The MICROSCIENCE 2008 International Conference organised by the Royal Microscopical Society (RMS) continues to grow, boasting three parallel sessions covering three inspiring themes. These are: Characterisation and nanofabrication of advanced materials; The cell in time and space; and Microscopy and analysis at the frontiers.

Each day will begin with a high-profile plenary lecture, providing an interesting and provocative start. Plenary Speakers are: former Government Chief Scientific Officer and Director of Research at Cambridge University’s Chemistry Department, Sir David King; ‘Bucky Balls’ Nobel Prize winner Sir Harry Kroto; Professor Dr Stefan Hell, recently credited for breaking Abbe’s light resolution barrier; and Professor Dr Knut Urban, Head of the German Physical Society (DPG). These eminent lecturers will be followed by sessions composed of headline invited speakers drawn from around the world, as well as submitted papers for the first time.

The plenary presentations promise to be extremely enlightening.  Professor Hell (Max Plank Institute for Biophysical Chemistry, Germany) will discuss his ground breaking development in far-field light microscopy with nanoscale resolution, 'Breaking Abbe's barrier: diffraction - unlimited resolution in far-field optical microscopy'. While the diffraction barrier has prompted the invention of electron, scanning probe, and x-ray microscopy, in the life sciences 80% of all microscopy studies are still performed with lens-based (fluorescence) microscopy in order to view living cells. Far-field ‘optical nanoscopy’ opens up many exciting new avenues of research.

Also on the nanoscience theme, Professor Sir Harry Kroto (The Florida State University, USA) will discuss 'Mechanisms of self assembly at nanoscale dimensions'. The unexpected discovery of a family of pure carbon cage molecules with incredible properties, the Fullerenes (Buckyballs) and Buckytubes, has facilitated the creation of molecules that ‘do something’.  Professor Urban (Research Centre Juelich, Germany) will present on the novel microscopy technique, 'Aberration-corrected electron microscopy - a breakthrough for materials science in atomic dimensions'.

“We are particularly pleased to announce such an eminent list of plenary and invited speakers, as well as calling for submitted papers for the first time,” said Paul Monaghan, RMS Honorary Secretary for Science.  “In addition to the weighty conference programme, what also makes MICROSCIENCE 2008 special is that the conference theatres and exhibition will be housed within a single hall.  Delegates will therefore circulate easily from lectures to demonstrations and discussions with exhibitors. Or they can network in the VIP lounge, the seating areas, or in the cafes that are also housed within the hall!”

To facilitate the submission of abstracts, the RMS has introduced a new on-line submission system for the reviewing and scoring of all proposed oral and poster presentations for MICROSCIENCE 2008. Any oral papers not selected for presentation will be invited for inclusion in the poster sessions and publication in the final conference proceedings. All posters submitted will also be automatically eligible to win RMS bursary awards and significant prizes.

Call for MICROSCIENCE 2008 papers - Deadline for contributed oral papers is February 29th 2008. More information is available at: www.microscience2008.org.uk.