Dear All,
enclosed the final version of the final announcement. Please comment before tomorrow (16 June) noon.
Best, Andre
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Strangeness in Quark Matter (SQM 2017) Final Announcement
Dear participants,
We are looking forward to welcoming you to the 17th International Conference on Strangeness in Quark Matter (SQM 2017), which will be held in Utrecht, the Netherlands, on 10-15 July 2017.
This final announcement provides a detailed guide to the conference, its scientific and social programmes and is intended to help you organise your visit to Utrecht. More details are available on the conference website http://www.sqm2017.nlhttp://www.sqm2017.nl/.
You are encouraged to make all conference payments before arrival via the registration website.
Scientific Programme The SQM 2017 conference consists of invited plenary talks, contributed parallel talks and poster presentations. The conference will start on Monday 10 July at 9:00 and end on Saturday 15 July at around 13:00.
An overview of the conference schedule is given at https://indico.cern.ch/event/576735/program.
The scientific programme, including venues for the parallel sessions is available via the timetable link on the indico web page or directly at https://indico.cern.ch/event/576735/timetable/#20170709
Instructions to Speakers All talks should be uploaded via the timetable on the Indico webpage at least half a day before the session you are speaking in. PDF format is preferred. To upload your talk: 1) Find your talk on indico and click on it 2) In the resulting white pop-up window, click on the icon in the top right hand corner ('View contribution details') 3) On the resulting page, click on the pen icon on the right alongside 'Presentation Materials', which takes you onward to 'Upload files'
All meeting rooms have their own computers connected to projectors. We plan to use them for all talks to avoid switch-over times, so please do not expect to project from your personal laptop except in an emergency.
All rooms are equipped with a hand-held integrated laser-pointer and page-turner. There will be a scientific secretary from the local organising team in all of the meeting rooms to help in case of problems.
Instructions to Poster presenters The poster session will take place on Tuesday, 11 July 2017, from 16:00-18:00. Poster boards will be placed on the ground floor of the Koningsberger building, where the conference takes place. Poster boards will be numbered by means of the abstract id from Indico. All posters should also be uploaded to the conference Indico server. The poster area will be open for poster mounting from Monday after the lunch time (14:00) till Tuesday 14:00. The posters can remain on display until Thursday, 13 July 2017, 16:00. Posters should be in A0 format {84.1 cm (width) x 119cm (height) = 33.11 in (width) x 46.81 in (height)} or fit within this size.
Venue The conference will be held in the Victor J. Koningsberger building, which is located in the Science Park of Utrecht University.
Victor J. Koningsberger building Budapestlaan 4 3584 CD Utrecht
All the plenary sessions are in the Cosmos room. The parallel sessions also make use of the neighbouring Buys Ballot Building, which is connected to the Koningsberger building. For the room numbers, see the parallel programme on the conference website.
A detailed map of the full University campus (called 'de Uithof') is available herehttps://www.utrechtsciencepark.nl/en/home/about-the-park/publicaties-utrecht-science-park A zoomed version is shown below indicating the venue, Botanic Gardens, bus stops and the area for shopping.
Travel and Transport In general, you can plan your travel in the Netherlands with OV9292 (https://9292.nl/en). Train timetables are available at http://www.ns.nl/en.
Route description Schiphol Airport - Utrecht city centre / hotels The nearest major international airport is Schiphol close to Amsterdam (https://www.schiphol.nl/en/). We arranged a 10% discount for Air France & KLM flights for your booking. There is a direct train service from Schiphol airport to Utrecht Central Station every 30 minutes; travel time is about 30 minutes (free Wi-Fi on board). Utrecht is the centre of the Dutch railway network with regular international connections from neighbouring countries. For travel details please consult the conference website https://indico.cern.ch/event/576735/page/8905-travel.
