IAU XXVII GENERAL ASSEMBLY

The Scientific Program of the XXVII IAU General Assembly has been defined by IAU's Executive Committee and is available in the Future IAU Meetings WEB page. The General Assembly will have 4 Invited Discourses, 6 Symposia, 16 Joint Discussions, 10 Special Sessions, the Women in Astronomy Lunch Meeting and 2 Young Astronomers' Events.

Please, note that the home pages of the events, when the links are active through their titles, are still under construction, and may not work properly or be unavailable at certain times.

Invited Discourses

ID1 The Legacies of Galileo

ID2 Water on Planets

ID3 Evolution of Structure in the Universe

ID4 Do Low-Luminosity Stars Matter?

Symposia

S262 Stellar Populations - Planning for the Next Decade

S263 Icy Bodies of the Solar System

S264 Solar and Stellar Variability - Impact on Earth and Planets

S265 Chemical Abundances in the Universe - Connecting First Stars to Planets

S266 Star Clusters - Basic Galactic Building Blocks throughout Time and Space

S267 Co-evolution of Central Black Holes and Galaxies

Joint Discussions

JD1 Dark Matter in Early-type Galaxies

JD2 Diffuse Light in Galaxy Clusters

JD3 Neutron Stars - Timing in Extreme Environments

JD4 Progress in Understanding the Physics of Ap and Related Stars

JD5 Modelling the Milky Way in the Era of Gaia

JD6 Time and Astronomy

JD7 Astrophysical Outflows and Associated Accretion Phenomena

JD8 Hot Interstellar Matter in Elliptical Galaxies

JD9 Are the Fundamental Constants Varying with Time?

JD10 3D Views on Cool Stellar Atmospheres - Theory Meets Observation

JD11 New Advances in Helio- and Astero-Seismology

JD12 The First Galaxies - Theoretical Predictions and Observational Clues

JD13 Eta Carinae in the Context of the Most Massive Stars

JD14 FIR2009: the ISM of Galaxies in the Far-Infrared and Sub-Millimetre

JD15 Magnetic Fields in Diffuse Media

JD16 IHY Global Campaign - Whole Heliosphere Interval

Special Sessions

SpS1 IR and Sub-mm Spectroscopy - a New Tool for Studying Stellar Evolution

SpS2 The International Year of Astronomy 2009

SpS3 Astronomy in Antarctica

SpS4 Astronomy Education between Past and Future

SpS5 Accelerating the Rate of Astronomical Discovery

SpS6 Planetary Systems as Potential Sites for Life

SpS7 Young Stars, Brown Dwarfs, and Protoplanetary Disks

SpS8 The Galactic Plane - in Depth and Across the Spectrum

SpS9 Marking the 400th Anniversary of Kepler's "Astronomia Nova"

SpS10 Next Generation Large Astronomical Facilities

Women in Astronomy Lunch Meeting

There are two specific Young Astronomers Events are being planned during the IAU XXVII GA:

Young Astronomers' Lunch

Young Astronomers' Consulting Service Office

Invited Discourses

Invited Discourse 1: The Legacies of Galileo - 5 August, 2009

Speaker: Franco Pacini

Dipartimento di Astronomia,Università degli Studi di Firenze Firenze,Italy

Invited Discourse 2: Water on Planets - 6 August, 2009

Speaker: James F. Bell III

Astronomy Department,Cornell University,Ithaca,NY,USA

Invited Discourse 3: Evolution of Structure in the Universe - 10 August, 2009

Speaker: Simon D.M. White

Max-Planck-Institut für Astrophysik,Garching-bei-München, Germany

Invited Discourse 4: Do Low-Luminosity Stars Matter? - 11 August, 2009

Speaker: Maria Teresa Ruiz

Departamento de Astronomía, Universidad de Chile, Santiago de Chile, Chile

Symposia

IAU Symposium No. 262 (Coordinating Division VIII)

Stellar Populations - Planning for the Next Decade

3.5 days, from 3 to 7 August, 2009

SOC chairs: Gustavo R. Bruzual (Venezuela) and Stephane Charlot (France)

SOC members: Nobuo Arimoto (Japan), Vladimir Avila-Reese (Mexico), Beatriz Barbuy (Brasil), Jarle Brinchmann (Netherlands), Márcio Catelán (Chile), Matthew Colless (Australia), Mark Dickinson (USA), Richard S. Ellis (USA/UK), Tadayuki Kodama (Japan), Dante Miniti (Chile), Joseph I. Silk (UK), Rachel S. Somerville (Germany), Patricia B. Tissera (Argentina), and Achim Weiss (Germany).

Principal topics:

• • the physics of stellar populations

  • rotation and massive star evolution

  • binary star evolution

  • do simple stellar populations exist in nature?

  • chemical enrichment

  • how different chemical enhancement patterns change the solar populations?

  • stellar populations in the Milky Way and in local resolved galaxies.

  • is the IMF universal?

  • stellar populations in Early and Late-type galaxies

  • UV to IR. Galaxies at low and high

  • what the highest-z galaxies tell us about the early universe and the galaxy formation process?

  • large spectral surveys

  • star Formation History

  • mass assembly history

  • star formation quenching

  • role of dark matter in galaxy evolution

  • interface of AGN and galaxies

  • the next decade: what should be done

Editors: Gustavo R. Bruzual & Stephane Charlot

Contact: Gustavo R. Bruzual <bruzual@cida.ve> & Stephane Charlot <charlot@iap.fr>

IAU Symposium No. 263 (Coordinating Division III)

Icy Bodies of the Solar System

3.5 days, from 3 to 7 August, 2009

SOC chairs: Julio A. Fernandes (Uruguay), Sylvio Ferraz-Mello (Brasil), and Rita M. Schulz (Netherlands)

SOC members: M. Antonella Barucci (France), Zoran Knezevic (Serbia), Karen J. Meech (USA), Keith S. Noll (USA), Dina Prialnik-Kovetz (Israel), Hans Rickman (Sweden), Imre Toth (Hungary), Giovanni B. Valsecchi (Italy), and Jun-Ichi Watanabe (Japan)

Principal topics:

• • accretion of icy grains in the protoplanetary disk

  • the long-period comet flux and the Oort cloud population

  • transfer mechanisms of bodies from their source regions to the Sun's neighborhood and the Oort Cloud

  • how did the galactic environment shaped the early solar system?

  • where did the Earth's water come from?

