Location and Date:

The 10th Asteroids, Comets, Meteors meeting will be held 14-18 July 2008 (with a reception on the 13th) in Baltimore, Maryland, USA at the Marriott Waterfront located in Baltimore's inner harbor. The meeting is hosted by the Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory. Cosponsors include the Lunar and Planetary Institute (LPI) in Houston, Texas, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), the Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL), the Planetary Science Institute (PSI) in Tucson, AZ, and Lockheed Martin.

Baltimore’s world-renowned Inner Harbor is one of America’s oldest seaports surrounded by historic neighborhoods such as Little Italy and Fells Point where you will find city living at its best with unique shops, restaurants and nightlife for every style and taste. The city enjoys a vibrant arts scene and embraces its history and influence on American culture.  There is plenty to do and see for everyone in Baltimore.

Most attractions around the Inner Harbor are within walking distance from the hotel.  Water taxis also offer a convenient and relaxing way to see sights around the Inner Harbor. The Harbor East water taxi stop is right outside the Marriott Waterfront Hotel.

Baltimore summers are characterized by hot and humid weather. Daytime summer temperatures are often in the lower 30°s C (upper 80°s F) and occasionally reach the mid-30°s C (upper 90°s F). Nighttime temperatures are usually in the lower 20°s C (mid-70°s F). Occasional thunderstorms can occur and hailstorms although rare are possible in July.



Purpose and Scope:

The Asteroids, Comets, Meteors (ACM) meeting is the premier international gathering of scientists who study small bodies. The ACM series began in 1983 in Uppsala, Sweden, as a means of bringing together different groups within the asteroid, comet, and meteor communities who do not often have the opportunity to interact. From this first ACM meeting, a regular conference began. The conference now takes place every three years, and it is the pre-eminent meeting for small-bodies research, with attendance usually in excess of 400. The 2008 ACM meeting will be the 10th in the series and will mark the 25th anniversary of the first meeting in Uppsala.

 

The scope of presentations and discussion is broad, including all topics related to asteroids, comets, and meteors. Examples include discovery and cataloguing of objects, observations of meteor showers by radar, modeling the gas production of comets, and plans for future asteroid sample returns.

 

ACM 2008 is expected to bring together experts on small-bodies studies from around the world. It will be the first time this meeting will be held since several significant and anticipated events have come to pass. These include the spectacular disintegration of comet Schwassmann-Wachmann 3, the availability of Stardust samples to the wider research community, the launch of Dawn, as well as many others. ACM 2008 will highlight the research currently being conducted, encourage discussion among researchers in various areas, and identify new avenues of research.



Main Topics:

Areas of expertise to be covered at the meeting will include multi-wavelength observations from the ground and space, discovery and cataloguing of objects, numerical studies of the dynamics and impact behavior of small bodies, and laboratory investigations of extraterrestrial materials. Topics will include but are not limited to the following:

  • Near-Earth Object searches: Pan-STARRS and other newly founded surveys

  • Results of Stardust sample return analyses

  • Results from the Hayabusa mission

  • Observations of Comets Schwassmann-Wachmann 3 and 17P/Holmes

  • Updates on Dawn, Rosetta, New Horizons, and planned missions to small bodies

  • Compositional studies of asteroids and comets

  • Small body populations: evolution and dynamics

  • Interdisciplinary studies: How do asteroids/comets/meteors interrelate?

  • Internal structure of small bodies, including presence/formation of satellites

  • Origin of the solar system, as deduced from small bodies studies

  • Small body impact hazards

  • Laboratory studies of small-body processes and constituents

Particular effort will be made to include experts in the analysis of laboratory samples of primitive materials from small bodies, as this will be the first ACM since the Stardust samples have been available for study. ACM 2008 will be an unprecedented opportunity for the Stardust sample analysis community and the small bodies observing community to meet and learn from each other.

Meeting Format:

The meeting will consist of invited overview talks as well as contributed oral and poster presentations. A CD volume of all abstracts will be available at the meeting to conference participants.

 

The oral sessions will be held as plenary sessions in order to foster and encourage close communication in the diverse small bodies community. Because a plenary-only meeting provides only a limited number of contributed oral talks, we ­strongly encourage poster contributions and note that the Program Committee may be required to convert preferred oral presentations into posters. Selection of contributed abstracts will be based on the relevance of the subject matter to the conference and the quality of the science. All abstracts must be submitted by the advertised deadlines for consideration by the program committee.