Route description Utrecht city centre - Utrecht University campus The Utrecht Science Park (‘De Uithof’) can be reached by many bus services; the most frequent ones from downtown Utrecht (Central Station, Janskerkhof, etc.) are line 27/28, which stops at ‘Botanische Tuinen’ and line 12, which stops at ‘Padualaan’. SQM 2017 signs will guide you to the Koningsberger building, which is behind the red Minnaert building. Bus tickets can be bought on the bus, but if you plan to use the bus throughout the week, you are probably better off getting a chip card (OV-chipkaart, 7,50 Euro one-time fee) at the station, the service desk of a super market or another sales point. This card can be recharged at the machines at the station. For more details, see https://indico.cern.ch/event/576735/page/8905-travel.
Taxi Taxis are available at most tourist hubs. Costs are approximately €3 entry fee and €2 per km. Here the contact information of some taxi companies:
Utrechtse Taxi Centrale (UTC) +31 (0)30 2 300 400 http://www.utc.nl/english/index_english.html
Domstadse Taxis Centrale Utrecht +31 (0)30 266 13 13 http://www.dtctaxi.nl/eng/index.html
Arrival and Registration The registration desks will be open on Sunday 9 July from 16:00-18:00 and on Monday 10 July from 08:00-09:00 in the foyer of the Koningsberger building. Please collect your delegate pack and name badge during this period if possible. If you arrive late, registration will still be possible at the conference desk, during the coffee and lunch breaks.
Your name badge also acts as your lunch-ticket and admittance to the social events that you have signed up for, so please wear it (or at least keep it with you) all week.
Bike Rental A good option for transport is renting a bike. Bikes will be offered to conference delegates by an external company for 8,00 Euro per 24h period (only by pre-reservation).
The bike rental desk will be next to the registration desk (first floor of the Koningsberger building). Bicycle pick-up for those delegates who pre-reserved a bike is possible during the following days/hours: - Sunday, 9 July 2017 (16:00 – 18:00) - Monday, 10 July 2017 (08:00 – 11:00) Upon pick-up you will be asked to complete and sign an agreement. Payment can be done by credit card onsite.
Bicycle return is possible during the following days/hours: - Thursday, 13 July 2017 (15:30 – 16:00) - Friday, 14 July 2017 (10:30 – 11:00) - Saturday, 15 July 2017 (8:30 – 11:00)
If you are still interested in renting a bicycle, please send an email to sqm2017@nikhef.nlmailto:sqm2017@nikhef.nl before June 29, 2017, indicating: - Pick-up date - Return date - Name of participant Please note it is not possible to cancel your reservation nor to reserve a bike after that date. Without your notice there won’t be a bike available.
The bicycle ride from downtown Utrecht to the Utrecht Science Park (Uithof) takes 20-30 minutes. Utrecht is a bike-friendly city, but that also means that there are a lot of bicyclists around, the bike route to the university can be very busy during the morning, so please be careful when riding your bike. A bike ride is also an excellent way to explore the country-side around Utrecht. Just south of the Uithof, there is a park-like area, Rhijnauwen and Amelisweerd, which is connected by small roads and bike lanes and also offers access to the old course of the Rhine river (now a narrow stream which you can follow on foot). To the north of Utrecht, you can follow the Vecht river to Maarssen, Breukelen and Loenen (and on to Amsterdam if you have the stamina), which is lined by a number of old villas and country houses.
WiFi The eduroam network is available across the university campus. If you do not have credentials to access eduroam, please register for UU-visitor, which should accept any connection, but requires that you agree to the terms and services any time you reconnect. A pop-up window should appear automatically. If you have any problems, please come to the conference desk or ask someone form the local organisers, who are wearing a SQM t-shirt.
The Koningsberger Building offers several areas on the ground and first floor to prepare talks etc.
Lunches and Coffee Breaks On all conference days lunch and coffee breaks will be served on the first floor of the Koningsberger building.
Conference Photo The conference photo will be taken on Wednesday 12 July during the morning coffee break (10:30 – 11:00).