  • trans-neptunian objects: physics and dynamics

  • "dwarf planets" in the transneptunian region

  • transition objects comets and asteroids

  • activation mechanisms in comets and active asteroids

  • are icy/rocky transition objects recognized in meteor showers or fireballs?

  • dissipative forces in comets and satellites

  • can icy bodies have water oceans in their interiors?

  • cryovolcanism in icy bodies

  • space missions to icy bodies

Editors: Julio A. Fernandez, Daniela Lazzaro, & Dina Prialnik-Kovetz

Contact: Julio A. Fernandez <julio@fisica.edu.uy>

IAU Symposium No. 264 (Coordinating Division II)

Solar and Stellar Variability - Impact on Earth and Planets

3.5 days, from 3 to 7 August, 2009

SOC chairs: Alexandre H. Andrei (Brasil), Alexander Kosovichev (USA), and Jean-Pierre Rozelot (France)

SOC members: Annie Baglin (France), Maria Pia Di Mauro (Italy), Julio A. Fernandez (Uruguay), Eduardo Janot Pacheco (Brasil), John D. Landstreet (Canada), Cristina H. Mandrini (Argentina), Hiroko Miyahara (Japan), Mudumba Parthasarathy (India), Ignasi Ribas (Spain), Franck Selsis (France), Jill C. Tarter (USA), Jingxiu Wang (China Nanjing), and Lev M. Zeleny (Russia)

Principal topics:

• • The most critical aspects of the solar and stellar variability and its impact on the Earth and planets, including:

    • • physical mechanisms of solar and stellar variability

      • solar diameter and irradiance measurements

      • helio- and asteroseismic inferences

      • variability of spectral irradiance and energetic particles, solar cycles and variability on century timescale

      • effects on space weather and solar system planets

      • implications for Earth's climate

      • stellar magnetic activity and cycles, brightness changes in solar-type stars, stellar surface structures

      • effects of magnetic activity on planet formation and evolution, habitable stellar systems

Editors: Alexandre H. Andrei, Alexander Kosovichev, & Jean-Pierre Rozelot

Contact: Alexander Kosovichev <sasha@sun.stanford.edu>

IAU Symposium No. 265 (Coordinating Division IV)

Chemical Abundances in the Universe - Connecting First Stars to Planets

3.5 days, from 10 to 14 August, 2009

SOC chairs: Katia Cunha (Brazil), Monique Spite (France), and Beatriz Barbuy (Brasil)

SOC members: Martin Asplund (Germany), Timothy C. Beers (USA), Michael S. Bessell (Australia), Bengt Gustafsson (Sweden), Chiaki Kobayashi (Japan), Dante Minniti (Chile), Paolo Molaro (Italy), Max Pettini (UK), Elena Terlevich (Mexico), Stanley E. Woosley (USA), and Rosemary F. Wyse (USA)

Principal topics:

• • primordial nucleosynthesis and the First Stars in the Universe

  • abundances in the First Stars in the Galaxy

  • abundances in the high-redshift Universe

  • chemical abundance constraints on mass assembly and star formation in galaxies

  • extra-solar planets - the chemical abundance connection

  • abundance surveys and projects in the era offuture large telescopes

Editors: Katia Cunha, Monique Spite, & Beatriz Barbuy

Contact: Katia Cunha <kcunha@noao.edu>

IAU Symposium No. 266 (Coordinating Division VII)

Star Clusters - Basic Galactic Building Blocks throughout Time and Space

3.5 days, from 10 to 14 August, 2009

SOC chairs: Richard de Grijs (UK) and Jacques R.D. Lépine (Brasil).

SOC members: Beatriz Barbuy (Brasil), Giovanni Carraro (Italy), Licai Deng (China Nanjing), Michael A. Dopita (Australia), Yu Gao (China Nanjing), Douglas P. Geisler (Chile), Rosa M. Gonzalez Delgado (Spain), Stephen L.W. McMillan (USA), André Moitinho (Portugal), Anas M. Osman (Egypt), Philippe Prugniel (France), Ata Sarajedini (USA), Alison I. Sills (Canada) and John Lattanzio (Australia)

Principal topics:

• • physics and modes of star cluster formation

  • massive star clusters: formation, evolution, feedback, destruction

  • star cluster systems in the context of their host galaxies

  • stellar populations: simple versus composite stellar populations

  • complementary insights from multi-wavelength coverage

  • star cluster dynamics

  • star clusters as laboratories for stellar evolution

Editors: Richard de Grijs & Jacques R.D. Lépine

Contact: Richard de Grijs <iaus266@sheffield.ac.uk>

IAU Symposium No. 267 (Coordinating Division VIII)

Co-evolution of Central Black Holes and Galaxies

3.5 days, from 10 to 14 August, 2009

SOC chair: Bradley M. Peterson (USA)

SOC members: Roberto Cid Fernandes (Brasil), Suzy Collin (France), Martin Elvis (USA), Laura Ferrarese (Canada), Timothy M. Heckman (USA), Guinevere A.M. Kauffmann (Germany), Stefanie Komossa (Germany), Paulina Lira (Chile), Alessandro Marconi (Italy), Hagai Netzer (Israel), Elaine M. Sadler (Australia), Rachel S. Somerville (USA), Thaisa Storchi-Bergmann (Brasil), Keiichi Wada (Japan), Martin Ward (UK) and Horácio Dottori (Brazil)

Principal topics:

• • the cosmological framework: the first galaxies and black holes (observations and theory)

  • multi-wavelength properties of AGN and their hosts

  • quasar & supermassive black hole demographics black hole masses, scaling relationships with host galaxies and their evolution

  • relationships between AGNs, starburst regions, and stellar populations

  • accretion and outflows

  • physics of accretion and outflows: theory

  • the interplay between radio jets and the ICM/IGM: observations and simulations

  • modes of AGN feedback to galaxy evolution: observations and theory

Editors: Bradley M. Peterson, Rachel S. Somerville, & Thaisa Storchi-Bergmann

Contact: Bradley M. Peterson <peterson@astronomy.ohio-state.edu>

Joint Discussions

Joint Discussion JD1 (Coordinating Division VIII)

Dark Matter in Early-type Galaxies

1.5 days, from 3 to 5 August, 2009

SOC chairs: Leon V.E. Koopmans (Netherlands) and Tommaso Treu (USA)

SOC members: Luca Ciotti (Italy), N. Evans (UK), Ortwin Gerhard (Germany), Dan Maoz (Israel), Priyamvada Natarajan (USA), Takaya Ohashi (Japan), and Silvia Pellegrini (Italy)

Principal topics:

• • Breakthroughs in observational and modeling techniques (lensing, dynamics and X-rays) as well as in theoretical studies, and large observational surveys:

    • • are the observational results presenting a self-consistent picture?

