First Announcement

International Astronomical Union (IAU) Symposium 257 on ''Universal Heliophysical Processes'' will be held in Ioannina, Greece during September 15-19, 2008. The symposium is cosponsored by the International Heliophysical Year (IHY) program and the University of Ioannina.

The focus of IAU symposium 257 is on the universality of physical processes in the region of space directly influenced by the Sun through its mass and electromagnetic Emissions: the heliospace. The symposium will also attempt to consolidate the knowledge gained in space science over the past fifty years since the birth of this discipline in 1957. The topics include: Solar sources of heliospheric variability; Origin, evolution and dissipation of magnetic structures; Plasma processes: flows, obstacles, circulation; Energetic particles in the heliosphere; Heliophysical boundaries and interfaces including shock waves; Reconnection processes; Turbulence in heliospace; Physical processes in stellar systems.

We expect about 200 participants from all over the world. The symposium will consist of invited talks, contributed talks, and poster presentations. A Conference Proceedings will be published soon after the symposium by the Cambridge University Press.

More details including travel, accommodation, registration, and abstract submission can be found on the symposium web site: http://iau257.uoi.gr/. If you are interested in knowing more about Ioannina, please contact Dr. Alexander Nindos (anindos-at-cc.uoi.gr),  LOC chair.

Nat Gopalswamy, David Webb, and Kazunari Shibata: SOC Co-chairs