Social Programme
Reception The welcome reception will take place on Monday 10 July 2017 from 18:20–20:30 in the conservatory (serre) of the Botanical Gardens of the University, which are just across the street from the main entrance of the Koningsberger building. Please bring your badge, since it serves as entrance ticket to the Gardens. Follow signs “serre” in the Gardens to find the conservatory.
Conference banquet (ticketed) The conference dinner will take place on Thursday, 13 July 2017 from 19:00–23:00 in the Railway Museum (Spoorwegmuseum), which is just outside the city center and can easily be reached on foot by taking the Maliebrug (bridge) from Lepelenburg (the small park at the edge of the city). The railway museum is marked as ‘Utrecht Maliebaan’ (the name of the station in which it is housed).
Attendees are requested to make their own way to the Railway Museum.
Directions: Het Spoorwegmuseum Maliebaanstation 1 3581 XW Utrecht Website: https://www.visit-utrecht.com/locations/1783520371/railway-museum
Please book your dinner ticket(s) at online registration (30 Euro). Participants with special dietary requirements are kindly asked to indicate it in their registration.
Excursion Three different excursion options are offered on Wednesday afternoon. The excursions start at 14:00 after lunch (except Option 1: Cultural, which will start at 13:30). Information about meeting points will be given in the programme book.
Most participants who would like to join an excursion have already indicated so during the online registration. A reminder of which excursion you signed up for can be found on your badge. If you would like to change, please do so before 26 June. After that date changes are not possible anymore. If you have any questions regarding the excursions, please contact the conference desk.
A brief outline of the details for each excursion is given below (see also conference website):
Option 1: Cultural The cultural tour will visit the Kröller-Möller-Museum, which boasts the 2nd largest Van Gogh collection in the world. Furthermore, you will find masterpieces by modern masters such as Claude Monet, Georges Seurat, Pablo Picasso and Piet Mondriaan. In the sculpture garden, one of the largest in Europe, you can enjoy both sculptures and nature. Distributed throughout the garden are over 160 sculptures by iconic artists, from Aristide Maillol to Jean Dubuffet, from Marta Pan to Pierre Huyghe. The museum is embedded in the National Park Hoge Veluwe, were you can take a walk or bike, and relax in a unique landscape. This tour will be a bus tour.
https://www.hogeveluwe.nl/en http://krollermuller.nl/visit
Option 2: Historical tour This tour will show you Utrecht as one of the most populous cities in the Netherlands. Although there is some evidence of earlier settlement in the region of Utrecht, dating back to the Stone Age (app. 1800-800 BCE), the founding date of the city is usually related to the construction of a Roman fortification, probably built in around 50 CE. Utrecht´s ancient city centre features many buildings and structures, some which date back as far as the High Middle Ages. Is has been the religious centre of the Netherlands since the 8th century and today hosts the largest university of the country. This tour will be a combined boat and walking tour.
Option 3: H2O tour This tour could be wet! We will explore Utrecht by canoe. Via the “Biltse Grift”, a guide will show us hidden places and history of the city. You will follow small brooks, which can only be reached by boat and will experience a unique silence in the midst of the city. This tour will be concluded with a picnic.
Tourist Information The city of Utrecht is located in the geographical centre of the Netherlands and has a rich and long history. Traces of this history can be found everywhere in the medieval town centre. The city’s many monuments, including the eye-catching Dom tower and the canals with the wharves (unique in the world), are definitely worth paying a visit. For more information on Utrecht, see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Utrecht_(city)http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Utrecht_%28city%29 For tourist information, visit https://www.visit-utrecht.com. The wiki travel sites http://wikitravel.org/en/Netherlands and http://wikitravel.org/en/Utrecht also give a lot of interesting tourist information.
Weather Forecast The weather in Utrecht in summer can be pleasant, sunny and warm, i.e. 20-28 degrees Celsius. However, nothing is less predictable than the Dutch weather, so it is very likely that we will have colder, cloudy and rainy days during the summer as well. Therefore, you are well advised to come prepared for all eventualities.
