Executive Committee and Council News
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The ECM26 Planning Committee met in Darmstadt on the weekend of October 17th and 18th 2009 and comprised the Conference Chair, Prof Dr Hartmut Fuess and the Conference Secretary Dr Helmut Ehrenberg as Hosts along with the ECA President, Prof Santiago Garcia-Granda, the Immediate Past President, Prof John R Helliwell, and the Conference Organisation represented by Herr Felix Angermüller, Conventus.
Santiago and I stayed at the Welcome Hotel, where the Planning Meeting was held in the Newton Room, and is across the road from the Congress Centre, named Darmstadtium, after element 110, discovered by the GSI in Darmstadt (Figure 1).
Figure 1 Darmstadtium (Ds = #110): On 9 November 1994 at 4:39 PM the first atom of the heaviest chemical element with atomic number 110 was detected at GSI in Darmstadt, Germany.
During the Saturday afternoon we visited the Darmstadtium Congress Centre; some photos of the outside and inside are shown below in the Figures 2 and 3.
Figure 2 The Darmstadtium 'front-side' as viewed from The Welcome Hotel.
Figure 3. Various internal views of the Darmstadtium. The architects preserved some original city walls, which are also featured here. One of the views is of a past conference event..
The Darmstadtium examples of Lecture room names below again illustrate the strong way in which science is permeating the scene here.
2.01 carboniumThere are large open plan spaces in the Darmstadtium and plenty of window-light for the Exhibition areas, the poster sessions and meal times.
The Welcome Hotel is the Conference Centre Hotel and has over 200 rooms (http://www.welcome-hotels.com/go/welcomehotel_darmstadt). The past-guest comments I saw on the internet were all giving very high scores across all categories and I concur completely. There was also a fitness/wellness suite on the 4th floor. Outside there is a pleasant garden and lawn and is opposite the now rebuilt theatre of Darmstadt.
Figure 4. Outside the Welcome Hotel, which is adjacent to the Congress Centre and comprises over 200 bedrooms. Above the (public) gardens and below the front entrance viewed from the Theatre.
Figure 5. The ECM26 Planning Visit October 17th 2009; the Team outside the old theatre in Darmstadt, just across from the Welcome Hotel and the Congress Centre.
Centre:- Prof Dr Hartmut Fuess, ECM26 and EPDIC Chairman.
Right to Left:-
Dr Helmut Ehrenberg, ECM26 Conference Secretary;
Prof Dr Udo Heinemann, President of the German Crystallographic Association;
Prof Dr Hartmut Fuess;
ECA President Prof Santiago Garcia-Granda;
ECA Immediate Past President Prof John R Helliwell.
A short walk into the Darmstadt city centre and one enters the olde worlde atmosphere of cobbled streets and traditional city hall, hotels and bars as well as a modern shopping centre.
Figure 6. The Darmstadt Rathaus and Beer Garden.
Figure 7. The ECA President Prof Santiago Garcia-Granda in Darmstadt Oct 17th 2009 early evening, with some clouds coming in explaining the rather grey light.
The internet provides various photos of Darmstadt and which features a lot of cycling and bicycles, obviously enthusiastic about this in Darmstadt! Also various beautiful buildings in Mathildenhoehe. A Russian church also. "The Kiss" - mosaic in the Wedding Tower etc etc:-
A few practical details. From Frankfurt Airport take the Airliner bus to Darsmstadt, and which takes 25 minutes:-
The Airliner bus outside Darmstadt Hauptbahnhof.
Don't do what Santiago and I did first and end up on the local ie 'stopping bus' to Darmstadt, which took 90 minutes, although at 3.70 Euros its cheap.
Where is Darmstadt? Obviously near to Frankfurt but also within easy striking distance of Heidelberg. Pre and Post Congress Tours will be available; details to be made available from ECM26's Conventus.
