ISMB-97: Intelligent Systems for Molecular Biology 1997

The Fifth International Conference on Intelligent Systems for Molecular Biology (ISMB-97)

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ISMB-97 Social Activities

At the suggestion of attendees of ISMB-96, ISMB-97 will be organized with more free time and social events for informal scientific discussion. There will be the usual banquet (with better than usual food), nightly informal receptions, and there will be some optional day trips scheduled. The morning and afternoon coffee breaks will serve both coffee and tea (no more coffee-only chauvinism), with soft drinks available in the afternoon. The receptions will use "drink tickets" rather than an open bar, so that we can afford to provide a better selection of drinks (the attendees of this conference don't drink enough to justify the hourly rates charged for open bars, and prefer quality to quantity).

Day trips

The ISMB-97 committee is planning to sponsor one or more optional day trips to nearby attractions. We hope to be able to negotiate a low enough cost to offer the trips free to conference attendees, with a nominal charge for family members. Here are some of the possibilities:
City:
Thessaloniki, capital of Macedonia, second largest city in Greece (population 1,100,000), cultural, economic and industrial center of the Greek north and SE Europe. Airport, harbour, railways and motorways. Three universities, many museums, churches, center of the Byzantine Empire. Ancient Greek, Roman, Byzantine, Venetian antiquities. City recently celebrated its 2,300 years. Its history reflects the turbulent history of Macedonia.

Thassaloniki has been named the Cultural Capital of Europe 1997, various events. Elegant shops, vibrant nightlife. Recently, Thessaloniki was rated one of the top five european non-metropolitan cities for 1994-5.

East:
Stageira, birthplace of Aristotle, natural philosopher, teacher of Alexander the Great. Phillipi, important Macedonian city, unique mixture of pre- and post-hellenistic buildings, Roman theater 4C BC, museum, remnants of Via Egnatia, the roman road that linked east and west. Thasos, significant Athenian colony, theater 4C BC, underwater ruins, beautiful sand beaches. Cruise around Mount Athos, the stronghold of orthodoxy with many monasteries, more than a thousand years old.
West:
Ancient cities: Pella, the capital of the Macedonian Empire, birthplace of Philip II and his son Alexander the Great. Superb mosaic pavements (4C-3C BC). Vergina (ancient Aigai), the capital before Pella, the place of the royal tombs for the Macedonian dynasty, exquisite treasures of Philip II, the theatre where Philip was assassinated. Mount Olympus (Greece's highest mountain), the home of the gods, the throne of Zeus, the prehistoric hut of Indo-European religion.
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Last updated Wed Apr 16 16:44:21 BST 1997