development of our web site. We are of course very happy to see that the participants will come from so many parts of the world.
Now, things have become more concrete and we have to ask you also to take some concrete steps, so that we can materialize some necessary organisational measures before the conference.
- We would like you to register with the submission form you will find on this page. Some of you have already done it.
- Please fill up also the subsmission form for your abstract. You will find it here. We remind you that the deadline for submission of abstracts is January 1, 2007. However an earlier submission of abstracts is welcome.
- We encourage you to pay the submission fee before December 31, 2006 to take advantage of the reduced Early Bird fee. All details about payment are to be found here.
We are pleased to inform you that Cyprus Airways will support our Meeting. Their terms are the following:
A) 10% discount by Cyprus Airways on all published applicable fares for the participants and visitors of the event. The discount will be applicable only on the fare and not on any airport/security and any other applicable taxes/surcharges which must be paid in full at the time of issuance of the tickets.
The transportation of the passengers is subject to seat availability on Cyprus Airways direct flights and aircrafts at the time of firm reservation.
The reservations/issuance and payments of tickets must be made directly to the Cyprus Airways Offices, presenting the Registration Receipt of the participation to the event.
B) Cyprus Airways shall also offer two (2) complimentary Economy Class tickets, valid on CY direct flights operated by CY aircraft for the transportation of organising committee members or for the guest participants who shall be invited to participate in the conference. The free tickets do not include taxes and/or any other applicable taxes/surcharges which must be paid at the time of issuance. The free tickets must be booked in booking class "W" subject to seat availability at the time of firm reservation.
As regards point B of this offer, the Organizing Committee will decide to whom to issue these complementary tickets, according to the needs. The decison should be taken at the beginning of 2007.
You may visit Cyprus Airways web site to obtain the contact addresses and telephone numbers of the respective Cyprus Airways Offices, as well as the destinations of Cyprus Airways.
Perhaps there are some points which our letter or our web site did not make clear. If so please let us know.
Surely, you are already longing to be in Cyprus and .... to speak profusely about earthworms.
Cordially yours,
Dr Tomáš Pavlíček
Convenor of the 3rd IOTM
First Circular
Dear Colleagues,
I am very happy to announce the first details of the Third International Oligochaete Taxonomy Meeting (3rd IOTM). It is my pleasure to inform you that the 3rd IOTM will be held in the Republic of Cyprus (abbreviated « Cyprus » in the following text) under the auspices of the Ministry of Agriculture, Natural Resources and Environment, Nicosia, Cyprus.
The 3rd IOTM will be held at the Hotel Pendeli in Platres
from Monday, April 2 to Friday, April 6, 2007.
Registration will take place from the afternoon of April 1, 2007. The hotel is able to provide excellent conference facilities as well as accommodation. The conference fee, set between 300-350 Euro, includes the accommodation, the conference itself, daily meals, mid-conference excursion, book of abstracts, and proceedings. A post-conference earthworm collection trip is also planned (costs separated). More detailed information regarding payment will follow in the second circular.
Applicants should initially register their interest in attending the 3rd IOTM by filling in and returning the enclosed application form by September 30, 2006, preferably earlier. Applicants are then required to submit an abstract of their proposed paper or panel by January 1, 2007. Further information about the regulations concerning the submission of abstracts will be published on the website of the 3rd IOTM. The website will be regularly updated.
As the number of participants is limited to 40, selection will be carried out by the organising and scientific committees based on the quality of the abstracts received. In addition to the participants, a number of student observers will be permitted to attend presentations.
Should you have any queries, please do not hesitate to contact me. I look forward to hearing from you.
Dr Tomáš Pavlíček
Convenor of the 3rd IOTM