      • are there major problems with the standard cold matter scenario?

      • are there any viable alternatives to dark matter?

  • Assess the current status of the field and discuss future scientific goals:

    • • stellar and dark-matter density profiles

      • CDM and stellar substructure, scaling relations

      • formation mechanisms

      • cosmic evolution

      • observational/modelling techniques

      • new/ongoing surveys

Editors: Leon V.E. Koopmans & Tommaso Treu

Contact: Leon V.E. Koopmans <koopmans@astro.rug.nl>

Joint Discussion JD2 (Coordinating Division VIII)

Diffuse Light in Galaxy Clusters

1.5 days, 3 to 5 August, 2009

SOC chairs: Magda Arnaboldi (Italy) and Ortwin Gerhard (Germany)

SOC members: Christophe Adami (France), Robin Ciardullo (USA), Kenneth C. Freeman (Australia), Lucio Mayer (Switzerland), Cláudia L. Mendes de Oliveira (Brasil), Sadanori Okamura (Japan), Simon D.M. White (Germany), and Ann I. Zabludoff (USA)

Principal topics:

• • Diffuse intracluster light (ICL) has now been observed in nearby and in intermediate redshift clusters. Individual intracluster stars have been detected in the Virgo and Coma clusters and the first colour-magnitude diagram and velocity measurements have been obtained. Recent studies show that the intracluster light contains of the order of 10% and up to 30% of the mass in stars overall , but in cores of dense and rich clusters like Coma, the local ICL fraction can be as high as 40-50%:

    • • what can we learn from the ICL about the formation of galaxy clusters and the evolution of cluster galaxies?

      • how and when did the ICL form?

      • what is the connection to the central brightest cluster galaxy?

      • cosmological N-body and hydrodynamical simulations are beginning to make predictions for the kinematics and origin of the ICL

      • need to confront observational evidence and theoretical predictions

      • identify future directions for understanding the origin and implications of this new component of galaxy clusters

Editors: Magda Arnaboldi & Ortwin Gerhard

Contact: Magda Arnaboldi <marnabol@eso.org>

Joint Discussion JD3 (Coordinating Division XI)

Neutron Stars - Timing in Extreme Environments

1.5 days, from 3 to 5 August, 2009

SOC chairs: Tomaso Belloni (Italy), Mariano Méndez (Netherlands), and Chengmin Zhang (China Nanjing)

SOC members: M. Ali Alpar (Turkey), Didier Barret (France), Dipankar Bhattacharya (India), Deepto Chakrabarty (USA), Marat R. Gilfanov (Germany/Russia), Jorge Horvath (Brasil), Victoria M. Kaspi (Canada), Michiel van der Klis (Netherlands), Duncan R. Lorimer (USA), Donald B. Melrose (Australia), Dany P. Page (Mexico), Andreas Reisenegger (Chile), and Gustavo E. Romero (Argentina)

Principal topics:

• • quasi-periodic oscillations from mHz to kHz

  • X-ray bursts and superbursts

  • millisecond X-ray pulsars

  • AXP/SGR and magnetars

  • isolated neutron stars

  • very-high energy emission from neutron stars

  • gravitational waves from neutron stars

  • neutron-star equation of state and strong gravity

  • future instrumentation for timing

Editors: Tomaso Belloni, Mariano Méndez, & Chengmin Zhang

Contact: Tomaso Belloni <tomaso.belloni@brera.inaf.it>

Joint Discussion JD4 (Coordinating Division IV)

Progress in Understanding the Physics of Ap and Related Stars

1.5 days, from 3 to 5 August, 2009

SOC chair: Margarida S. Cunha (Portugal)

SOC members: Natalia Drake (Russia), Michael M. Dworetsky (UK), Oleg Kochukhov (Sweden), Friedrich Kupka (Germany), Francis Leblanc (Canada), Lyudmila I. Mashonkina (Russia), Richard Monier (France), Ernst Paunzen (Austria), Nikolai E. Piskunov (Sweden), Hiromoto Shibahashi (Japan), Barry Smalley (UK), Werner W. Weiss (Austria), and Jozef Ziznovsky (Slovakia)

Principal topics:

• • Stellar magnetic fields, atomic diffusion, convection, rotation and pulsations are keys to the general understanding of stars and their evolution. The chemically peculiar (CP) stars provide unique environments in which these physical phenomena interact. Recent observations and modeling of CP stars will provide the starting point for a multi-disciplinary exchange of ideas focused on the interpretation of the convolved effects of magnetism, pulsations, convection, rotation, and diffusion, in an evolutionary context. The discussion will be organized in three sessions:

    • • current and future ground and space-based observations of CP stars

      • atmospheric modeling and atmospheric mapping in the context of CP stars

      • understanding the CP and related phenomena in the context of stellar evolution

Editors: Margarida S. Cunha, Michael M. Dworetsky, & Barry Smalley

Contact: Margarida S. Cunha <mcunha@astro.up.pt>

Joint Discussion JD5 (Coordinating Division VII)

Modelling the Milky Way in the Era of Gaia

1.5 days, from 6 to 7 August, 2009

SOC chair: James J. Binney (UK)

SOC members: Luis A.C. Aguilar (Mexico), Herwig B. Dejonghe (Belgium), Kenneth C. Freeman (Australia), Ortwin Gerhard (Germany), Naoteru Gouda (Japan), Amina Helmi (Netherlands), Jacques R.D. Lépine (Brasil), Alice C. Quillen (USA), Annie C.R. Robin (France), and Natalia Y. Sotnikova (Russia)

Principal topics:

• • Sophisticated dynamical models will be required to extract science from the large surveys of the Milky Way that will culminate in the Gaia survey (2012- 2017). The JD will review:

    • • the kinds of data that are available to constrain such models

      • the various types of dynamical model that could be constructed

      • strategies for fitting models to the data, and

      • the nature of the computational challenge that these processes will entail

  • The aims of the JD are to clarify the work that must be accomplished, and to get the community working collaboratively towards the overall long-term goal

Editor: James J. Binney

Contact: James J. Binney <binney@thphys.ox.ac.uk>

Joint Discussion JD6 (Coordinating Division I)

Time and Astronomy

1.5 days, from 6 to 7 August, 2009

SOC chairs: Pascale Defraigne (Belgium) and Aleksander Brzezinski (Poland)

