WORLD CONGRESS OF MALACOLOGY
ANTWERP, BELGIUM, 15-20 JULY 2007
FIRST CIRCULAR : September 20th, 2006
The congress will be held on campus Ť Groenenborger ť of the University of Antwerp. It is the 16th
International Congress of UNITAS MALACOLOGICA (UM). The congress will also host the 73rd annual
meeting of the AMERICAN MALACOLOGICAL SOCIETY (AMS). All payments will be in EUROS ().
The congress is open for all contributions in the field of malacology and will host several exciting, open
symposia, including:
-
Ť Sexual selection ť (organised by R. Chase & J. Koene)
-
Ť Micromolluscs ť (organised by D. Geiger)
-
Ť Molluscs as models in evolutionary biology : From local speciation to global radiation ť (organised
by M. Glaubrecht & T. von Rintelen)
-
Ť Molluscan models : Advancing our understanding of the eye ť (organised by J. Serb & L. Robles)
-
Ť Inventorying the molluscan fauna of the world : frontiers and perspectives ť (organised by P.
Bouchet & S. Panha)
-
Ť Neogastropod origins and evolution ť (organised by J. Harasewych)
Yet, there is still room for further symposium or session proposals...
There will also be a contributed papers session and a poster session, with posters on display throughout the
conference. The conference will start with an Ť icebreaker ť on Sunday late afternoon, 15 July 2007. The
scientific presentations are organised in four parallel sessions on Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday.
During the poster presentation on Tuesday evening there will be a reception with wine, typical Belgian
degustations, cheese and of course... a selection of Belgian beers. On Thursday evening AMS will host its
annual auction of molluscan books and paraphernalia (no specimens) to benefit its student programs. The
conference dinner will be on Friday evening (several options are still being considered). Wednesday is a
free day during which participants can discover the many historical and beautiful places in Antwerp. They
can also join one of the suggested congress activities or do whatever they want, of course !

Convenient, though modest accommodation will be available at the university campus (about 200 single
and 20 double rooms with lavabo, but toilets and showers are shared [even though cabines are individual of
course]; prices: 20 /person or 27 /person per nig
ht ; breakfast included). Hotel accommodation will be
provided in the city centre of Antwerp, near Ť Antwerpen Centraal ť railway station, the main bus terminals
and the shuttle bus from/to Brussels international airport. Prices range from 47.5 (singles) to abou t 155
(4 persons) per room per night (breakfast included).
ACCOMMODATION WILL BE PROVIDED ON A FIRST COME FIRST SERVED BASIS
Congress registration fees are in (before / after 30 April 2007):
Full registration, UM-members
220 / 270
Full registration, non-UM-members
280 / 330
Student, UM-member
110 / 150
Student, non-UM-member
160 / 200
Fees include registration, abstract book, icebreaker, lunches, drinks and the wine/beer/degustation poster
reception. The congress dinner is not included.
There will be several student awards for oral and poster presentations, including six awards
presented by UM and the Constance Boone Award presented by AMS.
UM will provide Travel Grants. Applicants must be a member of UM or of an affiliated organisation.
If not, a three-year UM membership will be deduced from the grant. The maximum amount of any
Travel Grant will be 800 for applicants from outs ide Europe and 400 for residents in Europe.
Application forms will be sent out with the next circular and will be available from the WCM 2007
website and the UM website (see below). They can also be requested when pre-registering (see
below).
AMS will also be offering travel grants to its student members - please check the AMS website (see
below) for information and application.
The congress website will soon be activated. In the meantime additional info can be obtained at :
wcm@naturalsciences.be
You can also PRE-REGISTER at this E-mail address, indicating :
(1) what kind of presentation(s) you would like to give (NOTE : each participant can only act as first
author of ONE oral presentation and ONE poster presentation),
(2) which accommodation you prefer (campus vs hotel + how many persons/room),
(3) what type of registrant you are (UM member, student UM, student non-UM),
(4) whether you want to receive a Travel Grant application form,
(5) whether you need a congress Ť invitation ť or Ť acceptance ť letter (sometimes needed for certain grant
applications)
Please provide your contact information. Pre-registration IS NOT A FORMAL BOOKING; it simply
implies that you will be put on the congress mailing list, so that you will automatically receive the
next circulars (via E-mail, unless explicitly requested otherwise).
Useful websites :
Website of UNITAS MALACOLOGICA :
http://www.ucd.ie/zoology/unitas/
Website of the AMERICAN MALACOLOGICAL SOCIETY:
http://www.malacological.org

About Antwerp :
http://www.antwerpen.be/eCache/BEN/52.html
http://www.aviewoncities.com/antwerp.html
http://www.trabel.com/antwerp.htm
Website of the University of Antwerp (look for campus Ť Groenenborger ť):
http://www.ua.ac.be/main.aspx?c=.ENGLISH&n=25878
Belgian railways :
http://www.b-rail.be/main/E/index.php
Note : There are good international train connections between Antwerp and several major cities outside
Belgium. All train tickets can be purchased on-line using your credit card.
International bus connections to Antwerp (Europe only):
http://www.eurolines.com/
A route planner for if you come by car :
http://www.viamichelin.com/viamichelin/gbr/tpl/hme/MaHomePage.htm
A
irports :
Antwerp airport : http://www.antwerpairport.be/en/index.html
Brussels airport : http://www.brusselsairport.be/index.cfm?lang=en
Charleroi airport : http://www.charleroi-airport.com/BSCA/siteEN.nsf/.Accueil?Readform
VLM Airlines, the Flemisch regional airline, offers daily flights from London, Liverpool, and Manchester
to Antwerp Airport, where you can take the bus to Ť Antwerpen Centraal ť railway station (10min; 1.50 ).
Website of VLM : http://www.flyvlm.com/emc.asp
Brussels (Zaventem) is the main international airport in Belgium (home of SN Brussels Airlines and
VirginExpress), with a shuttle bus to the city centre of Antwerp (1 bus/hour; trip takes 45min; 8 ). You
can also take the train in Brussels Airport and switch trains in Ť Brussel Noord ť railway station (5
trains/hour; 60-80min; 6.70 ).
Website of SN Brussels Airlines: http://www.flysn.be/en%5Fbe/home/default.aspx
Website of VirginExpress : http://www.virgin-express.com/
Charleroi (Brussels South) airport is a major hub of Ryanair. From Charleroi you can reach Ť Antwerpen
Centraal ť railway station by direct train (2 trains/hour; 90-100min; 12.40 ).
Website of Ryanair : http://www.ryanair.com/site/EN/?culture=GB
Another convenient possibility is to fly to Amsterdam (Schiphol) and take the train from Schiphol Airport
to Antwerp. You can take either the fast trains (Thalys; you have to book in advance and it is more
expensive) or the Ť normal ť direct trains (1train/hour; 120min; 26 ).
PLEASE NOTE THAT WE (= CONGRESS ORGANISATION) WILL NEITHER PROVIDE
TRANSPORTATION, NOR WILL WE PICK UP PEOPLE AT AIRPORTS OR RAILWAY
STATIONS. WE COUNT ON YOUR SCOUTING TALENTS!
Currency Converter :
http://www.oanda.com/convert/classic?user=onlineconversion&lang=en
SEE YOU IN ANTWERP !
Thierry Backeljau
President of Unitas Malacologica