Special: 14th European Microscopy Congress

Dear Colleagues,

may we cordially invite you to participate in the 14th European Microscopy Congress which will be held at Aachen from September 1–5, 2008. Jointly organised by the European Microscopy Society (EMS), the German Society for Electron Microscopy (DGE) and the local microscopists from RWTH Aachen University and the Research Centre Jülich, the congress will bring together scientists from Europe and from all over the world. The venue of the meeting will be the Eurogress Centre at Aachen, a world class congress centre which is just a short walk away from the beautiful historic city centre of Aachen.

The scientific programme committee has put together an exciting programme which covers all recent developments in the three major areas of instrumentation and methods, materials science and life science. Plenary and invited lectures will give overviews on exciting new developments and state-of-the-art research in the field and will be delivered by the world leading experts. However, the success of a scientific meeting vitally depends on the number and the quality of the contributed papers and we sincerely hope that you will support this with your contributions. Special emphasis will be placed on the importance of the poster sessions and hence considerable time will be reserved for the presentation and discussion of the posters.

As in the past, EMC 2008 will host a major trade exhibition, which will bring together manufacturers of all different kinds of microscopy techniques, as well as suppliers of accessories and consumables, preparation tools, image analysis systems, and all important publishers in the field. The manufacturers will introduce their latest developments and highlight new potential applications in technical lectures which will address a general audience. In the Eurogress Centre, the commercial exhibition will form an integral part of the Congress and will contribute to the fact that EMC 2008 will be an all-embracing source of information for anybody who is interested in microscopy.

However, Aachen is more than just a very nice venue for a conference: located close to the borders of Belgium and the Netherlands, Aachen unites tradition with progress. Charlemagne has left his mark throughout the city. The cathedral – the first monument in Germany to be included in the UNESCO Cultural Heritage list – and the gothic City Hall in which 32 German kings celebrated their coronations still form the heart of Aachen’s old city centre. Aachen is an attractive city with a distinct flair and atmosphere of its own. The unique layout of the old city centre, the important historic monuments, the wells and baths over the hottest natural springs in Europe, the bustling activity in the streets and squares, the cultural diversity and quality as well as the many recreational and leisure activities make Aachen an exciting and rewarding place to stay. We would like to treat you like a king – not only at the Congress Banquet which will be held in the Coronation Hall of our gothic City Hall.

We are looking forward to welcoming you in Aachen and to sharing with you an exciting congress and a memorable week in one of the most beautiful towns in Germany.

Yours sincerely
Joachim Mayer

Important Dates

December 1, 2007: Abstract submission and registration open
March 15, 2008: Deadline abstract submission
June 30, 2008: Deadline early registration
July 31, 2008: Hotel reservation deadline
September 1 - 5, 2008: Dates of the Congress

Congress Venue

With 18 lecture halls ranging in size from 50–1000 people and with up to 2000 m2 of exhibition space, Eurogress Aachen will be an ideal venue to host the Congress. All rooms are fully air conditioned and equipped with modern AV equipment.

Transportation

Aachen can easily be reached by train from within Germany, Belgium and the Netherlands. Frequent train connections also exist to the major airports of Düsseldorf, Cologne, Frankfurt and Brussels.

Accommodation

A broad range of hotels, from cheap to luxury, is available at Aachen and can be booked via the conference website. Special arrangements for student accommodation will also be made.