SOC members: Daniel Gambis (France), Yury P. Ilyasov (Russia), Sergei A. Klioner (Germany), Michael Kramer (UK), Richard N. Manchester (Australia), Demetrios N. Matsakis (USA), Rendong Nan (China Nanjing), and Gérard Petit (France)

Principal topics:

• • aspects of time, its use for astronomy, and the contributions from astronomy

  • Earth rotation and time: an overview of UT1 determination as well as UT1 modeling and prediction

  • atomic time scales: the present realizations and performance of atomic time scales and time transfer techniques

  • pulsar timing and its applications: recent developments in precision

  • pulsar timing and its application to time scales, planetary ephemerides, detection of gravitational waves and tests of gravitational theories

Editors: Pascale Defraigne & Aleksander Brzezinski

Contact: Pascale Defraigne <p.defraigne@oma.be>

Joint Discussion JD7 (Coordinating Division VI)

Astrophysical Outflows and Associated Accretion Phenomena

1.5 days, from 6 to 7 August, 2009

SOC chairs: Elisabete M. de Gouveia Dal Pino (Brasil) and Alejandro C. Raga (Mexico)

SOC members: Mark Birkinshaw (UK), Sylvie Cabrit (France), Max Camenzind (Germany), Adriano H. Cerqueira (Brasil), F. Felipe Rodriguez (Mexico), Atillio Ferrari (Italy), I. Felix Mirabel (Chile), R. Naryan (USA), Thomas P. Ray (Ireland), K. Shibata (Japan), James M. Stone (USA), and Thaisa Storchi- Bergmann (Brasil)

Principal topics:

• • Highly collimated supersonic jets and outflows are very frequent in several astrophysical environments. Despite their different physical scales, all these outflow classes have strong morphological similarities:

    • • what physics do they share?

      • can we find a universal mechanism of acceleration and collimation that operates in all classes?

      • the origin of the astrophysical jets and their effects on the astrophysical environments

      • understanding the driving mechanisms of jets from proto-stars (including their possible crucial link with star and planet formation) to microquasars and AGNs

      • the basic physics of the accretion-jet process in magnetized disks, including the transport of angular momentum and the development of reconnection and turbulent dynamo

      • cooling/heating processes, instabilities, shock structures and particle acceleration mechanisms in the jets

      • the impact of the jets on energy balance and turbulence feeding in the astrophysical environments

      • the potential association of jet-accretion phenomena with GRBs and UHECRs

Editors: Elisabete M. de Gouveia Dal Pino & Alejandro Raga

Contact: Elisabete M. de Gouveia Dal Pino <iaujd.outflows@gmail.com>

Joint Discussion JD8 (Coordinating Division VIII)

Hot Interstellar Matter in Elliptical Galaxies

1.5 days, from 6 to 7 August, 2009

SOC chairs: Dong-Woo Kim (USA)and Silvia Pellegrini (Italy)

SOC members: Françoise Combes (France), Sofia A. Cora (Argentina), Giuseppina Fabbiano (USA), Alexis Finoguenov (Germany), Brad K. Gibson (UK), Nimisha G. Kantharia (India), Chiaki Kobayashi (Japan), Cláudia L. Mendes de Oliveira (Brasil), Elaine M. Sadler (Australia), Craig L. Sarazin (USA), Thomas S. Statler (USA), and Ginevra Trinchieri (Italy).

Principal topics:

• • Physical properties of the hot interstellar matter in elliptical galaxies are related with the formation and evolution of elliptical galaxies via star formation episodes and environmental effects such as stripping, infall, and mergers, and growth of super-massive black holes. The Chandra and XMMNewton X-ray space missions have provided a large amount of high spatial/spectral resolution observational data on the hot ISM in elliptical galaxies. The JD will review the observational constraints available on the physical properties of the hot ISM, confront the predictions of the state-ofart numerical simulations and analytical models of the dynamical/chemical evolution with observations, and explore:

    • • the evolution of the ISM and the elliptical galaxy

      • metal abundances and chemical evolution in the hot ISM

      • high resolution 2D distributions and fine structures of the diffuse hot ISM

      • interplay between hot ISM, ICM, AGN and their connection to stellar formation and evolution

      • dynamical and chemical evolution of the hot ISM via mergers, winds and SN/AGN feedback

      • X-ray fundamental plane

      • X-ray emission from distant elliptical galaxies and future missions

Editors: Dong-Woo Kim & Silvia Pellegrini

Contact: Dong-Woo Kim <kim@cfa.harvard.edu>

Joint Discussion JD9 (Coordinating Division VIII)

Are the Fundamental Constants Varying with Time?

1.5 days, from 10 to 11 August, 2009

SOC chair: Paolo Molaro (Italy)

SOC members: John D. Barrow (UK), Françoise Combes (France), Sandro D Odorico (Germany), Victor V. Flambaum (Australia), Sergei A. Levshakov (Russia), Carlos J.A.P. Martins (Portugal), Michael T. Murphy (Australia), Cédric Ledoux (Chile), Keith A. Olive (USA), Patrick Petitjean (France), Dieter Reimers (Germany), Roghunathan Srianand (India), Jean-Philippe Uzan (France), Elisabeth Vangioni-Flam (France), and John Webb (Australia)

Principal topics:

• • theoretical expectations for variable constants: from strings to scalar fields

  • cosmology with varying constants: dynamical dark energy

  • tests of fundamental principles of GR: equivalence principle, space missions Microscope and Aces

  • laboratory and geological bounds: atomic clocks, Oklo

  • astronomical bounds: BBN, CMB, meteorites

  • fine structure constant: AD method, MM method

  • electron-to-proton mass ratio from molecular hydrogen and ammonia

  • radio observations: bounds on combined constants

  • future instrumentation: ALMA, SKA, ELT

Editors: Paolo Molaro & Elisabeth Vangioni-Flam

Contact: Paolo Molaro <molaro@oats.inaf.it>

Joint Discussion JD10 (Coordinating Division IV)

3D Views on Cool Stellar Atmospheres - Theory Meets Observation

1.5 days, from 10 to 11 August, 2009

SOC chair: Hans-G. Ludwig (France)

SOC members: Carlos Allende Prieto (USA), Martin Asplund (Germany), Mats Carlsson Norway), Márcio Cátelan (Chile), Kwing Lam Chan (China Nanjing), Dainis Dravins (Sweden), K.N. Nagendra (India), Aake Nordlund (Denmark), Nataliya Shchukina (Ukraine), Thirupathi Sivarani (USA), and Matthias Steffen (Germany)

Principal topics:

• • hydrodynamics and radiative transfer of 3D model atmospheres: current status, limitations, and how to make headway?

