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