Contents of this message

1. The Western Pacific Geophysics Meeting
2. Hotel reservations now available online
3. Important visa information
4. Press Registration Information
5. Press Registration Form

The Western Pacific Geophysics Meeting (WPGM) is a biannual meeting. It provides an opportunity for AGU members and members of the cosponsoring societies in the Western Pacific region to attend a meeting similar in structure to the AGU Fall Meeting. The program covers all areas of geophysical sciences. The meeting focus is on topics of interest in the western Pacific region, but does not exclude other topics.

Cosponsors of WPGM include societies from Australia, China, Japan, Korea, New Zealand, Philippines, and Taiwan. The full list of cosponsors, with links to their own Web sites, may be seen at http://www.agu.org/meetings/wp04/

This is the first WPGM to be held in the United States. Hawaii presents an opportunity to attract more students and scientists from North America to participate in the meeting. The meeting is being held at the Hawaii Convention Center, a state of the art facility. We expect about 1,600 attendees at this meeting.

AGU will operate a Press Room and offer a series of press conferences on some of the newsworthy discoveries being reported at WPGM. The schedule of press conferences will be announced in a subsequent advisory. A Press Registration Form may be linked from this message (Item 5, below).

AGU has negotiated rates at several hotels in Honolulu, ranging from $79 to $145 per night, some with kitchenettes. Rooms are filled on a first come first served basis and may fill up prior to July 14, the deadline for rooms at these rates.

For the list of WPGM hotels, with rates, a map showing their location in relation to the convention center, and a link for an online or faxable hotel reservation form, see http://www.agu.org/meetings/wp04/hotel_travel.shtml

The U.S. State Department requires citizens of many countries to obtain visas to attend a scientific meeting. In addition, the State Department requires citizens from visa waiver program (VWP) countries to obtain visas if they do not have machine-readable passports and they wish to visit the U.S. Enforcement of this new rule has been delayed from 1 October 2003 to 26 October 2004 for all but five VWP countries: Andorra, Brunei, Liechtenstein, Luxembourg, and Slovenia. Passports held by nationals of these countries are already mostly machine-readable.

Journalists from outside the U.S. who are covering WPGM should apply for an "I" visa:
"(I) upon a basis of reciprocity, an alien who is a bona fide representative of foreign press, radio, film, or other foreign information media, who seeks to enter the United States solely to engage in such vocation, and the spouse and children of such a representative if accompanying or following to join him"

General information about visas: http://www7.nationalacademies.org/visas/

Press registrants receive a badge that provides access to any of the scientific sessions of the meeting, as well as to the Press Room and Briefing Room. No one will be admitted without a valid badge.

Eligibility for press registration is limited to the following persons:

• Working press employed by bona fide news media: must present a press card, business card, or letter of introduction from an editor of the publication.
• Freelance science writers: must present a current membership card from NASW, a regional affiliate of NASW, CSWA, ISWA, or SEJ, or evidence of by-lined work pertaining to science intended for the general public and published in 2003 or 2004.
• Public information officers of scientific societies, educational institutions, and government agencies: must present a business card.

Note: Representatives of publishing houses, for-profit corporations, and the business side of news media must register at the main registration desk at the meeting and pay the appropriate fees, regardless of possession of any of the above documents.

The Press Registration Form is set up for online submission, but includes a link to a version that can be printed out and faxed or mailed. Go to: http://www.agu.org/meetings/wp04/review/wp04pressreg_cgi.shtml

The last day for advance press registration is August 6. You may also register onsite in the Press Room.

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