  • 3D views of the solar atmosphere with HINODE: what did we learn about solar surface structures, chromospheric and coronal heating?

  • spectral line formation: the impact of 3D model atmospheres on stellar and solar abundance analysis

  • NLTE and 3D atmospheres: computational bottle-necks and empirical constraints

  • understanding of surface convection: atmospheres as outer boundaries of global stellar structure models

  • astero/helioseismology and 3D model atmospheres

Editors: Hans-G. Ludwig, Piercarlo Bonifacio, & K N. Nagendra

Contact: Hans-G. Ludwig <Hans.Ludwig@obspm.fr>

Joint Discussion JD11 (Coordinating Division II)

New Advances in Helio- and Astero-Seismology

1.5 days, from 10 to 11 August, 2009

SOC chairs: Junwei Zhao (USA), Hiromoto Shibahashi (Japan), and Guenter Houdek (UK)

SOC members: Thierry Appourchaux (France), Vladimir A. Baturin (Russia), Timothy R. Bedding (Australia), William J. Chaplin (UK), Dean-Yi Chou (China Taiwan), Jadwiga Daszyn ska-Daszkiewicz (Poland), Maria Pia Di Mauro (Italy), Marcelo Emilio (Brasil), Hans Kjeldsen (Denmark), Yan Li (China Nanjing), Jaymie Matthews (Canada), Arlette Noels (Belgium), and Markus Roth (Germany)

Principal topics:

• • new results from global helioseismology: solar cycle variations, internal rotation, composition, search for g-modes, implications for dynamo models

  • advances in local helioseismology: local and large-scale flows

  • meridional circulation, imaging of the deep interior and the far side of the Sun

  • magnetoseismology

  • numerical simulations of solar and stellar convection and oscillations, validation of helio- and asteroseismic techniques

  • physics of solar and stellar oscillations

  • asteroseismology of distant stars

  • new results from SDO, SOHO, Hinode, COROT, MOST and ground- based helio- and asteroseismology projects

Editors: Junwei Zhao, Hiromoto Shibahashi, & Guenter Houdek

Contact: Junwei Zhao <junwei@sun.stanford.edu>

Joint Discussion JD12 (Coordinating Division VIII)

The First Galaxies - Theoretical Predictions and Observational Clues

1.5 days, from 10 to 11 August, 2009

SOC chairs: Tommy Wiklind (ESA/USA), Volker Bromm (USA), and Bahram Mobasher (USA)

SOC members: Andrew J. Bunker (Australia), Naoki Yoshida (Japan), Stephane Charlot (France), Henry C. Ferguson (USA), Jose A.S. Lima (Brasil), Sandra Savaglio (Germany), and Rachel S. Somerville (Germany/USA)

Principal topics:

• • where do we stand today on understanding the formation of the first galaxies, their role in the reionization process and what progress can be made in the near future with new observational facilities

  • Population III stars

  • emergence of the first normal stellar populations

  • formation of the first galaxies

  • formation of the first AGNs

  • co-evolution of stars and AGNs

  • massive galaxies in the reionization epoch

  • sources of reionization

  • metallicities and dust in the first Gyr

  • implications on results from revised stellar synthesis models

  • observational challenges

Editors: Tommy Wiklind, Volker Bromm, & Bahram Mobasher

Contact: Tommy Wiklind <wiklind@stsci.edu>

Joint Discussion JD13 (Coordinating Division V)

Eta Carinae in the Context of the Most Massive Stars

1.5 days, from 12 to 14 August, 2009

SOC chairs: Augusto Damineli Neto (Brasil) and Theodore R. Gull (USA)

SOC members: John Hillier (USA), Sveneric Johansson (Sweden), Gloria Koenigsberger (Mexico), Georges Meynet (Switzerland), Nidia Morrell (Chile), Atsuo T. Okazaki (Japan), Stanley P. Owocki (USA), Andy M.T. Pollock (Spain), Nathan Smith (USA), Christiaan L. Sterken (Belgium), Nicole St Louis (Canada), Karel A. van der Hucht (Netherlands), Roberto Viotti (Italy), and Gerd Weigelt (Germany)

Principal topics:

• • the 2009 Eta Car event: monitoring campaigns in X-rays, spectroscopy, radio, interferometry

  • origin of the bipolar shape of the Homunculus: rotation vs. binary orbit

  • the Eta Car ejecta: insight into the central star/system

  • the 2009 WR 140 periastron passage: X-rays and other monitoring campaigns

  • HD 5980: similarities and differences to Eta Car and WR 140

  • models of the wind-wind collision in Eta Car and other massive-star ` binaries: hydrodynamics, shock and plasma physics

  • tidal flows and periastron passage events

  • physical parameters of massive binary systems

  • evolution of massive binaries: stellar mergers, systems near Eddington limit, supernova progenitors

  • mass-loss regimes: giant eruptions, S Doradus instabilities, line-driven winds

  • the role of rotation in massive stars: mass-loss

  • the omega-gamma limit

  • atomic and molecular physics in Eta Car ejecta

Editors: Augusto Damineli, Theodore R. Gull, & Nielsen Krister (USA)

Contact: Augusto Damineli <damineli@astro.iag.usp.br>

Joint Discussion JD14 (Coordinating Division VI)

FIR2009: the ISM of Galaxies in the Far-Infrared and Sub-Millimetre

1.5 days, from 12 to 14 August, 2009

SOC chair: Maria R. Cunningham (Australia)

SOC members: Susanne E. Aalto (Sweden), Maryvonne Gerin (France), George Helou (USA), Michael Kaufman (USA), Carsten Kramer (Germany), Frank Le Petit (France), Vincent Minier (France), Toshikazu Ohnishi (Japan), Monica Rubio (Chile), Marco Spaans (Netherlands), and Serena Viti (UK)

Principal topics:

• • new results: what have we learnt about the interstellar medium (ISM) in the Milky Way and other galaxies from new facilities working at far infrared and sub-millimetre wavelengths?

  • chemical tracers: what are the key chemical tracers of the different ISM physical environments in the Milky Way and external galaxies?

  • how does feedback from the processes of massive star formation affect the ISM? what role do supernovae explosions play in shaping the ISM, particularly in active star forming environments? how fast do molecular clouds form and evolve? what ends a star burst: negative feedback or the exhaustion of fuel? what effect do galaxy mergers have on the ISM of galaxies?

  • how is star formation cycle different in galaxies of low metalicity, such as the LMC and SMC? what is the stellar and protostellar content of molecular clouds in different environments, and does this correlate with the chemical and dynamic properties of the environment?

  • active galaxies: how different is the interstellar medium around an AGN compared to that of a compact starburst?

  • galaxies at high-redshift: what are the properties of high-redshift galaxies with strong far infrared emission?

  • phases of the ISM: the cold and dense molecular ISM is a prerequisite for any star formation; how does it form and how is it dispersed ? what do we know about the cycle of interstellar matter through the various phases of the ISM?

  • mechanisms for heating and cooling: what is the relative importance of shocks, UV-photons, X-rays, cosmic rays in different galactic environments?

  • turbulence: what is the mutual relation between star formation and turbulence, and how do the turbulent properties of Galactic and extragalactic star forming regions differ? what mechanisms drive turbulence, and how do they vary with environment?

  • what role do magnetic fields play in the ISM? Do they regulate star formation? How do they impact the phase balance in the ISM (e.g., for Galactic fountains)?

Editors: Maria R. Cunningham, Carsten Kramer, & Vincent Minier

Contact: Maria R. Cunningham <maria.cunningham@unsw.edu.au>

Joint Discussion JD15 (Coordinating Division VI)

Magnetic Fields in Diffuse Media

1.5 days, from 12 to 14 August, 2009

SOC chairs: Elisabete M. de Gouveia Dal Pino (Brasil) and Alex Lazarian (USA)

SOC members: Mitchell C. Begelman (USA), Michael A. Dopita (Australia), Torsten A. Ensslin (Germany), Edith Falgarone (France), José Franco (Mexico), Shu-ichiro Inutsuka (Japan), Germán Lugones (Brasil), Christopher F. Mckee (USA), and Giancarlo Setti (Italy)

Principal topics:

• • magnetic fields, their origin, and their influence on the formation and evolution of astrophysical objects (stars, galaxies, cooling flows)

  • quantitative studies of magnetic fields, the results of which can be compared with the results of dynamo and MHD turbulence simulations

  • questions related to the origin of astrophysical magnetic fields in diffuse gas and quantify their effects on transport processes in the interstellar medium of spiral galaxies and in the intracluster medium, to get better insight into star formation, acceleration of cosmic rays, and transfer of matter, and energy between the diffuse and dense gas

  • summarize the progress achieved recently

  • outline the remaining outstanding problems, and review the progress of the 21st century instruments and projects for cosmic magnetic field investigation such as, upgraded SOFIA, Planck, LOFAR, ALMA and SKA

Editors: Elisabete M. de Gouveia Dal Pino & Alex Lazarian

Contact: Elisabete M. de Gouveia Dal Pino <iaujd.mf@gmail.com>

Joint Discussion JD16 (Coordinating Division II)

IHY Global Campaign - Whole Heliosphere Interval

1.5 days, from 12 to 14 August, 2009

SOC chair: Barbara J. Thompson (USA)

SOC members: Dipankar P.K. Banerjee (India), Andrew R. Breen (UK), Hebe Cremades (Argentina), Norma B. Crosby (Belgium), Robert J. Forsyth (UK), Antoinette B. Galvin (USA), Katya Y. Georgieva (Bulgaria), Sarah E. Gibson (USA), Janet U. Kozyra (USA), Ian R. Mann (Canada), Giannina Poletto (Italy), Kazunari Shibata (Japan), Richard Stamper (UK), and David F. Webb (USA)

Principal topics:

• • science from the International Heliophysical Year - Global Campaign called the Whole Heliosphere Interval (WHI)

  • new capabilities in observations and models to advance our understanding of the heliophysical system

  • WHI occurs during solar minimum

  • the primary science goals of WHI are to:

    • • characterize the 3-D solar minimum heliosphere,

      • trace the effects of solar structure and activity through the solar wind to the Earth and other planetary systems, and to the outer boundary of the heliosphere.

Editors: Sarah E. Gibson & David F. Webb

Contact: Barbara J. Thompson <Barbara.J.Thompson@nasa.gov>

Special Sessions

Special Session SpS1 (Coordinating Division IV)

IR and Sub-mm Spectroscopy - a New Tool for Studying Stellar Evolution

2.5 days, from 3 to 6 August, 2009

SOC chairs: Glenn M. Wahlgren (USA), Hans Ulrich Käufl (Germany), and Florian Kerber (Germany)

SOC members: France Allard (France), Thomas R. Ayres (USA), Steven R. Federman (USA), Carol A. Grady (USA), Bengt Gustafsson (Sweden), Kenneth H. Hinkle (USA), John Lattanzio (Australia), Gillian Nave (USA), Livia Origlia (Italy), Peter Schilke (Germany), Jonathan Tennyson (UK), Stepan Urban (Czech Rep.), and Ewine F. van Dishoeck (Netherlands)

Principal topics:

• • impacting stellar evolution with IR and sub-mm spectroscopy pre- and early main sequence stars

  • ground-based instrumentation IR spectroscopy in the ELT era

  • main sequence stars: physical properties from spectrum analysis

  • atomic and molecular data for IR and sub-mm spectroscopy

  • solid state physics for spectrum analysis

  • evolved stars: properties and processes

  • current and future airborne and space missions

  • Earth s atmosphere and the IR sky

Editors: Glenn M. Wahlgren, Hans Ulrich Käufl, & Florian Kerber

Contact: Glenn M. Wahlgren <Glenn.M.Wahlgren@nasa.gov>

Special Session SpS2 (Coordinating Division XII)

The International Year of Astronomy 2009

1.5 days, from 3 to 5 August, 2009

SOC chair: Catherine J. Cesarsky (France)

SOC members: Yolanda Berenguer (UNESCO, France), Ian F. Corbett (IAU, UK), Dennis Crabtree (Canada), Susana E. Deustua (USA), Kevin Govender (South Africa), Mary Kay M. Hemenway (USA), Robert Hill (UK), Douglas Isbell (USA), Norio Kaifu (Japan), Lars Lindberg Christensen (Denmark, ESA/ESO), Claus Madsen (Denmark, ESO), Ian E. Robson (UK), and Pedro Russo (IAU, Portugal)

Principal topics:

• • communicating astronomy to the public

  • astronomy education

  • cooperation and development

  • IYA global projects (Cornerstones and Special Projects)

