7th International Weber Symposium (2008)

The 7th International Weber Symposium on Innovative Fluorescence Methodologies in Biochemistry and Medicine, "Weber Symposium", was held in Kauai, Hawaii, on June 6-12, 2008.

The "11th International Carl Zeiss-sponsored Workshop on Fluorescence Correlation Spectroscopy (FCS) and related Methods" was held as part of the Weber Symposium.

The symposium honors the fundamental and far-reaching contributions of Professor Gregorio Weber. It provides an overview of modern fluorescence methodologies and applications in the biological and medical sciences. Weber symposia were held in Italy in 1986 and 1991, and in Hawaii in 1995, 1999, 2002, and 2005.

Speakers describe state-of-the-art and emerging technologies used in their research programs. Topics include multiphoton fluorescence microscopy, confocal microscopy, time-resolved fluorescence instrumentation, single molecule studies, fluctuation correlation spectroscopy, fluorescence imaging spectroscopy, fluorescence resonance energy transfer, macromolecular (nucleic acids and proteins) interactions, membrane dynamics, and quantitative cellular dynamics. 

General Information

Deadlines and Updates

• June 18, 2008: Recordings of the lectures are now available.
• May 19, 2008: The agenda and lists of abstracts and attendees are now available.
• May 6, 2008: Deadline for submission or change of abstracts (passed).
• May 6, 2008: Deadline for registrating exhibits (passed).
• May 13, 2008: Cut off date for obtaining special group rates at the Kauai Marriott Resort (passed).

Venue

The venue for the 2008 meeting is the same as in 2005: the Kauai Marriott Resort and Beach Club, located on Kalapaki Beach, Lihue, Hawaii, on the Island of Kauai. The address is Kalapaki Beach, 3610 Rice Street, Lihue-Kauai, Hawaii 96766 (Google Map). Check out Sandie's tour of the Kauai Marriott.

Please note that the Marriott Hotel is a non-smoking facility. There is NO smoking in the rooms or grounds (except in a few designated smoking areas) or at any of the symposium venues e.g., coffee breaks, breakfast, receptions, luau, posters/exhibits.

Lodging

A block of rooms is being held at the Kauai Marriott Resort and Beach Club. We have negotiated a group rate of $225 per night-single/double occupancy (plus applicable taxes - currently 11.416%). Maximum room occupancy is four persons. Charges for a third person are $40/per person, except there is no additional charge for children (18 yrs or under) when accompanied by a paying adult. This rate is significantly lower than the standard room rate ($389 up) at this beautiful resort.

The cut off date for obtaining the special group rate is Tuesday, May 13, 2008 - however there are a limited number of rooms at the Group rate and when they are gone then the regular hotel rate will be in effect - so reserve early!

Please make your own arrangements with the Kauai Marriott Resort at 1-808-245-5050, or 1-800-220-2925, or refer to the Marriott's Web site for information when calling from outside the USA. Please identify yourself as being with the "7th International Weber Symposium" in order to receive the special symposium rate. All participants, including invited speakers, must make reservations with the hotel. If you have difficulty reserving rooms at the special rate, please ask the reservationists to check with Events Management.

The special rate will be made available to event attendees for three days before and three days after the official program dates on a space-available basis. After the cutoff date, the above rates will be made available to event attendees for three days before and three days after the official program dates only on a space- and rate-available basis.

All reservations for the event must be accompanied by a two-night room deposit or guaranteed with a major credit card. Hotel will not hold any reservations unless secured.

Sharing a hotel room: a listing of those persons who would like to share a room will be kept by the conference secretary. If you want to share a room, indicate so on the registration form and a listing of contacts will be sent to you. If you have specific needs, please contact the conference secretary via email.

Transportation

Lihue Airport (LIH), located two miles (3 km) east of Līhuʻe, is the primary gateway to Kauai island and has several rental car facilities.

Please note that Aloha Airlines will shut down passenger operations after March 31, 2008.

Abstracts and Posters

All participants who wish to hang a poster and all speakers must submit an abstract to the conference secretary. More than one poster may be submitted if approved by the committee. Abstracts and posters must be scientific in nature; posters containing advertising are not allowed. Abstracts should be no larger than to fit in a space approximately 6.5"x6.5" (width x height), single-spaced in a 10-point font. Please submit your abstract in one of the following ways: together with the on-line registration, on magnetic disk (in almost any format, Microsoft Word preferred), accompanied by a hard copy of the text, hand typed, or submitted via electronic mail. Abstracts will be typeset for publication in the program.

The deadline for submitting abstracts for inclusion in the abstract book is May 6, 2008.

Size of poster area: Individual, free-standing poster boards will be used this year. The area allotted for each poster will be 4x4 feet. If your poster is in one large piece, it may extend below the 4-foot area, but cannot be wider than 4 feet.

Posters will be on display throughout the symposium. Times will be announced for the poster presentation sessions. Posters are not required for attendance.

Exhibits and Advertisements

Companies and institutions interested to advertise in the conference abstract book or exhibit at the Weber Symposium should refer to the exhibits page.

Luau

A luau is hosted as part of the symposium. Paid registrants are admitted to the Luau at no charge. A $60 admittance fee is imposed for each additional person over the age of 10.

A luau (in Hawaiian, lū'au) is a Hawaiian feast. It may feature food, such as poi, kalua pig, poke, lomi salmon, opihi, haupia, and beer; and entertainment, such as Hawaiian music and hula.

T-Shirts

Globals Software, a sponsor of the meeting, will provide a T-shirt with the meeting logo for each speaker and registered guest. Additional T-shirts maybe purchased, but must be ordered and prepaid prior to March 31, 2008.

Registration and Payments

The deadline for registration or change of abstracts is May 6, 2008.

Fees

• Professionals: $400
• Students: $200
• Table-top Exhibitor: $1000
• Regular Exhibitors: $2500
• Sponsors: $4000 or more

Additional fees may apply for extra services. Registration fees may be waived, e.g. for invited speakers.

Registration and Payment Process

All participants must register for the meeting, even if the registration fee is waived (e.g. for invited speakers, organizers, and second sponsor representatives).

Registration must be done using the on line registration form. Upon sucessful submission of the registration form, you will be presented a Web page with a proforma invoice and a confirmation that we have received your registration. Please print that page for your records.

Registration fees may be paid

1. via PayPal, using a credit card, debit card or bank account. Follow the "PayPal Buy Now" link on the confirmation page and the instructions given on the secure "PayPal" site.
2. in cash at the time of check-in in Hawaii.
3. via check or money order. Please make checks payable to "Fluorescence Meeting" and send to the conference secretary:

We will send an email confirming your participation in the Weber Symposium 2008 once we have received your payment and complete registration information.

Contact Information

Conference Secretary