First Announcement   [Apologies if you receive this email multiple times]

IAU Symposium 353 "Galactic Dynamics in the Era of Large Surveys"

June 30-July 5, 2019

Shanghai, China

Website: http://dynamics.csp.escience.cn/dct/page/1

Scientific Rationale:

Galactic Dynamics is key to our understanding of the assembly history and current structure of galaxies. Surveys of the Milky Way, Local Group and nearby and distant galaxies are mapping their kinematics, stellar populations, stellar chemistry and gas content in unprecedented detail.  These surveys are raising many new questions and challenges. Some of these challenges include:
* The roles of mergers, hierarchical assembly, tides versus the role of longer-term dynamical and secular evolution in shaping galaxies across the Hubble sequence.

* The role of gas, star formation and feedback on the dynamics, structure and evolution of galaxies.

* The development of tools to model and interpret large and diverse multi-wavelength datasets in a consistent manner.

* Ensuring that the emerging detailed understanding of the dynamics, assembly and evolution of Local Group galaxies is consistent with and informs our understanding of the structure and evolution of more distant galaxies.

This conference will review our current state of knowledge and address these major challenges to our understanding of galaxy dynamics, structure, and evolution. This symposium will also celebrate Jerry Sellwood's contributions to galactic dynamics on the occasion of his 70th birthday.

In addition to invited talks (a full list is available on the conference website) there will be contributed talks, posters as well as four panel discussions. Three public outreach lectures in a range of topics are also planned.

SOC members:

Juntai Shen (Shanghai Astronomical Observatory, China, co-chair)

Monica Valluri (Univeristy of Michigan, USA, co-chair)

Gurtina Besla (University of Arizona, USA)

Joss Bland-Hawthorn (University of Sydney, Australia)

Jo Bovy (University of Toronto, Canada)

Michele Cappellari (Oxford University, UK)

Francoise Combes (Observatoire de Paris, France)

Dmitri Gadotti (ESO, Germany)

Ortwin Gerhard (MPE, Germany)

Amina Helmi (University of Groningen, Netherlands)

Woong-Tae Kim (Seoul National University, Korea)

John Kormendy (University of Texas at Austin, USA)

Summer School preceding the Symposium:

A summer school for graduate students and postdocs will be held during the week prior to the symposium June 24 - June 28. It will introduce students to principles of galactic dynamics and introduce some of the powerful publicly available tools used by dynamicists today. Details of the Summer School will be announced in the Second Announcement (January 2019).

Abstract Submission:

Individuals wishing to attend the Symposium are requested to submit an abstract for a contributed talk or poster by Friday, February 15th 2019. The SOC will reply to all applicants regarding the status of their submission by mid March. In order to submit an abstract, please fill out the form at:

http://dynamics.csp.escience.cn/dct/page/65558

Registration Fees:

The early bird registration fees is  €260 (€180 for students) if paid by April 5, 2019, and €300 (€250 for students) if received by June 1, 2019.  Registration fee rises to €350 (€300 for students) after June 1, 2019 (including on-site).

 An electronic copy of the conference proceedings is included in the registration fee. The registration fees can be paid by credit card or electronic wire transfer (the online payment system will be online by Jan 1, 2019).

Financial Support:

We may provide some travel support (up to €500) to colleagues from economically less privileged countries and young or retired scientists. Final travel grants are contingent on IAU approval.
Approval notification of travel grants will be sent out before March 30, 2019.  Please indicate in the abstract submission form if you are a student or postdoc and a short paragraph justifying your need for financial assistance to attend the meeting. Per IAU regulation, travel grants are normally paid in cash on site at the Symposium, upon signature of a receipt.

Important Dates:

Deadline for Submission of Abstracts: February 1, 2019

Abstract Acceptance Notification: March 15, 2019

Approval Notification of IAU Travel Grant: March 30, 2019

Deadline for Early Bird Registration: April 5, 2019, registration fee
€260 (€180 for students)

Registration with the registration fee €300 (€250 for students) if received by June 1, 2019

Registration fee rises to €350 (€300 for students) after June 1, 2019 (including on-site).