  • IYA national activities

  • astronomy and new media

  • the impact and legacy of IYA

Editors: Catherine J. Cesarsky, Lars Lindberg Christensen, & Pedro Russo

Contact: Pedro Russo <prusso@eso.org>

Special Session SpS3 (Coordinating Division IX)

Astronomy in Antarctica

1.5 days, from 6 to 7 August, 2009

SOC chair: Michael G. Burton (Australia)

SOC members: Carlos A. Abia (Spain), John E. Carlstrom (USA), Vincent Coudé du Foresto (France), Xiangqun Cui (China), Sebastián Gurovich (Argentina), Takashi Ichikawa (Japan), James P. Lloyd (USA), Mark J. McCaughrean (UK), Gino Tosti (Italy), and Hans Zinnecker (Germany)

Principal topics:

• • the current state of Antarctic astronomy, with winter-time facilities now operating at both South Pole and Dome C on the high plateau

  • plans for astronomical facilities at Domes A and F

  • review of status of these facilities

  • new science results, including results from the International Polar Year of 2007/08

  • grand design observatories, facilities that might be built in the future, once the new high plateau bases are well established

Editor: Michael G. Burton

Contact: Michael G. Burton <m.burton@unsw.edu.au>

Special Session SpS4 (Coordinating Division XII)

Astronomy Education between Past and Future

2.5 days, from 6 to 10 August, 2009

SOC chairs: Rajesh Kochhar (India), Jean-Pierre de Greve (Belgium), and Edward F. Guinan (USA)

SOC members: John B. Hearnshaw (New Zealand), George K. Miley (Netherlands), Ian E. Robson (UK), Rosa M. Ros (Spain), Il Seong Nha (Rep. of Korea), Malcolm G. Smith (USA), and Antônio Videra (Brasil)

Principal topics:

• • research and best practices in teaching and learning methodologies in sciences, specifically in physics

  • astronomy as a trigger towards science education (including best practices in innovative astronomy teaching)

  • cultural and historical astronomy: the importance of non-western views of the skies for astronomy teaching in both developing and developed countries

  • teaching astronomy in developing countries

  • innovative learning and training initiatives other than teaching

  • the role of astronomy education at specific phases and ages, from age 4 to university/PhD

  • the use of educational telescopes

  • IAU sponsored education and development programs

  • networking activities enhancing connectivity among young people in the International Astronomical Year

  • the IAU decadal plan for world astronomy

Editors: Rajesh Kochhar, Jean-Pierre de Greve, Magda G. Stavinschi, & Edward F. Guinan

Contacts: Rajesh Kochhar <rkochhar2000@yahoo.com> and

Jean-Pierre de Greve <jpdgreve@vub.ac.be>

Special Session SpS5 (Coordinating Division XII)

Accelerating the Rate of Astronomical Discovery

2.5 days, from 11 - 14 August, 2009

SOC chairs: Raymond P. Norris (Australia) and Clive L.N. Ruggles (UK)

SOC members: David H. DeVorkin (USA), Françoise Genova (France), Martin Harwit (USA), Bambang Hidayat (Indonesia), Rajesh Kochhar (India), Vicent J. Martinez-Gracia (Spain), Robert Smith (Canada), Magdalena G. Stavinschi (Romania), Virginia L.Trimble (USA), Sueli M.M. Viegas (Brasil), and Patricia A. Whitelock (South Africa)

Principal topics:

• • the impact of concentrating resources on big instruments rather than small ones

  • the impact of electronic access to data and publications - could we do it better?

  • have we achieved the best way to allocate time on major telescopes?

  • is astronomical progress limited by discrimination or by the Digital Divide ?

  • what will be the impact of enormously large data sets?

  • are our telescopes and their instrumentation approaching fundamental physical limits?

  • how do we balance popular bandwagons against innovative but less popular ideas?

  • do we have the optimal system for training young astronomers?

  • do we need more cross-fertilisation between disciplines and fields?

  • how should we optimize international collaboration, particularly on major missions?

Editors: Raymond P. Norris & Clive L.N. Ruggles

Contact: Raymond P. Norris <ray.norris@csiro.au>

Special Session SpS6 (Coordinating Division III)

Planetary Systems as Potential Sites for Life

1.5 days, from 10 to 11 August, 2009

SOC chair: Régis Courtin (France)

SOC members: David W. Latham (USA), Carlo Blanco (Italy), Alan P. Boss (USA), Guy J. Consolmagno (Vatican City), Cristiano B. Cosmovici (Italy), Pascale Foing Ehrenfreund (Netherlands), Leonid V. Ksanfomality (Russia), Luisa M. Lara (Spain), Michel Mayor (Switzerland), Melissa A. McGrath (USA), Karen J. Meech (USA), David Morrison (USA), John R. Spencer (USA), Viktor G. Tejfel (Kazakhstan), and Stephane Udry (Switzerland)

Principal topics:

• • recent advances in Solar System sciences, Bioastronomy, and Extrasolar Planetology in connection with studying the conditions for the emergence of life on other worlds

  • results from recent space missions investigating Mars and the satellites of the giant planets for environments potentially suitable for life

  • the search for and characterization of extrasolar planets, and the search for life outside the Solar System

  • space-based and/or laboratory experiments and simulations, as well as the analysis of extraterrestrial samples

  • projects under development for the next decade

  • outstanding figures in the development of Bioastronomy

Editors: Régis Courtin, Alan P. Boss, & Michel Mayor

Contact: Régis Courtin <regis.courtin@obspm.fr>

Special Session SpS7 (Coordinating Division VI)

Young Stars, Brown Dwarfs, and Protoplanetary Disks

2.5 days, from 11 - 14 August, 2009

SOC chairs: Jane C. Gregório-Hetem (Brasil) and Sílvia Alencar (Brasil)

SOC members: Francesca D'Antona (Italy), Nuria Calvet (USA), Gilles Chabrier (France), Eric D. Feigelson (USA), Sergei A. Lamzin (Russia), Susana Lizano (Mexico), Robert D. Mathieu (USA), Thierry Montmerle (France), Antonella Natta (Italy), Bo Reipurth (USA), Hsien Shang (China Taiwan), Michael Sterzik (Chile), Ewine F. van Dishoeck (Netherlands), and Hans Zinnecker (Germany)

Principal topics:

• • properties of circumstellar disks

  • accretion in brown dwarfs, T Tauri and Herbig Ae/Be stars

  • jets and outflows from young stars

  • angular momentum transport (throughout pre-main sequence evolution)

