(You may find the first announcement here)
The goal of the workshop is to present some of the best recent work in algebraic geometry with emphasis on possible relations with and applications to mathematical physics, coding theory, industrial and computational aspects. Proceedings will be published with the contribution of NATO. Scientists from all NATO countries, Middle East countries and the former Soviet Union are invited to participate.
Sponsors: NATO Scientific Affairs Division, Emmy Noether Research Institute of Mathematics in Bar-Ilan University.
NATO Organizing Committee: C. Ciliberto (Univ. of Roma "Tor Vergata"), F. Hirzebruch (MPI, Bonn), R. Miranda (Colorado State Univ.), M. Teicher (Bar-Ilan Univ.).
Local Organization: B. Kunyavskii (Bar-Ilan Univ.).
Information: NATO@macs.biu.ac.il
The following people are planning to participate: E. Arbarello (Pisa), V. Batyrev (Tübingen), A. Beauville (Paris), J. Bernstein (Tel Aviv), F. Catanese (Göttingen), A. Conte (Turin), R. Donagi (Philadelphia), G. van der Geer (Amsterdam), P. Griffiths (Princeton), K. Hulek (Hannover), V. Iskovskih (Moscow), V. Kaminski (Ramat Gan), M. Kontsevich (Bures-sur-Yvette), V. Kulikov (Moscow), A. Libgober (Chicago), V. Lin (Haifa), R. Livné (Jerusalem), Y. Miyaoka (Kyoto), N. Mok (Hong Kong), D. Mumford (Providence), T. Peternell (Bayreuth), M. Salvetti (Pisa), R. Schoof (Rome), E. Sernesi (Rome), Y.T. Siu (Cambridge, USA).
Accommodation: The Conference will take place in a modern hotel with full conference facilities. In order to negotiate the prices we need an estimate on number of participants. If you intend to participate please write as soon as possible to NATO@macs.biu.ac.il, indicating also whether or not you will be accompanied by a spouse. In the second announcement we will add Hotel registration form that should be faxed directly to the hotel with the participant credit card data.
Financial support: Unfortunately the budget is very limited and therefore the Organizing Committee will only support the invited speakers. However a few facilities will be available also for other participants. They will consist in particularly good prices for hotel, restaurant rates, etc.
Location: The site of the Conference, Eilat, is the most southern point of Israel, a resort city hugging the shores of the Red Sea, surrounded by the magnificent Edom Mountain Range, characterized by its crystal clear waters and year-round sunshine. Its unique undersea vista, flora and fauna may be admired by boat or at a breath-taking Underwater Observatory and of course for the enthusiasts, by snorkeling or diving. The inland desert landscapes are no less fascinating. Eilat is well known for its mild winter climate. The weather in Eilat, during the month of February, is warm during the day and cooler at night. Temperatures range from 12°C to 25°C. It seldom rains in Eilat all year round. Participants who stay longer or come earlier might want to join some of many interesting day-trips which start in Eilat, either inside Israel or by crossing the border to Jordan or Egypt (Moon Valley, Akaba, Petra, Wadi Rum, Nuweiba, Colored Canyon, and even Santa-Catarina). (Reservation can be made on the spot through the hotels concierge.)
Arrival: You can get to Eilat by bus from the central bus station of Tel Aviv (5.30 hours) or Jerusalem (5 hours); by taxi or shuttle from Ovda Airport (40 minutes from Eilat, only charter flights); or by connecting flight from Ben-Gurion Airport to Eilat (if you are under time pressure). From the airport of Eilat or from the central bus station of Eilat, take a taxi to the hotel (sometimes you will find a shuttle of the hotel at the exit).
Car Rentals: For those interested, we strongly recommend to make the necessary arrangements through their own travel agent before leaving for Israel. On site car rentals are more costly (Eldan is the cheapest (as of now) of all car rental agencies in Ben-Gurion airport).
Conference Schedule: Arrival day is February 24 or 25. The conference will start at the mid-day of February 25 (to allow longer rest for late arrivals on Saturday, and the possibility to arrive with the first bus from Tel Aviv), and will end before noon on the 1st of March. There will be twenty four 40-minutes lectures in five days (6+6+3+6+3). On Tuesday there will be only one session. The afternoon sessions on Monday and Wednesday will start in the late afternoon, to allow a mid-day break on the beach. Tentatively we plan to organize two social events ("get-together" Sunday evening and Gala dinner on Wednesday night).
Clothing: The weather is likely to be warm and dry in the Eilat area. We strongly suggest to bring bathing suits. However, if anyone is planning to visit other places in Israel, one can take into account the possibility of lower temperatures and rain.
For information about the NATO Scientific Affairs Division please visit NATO web site.