 

Mode of presentation: First authors may indicate a preference for oral or poster presentation. The program committee will make final decisions on the mode of presentation.

 

First-author policy: One abstract per first author for consideration for contributed oral submission. (Invited presentations are the only exception.)

 

Oral presentation format: Depending on the session, either 10 or 15 minutes for speaking and 5 minutes for discussion and speaker transition.

 

Audio-Visual Equipment: Laptop PCs and Macs and an LCD projector. We do not offer an option for dual-screen presentations.

 

Poster presentation format: Poster size is 36" × 36". Two presenters share one side of one panel, so displays must be confined to the specified limit.

 

Due to space limitations, tables, computers, video equipment, etc., cannot be accommodated as a part of a poster display.

 

Poster Viewing: Posters may be viewed any time between noon on Monday and 10:00 a.m. on Friday.

 

Sessions will be scheduled in the afternoons and evenings Monday through Thursday, at which time authors will be present at designated timeslots for presentations. Due to space limitations, we expect a change of posters after the Tuesday evening session.

 

The final announcement will contain poster installation and removal instructions and poster session details.

 

Conference Program and Abstracts: The conference program and abstracts will be available on this website by May 6, 2008.

Special Events:

  • Sunday reception
    An ice-breaker reception is planned Sunday, July 13 at the Baltimore Marriott Waterfront Hotel and is tentatively scheduled from 5:30 to 7:00 PM. At this time, you can also register and pick up materials before the conference convenes.

  • Wednesday banquet
    The conference banquet will be held on Wednesday evening at the Baltimore Marriott Waterfront Hotel. Banquet tickets are provided for all meeting registrants

  • Thursday baseball game
    The game of baseball has a long, rich and colorful history in the United States and has become known as our national pastime. Since its invention in the middle of the 19th century, the popularity of baseball has spread from North America to South America and the Caribbean, and to East and Southeast Asia. The basic rules of baseball have changed little in over the past 100 years providing an easily recognizable connection between the accomplishments of present day players and the great players of the past.

    Thursday evening, July 17, the Baltimore Orioles are scheduled to play the Detroit Tigers at Oriole Park at Camden Yards beginning at 7:05 p.m. Oriole Park is within walking distance (1.9 km) of the Marriott Waterfront Hotel. We have purchased a block of reserved seats and tickets are available at no cost to all interested meeting attendees. Please enjoy a pleasant evening watching “America’s Pastime” at one of the most highly praised modern ballparks.

    Depending on interest, a tour of The Applied Physics Laboratory will be planned at no cost to interested meeting attendees.  APL is located in Laurel, Maryland about a 30-minute bus ride from the Marriott Waterfront Hotel.  Those interested in this tour should contact Margaret Simon.

Registration:

Registration is required of all participants and speakers. Payment will be accepted by check, money order, MasterCard or Visa. Purchase orders are not accepted. Anticipated registration fees are as follows:

 

 

Before 12 May 2008

After 12 May 2008

Students

$ 405

$ 435

Professionals

$ 485

$ 510

One Day

$ 240

$ 240



Accommodations:

The Baltimore Marriott Waterfront Hotel is set on the edge of the Baltimore Inner Harbor in the heart of Harbor East, the newest Baltimore neighborhood. It is steps from Inner Harbor restaurants and shopping, the National Aquarium, and the Maryland Science Center. The hotel is also within easy walking distance of downtown Baltimore’s famous Camden Yards, home of the Orioles. Please note that the Marriott is a non-smoking hotel.

 

Rates for the ACM conference are $199 USD per night, from Sunday through Thursday. To make reservations,  either use the link below or phone the hotel and request the ACM Rate. Please note that room rates are subject to applicable state and local taxes (currently 12.5%) per room per night in effect at the time of check-in. Per diem rates are available for qualified Government employees.

 

Conference Hotel:

Baltimore Marriott ® Waterfront
700 Aliceanna Street
Baltimore, Maryland 21202 USA

Phone: 1-410-385-3000
Fax: 1-410-895-1900
Toll-free: 1-800-228-9290

Discounted housing may also available on the Johns Hopkins University Campus and costs approximately $50 per night. More details will be available.