  • planet formation and evolution

  • brown dwarf and star formation and early evolution

  • the role of magnetic fields in pre-main sequence evolution

  • high-energy and eruptive phenomena in young stellar objects

  • the role of binary and multiple systems in PMS evolution and planet formation/evolution

  • young stars and their birthplaces in the solar neighborhood

Editors: Jane C. Gregório-Hetem & Sílvia Alencar

Contact: Jane C. Gregório-Hetem <jane@astro.iag.usp.br>

Special Session SpS8 (Coordinating Division VI)

The Galactic Plane - in Depth and Across the Spectrum

2.5 days, from 11 to 14 August, 2009

SOC chairs: Nicholas A. Walton (UK) and Augusto Damineli Neto (Brasil)

SOC members: Janet Drew (UK), Paul J. Groot (Netherlands), Myung Gyoon Lee (Rep. of Korea), Xiao-Wei Liu (China Nanjing), Eugene A. Magnier (USA), Sergio Molinari (Italy), Naomi M. McClure-Griffiths (Australia), Dante Minniti (Chile), Josep M. Paredes Poy (Spain), Rene Plume (Canada), Annie C.R. Robin (France), Patricia A. Whitelock (South Africa), and Barbara A. Whitney (USA)

Principal topics:

• • Galactic Plane surveys: past, present and future

  • getting the measure of the Milky Way

  • the structure of the inner Galaxy

  • the disk inside and outside the Solar Circle

  • tracing chemical properties and gradients in the Galactic Plane

  • disentangling the star formation process from disk substructure

  • mapping star formation across the Galactic Plane

  • the demography and life cycle of star clusters

  • red giants and other evolved stars as tracers

  • sampling the extreme phases and end-states of stellar evolution

Editors: Janet Drew & Melvin Hoare

Contact: Nicholas A. Walton <naw@ast.cam.ac.uk>

Special Session SpS9 (Coordinating Division XII)

Marking the 400th Anniversary of Kepler's "Astronomia Nova"

2.5 days, from 11 to 14 August, 2009

SOC chair: Terence J. Mahoney (Tenerife, Spain)

SOC members: Stanislaw Bajtlik (Poland), Allan Chapman (UK), Judith V. Field (UK), Michael Geffert (Germany), Petr Hadravâ (Czech Republic), David G. Koch (USA), Rhonda Martens (Canada), Jay M. Pasachoff (USA), Thomas Posch (Austria), Bruce Stephenson (USA), Jill C. Tarter (USA), Jan Vondrâk (Czech Republic), and Jaroslaw Wlodarczyk (Poland).

Principal topics:

• • Kepler and astronomical thought in transition:

    • • Kepler and the philosophy of science

      • the relation between Kepler's astrology and astronomy

      • comparison of Kepler's and Pico's critiques of astrology

      • Kepler and Galileo

  • The great synthesis, Kepler's multifaceted new astronomy:

    • • Kepler as the father of modern astronomy

      • Kepler and Tycho

      • Kepler's major works

      • Kepler's revolutionizing of optics

      • Kepler's mathematical astronomy

  • The laws of planetary motion:

    • • "Astronomia nova": Kepler at work

      • Kepler's magnetic theory of planetary dynamics

      • Kepler's cosmology, the 3rd law and cosmic harmony

      • Kepler's journey to the moon

Editor: Terence J. Mahoney

Contact: Terence J. Mahoney <tjm@iac.es>

Special Session SpS10 (Coordinating Division IX)

Next Generation Large Astronomical Facilities

1.0 day, 14 August, 2009

SOC chairs: Gerard F. Gilmore (UK) and Richard T. Schilizzi (Australia)

SOC members: Gerard F. Gilmore (UK) and Richard T. Schilizzi (Australia). Others are to be added.

This is organised by the Executive WG for Future Large Scale Facilities All talks will be invited reviews by relevant project directors.

Principal topics:

• • an overview of the plans and status of astronomy roadmapping activities by funding and strategy agencies (ASTRONET, ESFRI, US Decadal Survey,...);

  • an overview of space missions under development;

  • funding and strategy agencies (ASTRONET, ESFRI, USDecadal Survey, ...) will present their plans and status

  • an overview of the status and scientific programs of specific new large-scale facilities that are under construction and/or definition, and in which there is currently significant effort and new developments. These include, amongst others, the SKA, ALMA, JWST, the several Extremely Large optical/infrared Telescopes, IXO, and the gravitational wave, neutrino and Cosmic Ray observatories;

Editors: Gerard F. Gilmore & Richard T. Schilizzi

Contact: Gerard F. Gilmore <gil@ast.cam.ac.uk>

Women in Astronomy Lunch Meeting

Monday, 10 August, 2009, from 11:00 hr to 14:00 hr

Chair: Miriani G. Pastoriza (Porto Alegre, Brazil)

Organizing Committee: Zulema Abraham (Brazil), Anne Green (USA),Sarah T.Maddison (USA)

Principal topics: This Lunch Meeting, open for all GA participants, will have a number of round tables with chair persons; topics will be given for discussion. The aim is to improve the status of women in astronomy and to recommend actions that will improve the environment for all astronomers.

Contact: Miriani G.Pastoriza <mgp@if.ufrgs.br>

There are two specific Young Astronomers Events being planned during the IAU XXVII GA:

Young Astronomers' Lunch

Thursday, 6 August, 2009, from 11:00 hr to 14:00 hr

Young Astronomers' Consulting Service Office

will be open during the GA, where young astronomers may meet each other and/or meet senior astronomers by arranged appointments to seek advice on their investigations and careers.

Chair: Jean-Pierre De Greve (Brussels, Belgium)

Organizing Committee: Adriana Valio (Brazil, NOC), Michal Dovciak (Czech Republic), Oddbjorn Engvold (Norway), Julieta Fierro (Mexico), Martin George (Australia), Michele Gerbaldi (France), Edward F.Guinan (USA), Bambang Hidayat (Indonesia), Melanie Johnston-Hollit (Australia), Barrie W.Jones (UK), Rajesh Kochhar (India), Kam-Ching Leung (USA), Laurence A.Marschall (USA), George K.Miley (THe NEtherlands), Tracey J.Moore (UK), Jay M.Pasachoff (USA), John R. Percy (Canada), Rosa Maria Ros (Spain), Magda Stavinschi (Romania), James C.White (USA)

Contact: Jean-Pierre De Greve <jpdgreve@vub.ac.be>