Date: Thu, 8 Dec 2005 11:53:18 +0100 From: Axel Brandenburg To: Dear all We have now altogether 30 participants for the Winter School in Finnish Lapland. As advertised, students are accommodated in cabins and we have now produced a preliminary housing plan. The cabins have all different sizes, but people have also different tastes. If you wish to be accommodated with other people, it might be possible within limits. Here is the housing plan: http://www.nordita.dk/conference/AstroBioSchool/cabins.html Each morning there will be breakfast at the Hotel Levitunturi, and your name badge will allow you to get in to the breakfast room. This should enable us to get together easily. Breakfast will start at 7:30 and at 8:30 we start with the first lecture, which goes until 10:00, followed by a coffee break. During the short time when it is light we have free time which you can use for talking, working, and skiing. I've asked lecturers to provide reading material, and some material is already listed on the program page http://www.nordita.dk/conference/AstroBioSchool/program.html Of particular importance and interest is the article by Mike Russell in the next issue of American Scientist; here is the link: http://www.nordita.dk/conference/AstroBioSchool/material/RussellAmericanScientist2006.pdf I ask all of you to download, print and read this paper before the start of the Winter School. Further information will be posted on the web as it becomes available. Please also use some time to educate yourself about interesting things that you read and don't understand. It will then be more fun to listen to the lecturers and ask them more specific questions. There are many good books on the subject, and a lot of information is available on the web. An excellent text book is: I. Gilmour & M. A. Sephton: An Introduction to Astrobiology, Cambridge University Press. A much more general book about Astrobiology is of course the book by P. D. Ward & D. Brownlee: Rare Earth: why complex life is uncommon in the Universe, Springer: New York If you have a laptop, it may be a good idea to bring it along. Within the premises of the hotel you will be able to connect to the wireless network. For those who have skiis, don't forget to bring them. There will also be a possibility to rent skiis, but that will be at your own expense. There are both downhill and cross country possibilities. On the weekend we will have an excursion (details follow later). The plan is to ski/walk to a big cabin some 5 km off the road where we will stay overnight. There will be food and sauna, but you better bring good clothing. Regular skiing boots are ok, but make sure they are not too tight even with thick socks. Temperatures can drop to -40C. The typical amount of snow is around 20 cm at that time. As you see from the program, we have scheduled two sessions for informal talks (Wednesday in the 1st week and Monday in the 2nd week). This provides a possibility for students to talk about their own work. These talks should be short. You can email me beforehand or talk to me when were are there, but don't forget to bring some material if you have any. Regards, Axel Brandenburg