Other Lodging Options:

Discounted housing will also be available on a limited basis at the Johns Hopkins University Campus (approximately 7 km from the Marriott) and costs approximately $50 per night. Details on the rooms and transportation to and from the Marriott will follow.

The Baltimore Hostel located 7 blocks north of the inner harbor (about 2.2 km from the Marriott Waterfront Hotel) is another low-cost alternative.

 

Travel:

Air travel:
Baltimore is served by three major airports:

  • Baltimore-Washington International Airport (BWI) –BWI is located 20 km south of the conference hotel and is the primary airport for travelers to Baltimore.
  • Washington Dulles International Airport (IAD) -- located in Northern Virginia, 85 km from from the conference hotel.
  • Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport (DCA) – located in Northern Virginia, 75 km from the conference hotel.

Ground Transportation:
Ground transportation options from the three major airports are summarized in the following links (BWI, IAD and DCA).  Additional details are given below:

  • Shuttle Bus
    The Airport Shuttle offers discounted ground transportation between BWI airport and the Marriott. For a one-way trip from BWI to the Marriott the cost is approximately $ 13 USD at the discounted rate. Please reserve on the Airport Shuttle Link for the full discount.
  • Light Rail
    There is a light rail terminal at BWI airport with transportation into Baltimore.  The cost for a one-way trip into Baltimore is only about $ 2 USD.  The closest light rail stop to the Marriott is the Convention Center stop approximately 1.6 km from the hotel.  Alternatively, take the light rail into Penn Station (about 3.7 km from the hotel) and take a cab. Take the main exit from the station - taxis are always waiting.
  • Train
    Trains arrive and depart from Baltimore's Penn Station, 1500 N. Charles Street. Amtrak trains run 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, connecting Baltimore to cities along the Northeast Corridor. There is also a train station at the BWI Airport.
  • Taxis
    Taxis are available from all airports.  Fares from BWI to the hotel are approximately $ 30 USD.  Fares from DCA are approximately $ 100 USD.  Fares from IAD are approximately $ 130 USD.
  • Parking in Baltimore
    Details on parking in Baltimore are given in this link.  Typically parking in the inner harbor will cost between about $ 10 – 25 USD per day.  The parking garage at the Marriott costs $ 21 USD per day.

 

Foreign Travel Information:

Foreign participants may need a visa to enter the U.S, which may require applying six months or more in advance. Detailed information for scientific visitors can be obtained from the International Visitors Office. Please get started early with your visa application.

 

The ACM 2008 local organizing committee is ready now to assist with visa letters. Should you need a letter of invitation to support your visa application, please send an anticipated abstract title along with your full name, organization, and address to Margaret Simon at the contact address listed below. Please note that travel grants are not available for this meeting.



Schedule:

3 March 2008 Final announcement with abstract submission available on website (passed)
2 April 2008 Abstract deadline (passed)
30 April 2008 Deadline for Financial Support Application (passed)
6 May 2008 Conference program available on website
12 May 2008 Deadline for pre-registration at reduced rate
14-18 July 2008 ACM Conference in Baltimore


Scientific Organizing Committee:

Chair: Andrew Rivkin JHU/APL
Antonella Barucci Observatory of Paris, Meudon
William Bottke Southwest Research Institute
Ted Bowell Lowell Observatory
Beth Clark Ithaca College
Guy Consolmagno Vatican Observatory
Alan Harris Space Science Institute
Sue Lederer California State University, San Bernardino
Thais Mothe-Diniz National Observatory, Brazil
Keith Noll Space Telescope Science Institute
Juinichi Watanabe National Astronomical Observatory, Japan
Mike Zolensky NASA Johnson Space Center


Local Organizing Committee:

Chair: Andy Cheng JHU/APL
Ted Bowell Lowell Observatory
Nancy Chabot JHU/APL
Neil Dello Russo JHU/APL
Paul Feldman Johns Hopkins University
Alan Harris Space Science Institute
Mike Mumma NASA Goddard Space Flight Center
Hal Weaver JHU/APL


Contact Information:

For further information, contact:

Margaret Simon
JHU Applied Physics Laboratory
Phone: 240-228-7150
email: margaret.simon@jhuapl.edu



© 2007 Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory