****************************************************************************** * * First Announcement * * ESO Workshop * * ECOLOGY OF BLUE STRAGGLER STARS * * Santiago de Chile * November 5-9, 2012 * ****************************************************************************** This is the first announcement for the ESO conference "Ecology of Blue Straggler Stars", to be held in Santiago de Chile, on November 5-9, 2012. The venue of the meeting will be the ESO Headquarters in Santiago, Chile. More detailed information is available on our web page http://www.eso.org/sci/meetings/2012/bss2012.html or by e-mail to bss2012@eso.org We encourage you to circulate the announcement among your colleagues. Organizing Committee: * Giovanni Carraro (ESO/Chile, co-chair) * Henri Boffin (ESO/Chile, co-chair) * Giacomo Beccari (ESO/Garching) * Alison Sills (McMaster University, Canada) * Melvyn Davies (Lund University, Sweden) * Francesco Ferraro (University of Bologna, Italy) * Robert Mathieu (University of Wisconsin, USA) * Hagai Perets (Harvard University, USA) * Javier Ahumada (Universidad de Córdoba, Argentina) * MarÌa Eugenia Gomez - Paulina Jiron (ESO-Chile) (logistics) ------------------------------------------------------ GOAL OF THIS WORKSHOP Blue straggler stars are stellar oddities that have been found in a wide variety of environments: open clusters, globular clusters, OB associations, dwarf spheroidal galaxies, and even in the field. Despite being known since the 1950s a coherent picture is not yet available. This workshop – the first devoted to these unique objects – aims at bringing together theoreticians and observers in order to compose a complete picture of the progress in the field. It will also bring together specialists of binaries and multiple systems, of stellar evolution and stellar populations, as well as of the dynamics of clusters. WORKSHOP FORMAT The workshop, spread over a week and held at the ESO-Chile headquarters in Santiago, will consist of 8 sessions covering observations, dynamics of clusters, binary stars, formation channels, and interpretation. Each session will start with extended invited talks, followed by some shorter contributed presentations. A space will be available for displaying posters. Our conference room holds about 100 people. Advanced astronomy graduate students are welcome to attend the workshop. INVITED SPEAKERS Henri Boffin ESO, Chile Melvyn Davies Lund University, Sweden Licai Deng National Astronomical Observatory, China Francesco Ferraro Bologna University, Italy Aaron Geller Northwestern University, USA Natalia Ivanova University of Alberta, Canada Cristian Knigge University of Southampton, UK Steve McMillan Drexel University, USA Robert Mathieu University of Wisconsin, USA Yazan Momany ESO, Chile Hagai Perets Harvard University, USA George Preston Carnegie Institute, USA Alison Sills McMaster University, Canada IMPORTANT DEADLINES * Registration: 31 July 2012 * Submission of abstracts: 31 August 2012 REGISTRATION and FEES Registration fees will be 150 Euros. A reduced fee of 50 Euros applies for students. Some additional limited support for students might be available upon request. CONTACT US Conference e-mail: bss2012@eso.org Webpage: http://www.eso.org/sci/meetings/2012/bss2012/