Dear KAS Members,

It is my pleasure to announce the '1st Korea-Italy Symposium on Cosmic Microwave Background Science and Cosmology’, which will be held on May 30, 2016 at Sejong University in Seoul, Korea. The central goal of this meeting is to foster new collaborations between Korean and Italian scientists over a broad spectrum of topics - ranging from cosmology and CMB science to particle physics, neutrino science, and gravitational wave astronomy - and to initiate the planning of the XXXI International Astronomical Union (IAU) General Assembly, which will be held in Busan in 2021. The meeting is in collaboration with the Italian Embassy in Seoul, and the Italian Ambassador will also be present. The main format of the conference consists only on invited talks, but we also reserved a slot for poster presentations. There is no registration fee, and the deadline for registration and poster submission is May 25, 2016. We warmly encourage and welcome your participation.

                                             Sincerely Yours,

                                                            Graziano Rossi

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Title: The 1st Korea-Italy Symposium on Cosmic Microwave Background Science and Cosmology

Venue: Convention Center, Sejong University, Seoul, Korea

Day: May 30, 2016 - 9:00-18:00

Overview: The central goal of this meeting is to foster new collaborations between Korean and Italian scientists, particularly on two primary aspects. The first is cosmology with the Cosmic Microwave background (CMB), a scientific field almost absent in Korea but in which Italy detains a strong leadership, especially in connection with the Planck satellite mission and with the future Euclid space mission. The second is the planning of the XXXI International Astronomical Union (IAU) General Assembly - the equivalent of the EXPO for Astronomy and Astrophysics - which will be held in Busan in 2021. To this end, the newly elected IAU General Secretary, Professor Piero Benvenuti, will come to Korea to interact with the top leaders of the Korean IAU and Korean Astronomical Society (KAS), and visit the IAU GA site in Busan. The overall intent is also to broaden the scientific horizon and promote an interdisciplinary approach across fields, ranging from cosmology and CMB science to particle physics, neutrino science, and gravitational wave astronomy.

Topics: CMB science, cosmology and large-scale structure, IAU GA planning

Organizers: Graziano Rossi (Sejong Univ.), Francesco Canganella (Embassy of Italy)

Homepage: www.sejongastromeetings.com

Contact: Prof. Graziano Rossi
               graziano@sejong.ac.kr
                sejongcosmogroup@gmail.com
Tel. +82-2-3408-3156 | Fax +82-2-3408-4335

Sponsor: Sejong University, National Research Foundation of Korea (NRF), Italian Embassy in Seoul