Time zone Utrecht, the Netherlands, is in the Central European Time (CET) zone, which is one hour ahead of Greenwich Mean Time (GMT +1) and six hours ahead of US Eastern Standard Time (EST +6).
Mains sockets
Electricity in the Netherlands is 230 Volts, 50 Hz (plug types C & F). You will need to bring a voltage converter if you would like to use devices that do not accept 230 Volts at 50 Hertz.
Bars and Restaurants There are many restaurants in the city centre of Utrecht. Suggestions for restaurants in the area close to the canal “Oude gracht”. A list of restaurants can be found with ranking on https://www.thefork.com/restaurant+utrecht.
Shops and Cashpoint There are many shops and cashpoint (ATM) machines in the city centre of Utrecht. On the university campus, you can find a supermarket, bookshop, a kiosk and an ATM. The currency in the Netherlands is the Euro. For updated currency info on the Euro, check e.g. http://www.xe.com/currencyconverter/
Emergency Contacts In case of emergencies: police and ambulance services can be contacted by telephone via 112. In case of the medical emergency, please contact the local organisers at the conference desk. The university hospital is in the Science Park. Several pharmacies are in the city centre of Utrecht.
Conference Manager: Miranda Schouten-Motshagen, email: sqm2017@nikhef.nlmailto:sqm2017@nikhef.nl
Emergency contacts from among the conference organisers are Andre Mischke (+31(0) 648 158 552) and Paul Kuijer (+31(0) 646 812 070).
Safety and Security Utrecht is a student city and in general very safe. But as almost anywhere, don’t flash your wallet at markets and have a natural caution for pickpockets in the city centre. So, please take good care of your belongings, particularly in busy places in the city centre and when traveling.
Unfortunately, bike thefts are a common nuisance, so if you travel by bike, make sure you have good locks and try to bolt your bike to a lamp post or bridge railing if possible. There are also free bike parking places with surveillance in the city center and near the train station.
The Science Park is patrolled by unformed security staff. In case of an emergency on campus, or in case trouble is suspected, please dial the emergency telephone number: +31 (0)30 253 44 44 (extension 4444 from campus telephones). This connects you immediately to the Utrecht University Security Room, which is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Inform them of the nature of the emergency, and of its exact location. They will take the appropriate steps. For further information, please visit: https://students.uu.nl/en/university-college-utrecht/practical-information/s....
Disclaimer and Insurance The Organising Committee of SQM 2017 do not accept any liability for injury or loss incurred by participants, accompanying persons, nor for loss of, or damage to their luggage and/or personal belongings.
Proceedings The conference proceedings will be published in a special issue of European Physical Journal Web of Conferences. All speakers are invited to contribute. The instructions and necessary templates will appear on the conference Indico web page soon.
Acknowledgements The conference has benefited substantially from the generous sponsorship of NWO, FOM, Utrecht city, Nikhef, GSI, FIAS, EMMI, FAIR, NNV, CERN, JINR and EPJ and further US laboratories. This has allowed us to offer student support for 40 PhD students and young postdocs.
Have a safe travel and see you soon in Utrecht.
The SQM 2017 organisers
============================================================== Dr. André Mischke Associate Professor, FYAE, MAE
Institute for Subatomic Physics Center for Extreme Matter and Emergent Phenomena Faculty of Science Utrecht University Room: Ornstein Laboratorium ONL 213A Princetonplein 1 Phone: +31 (0)30 253 2330 3584 CC Utrecht Email: a.mischke@uu.nlmailto:a.mischke@uu.nl the Netherlands Website: http://amischke.home.cern.ch ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ On sabbatical from April-August 2017 at the School of Physics and Astronomy University of Birmingham Birmingham B15 2TT UK Phone: +44 121 414 4674 ==============================================================