4th Annual Virginia Regional Herpesvirus Symposium – VRHS 2013
Welcome to the official website for the fourth annual
Virginia Regional Herpes Symposium
It is our pleasure to welcome you to the VRHS 2013, which this year will be held at the EVMS Education and Research Building (ERB) on Saturday, April 6, 2013.
Our Keynote Speaker, Lynn Enquist, Ph.D., Henry L. Hillman Professor and Chair of the Department of Molecular Biology and Professor in the Princeton Neuroscience Institute at Princeton University, will present his view on how HSV manipulates neuronal function:
"How Herpes Sparked My Interest in Neurons, and Vice Versa"
This year’s installment of VRHS will be held on the campus of Eastern Virginia Medical School in Norfolk and can thus be reached from most of the state by car in less than 4-5 hours.
Detailed directions to the EVMS campus and maps can be found here.
There are 6 hotels (~$75-150/night) in downtown Norfolk that can be reached by the Tide Light Rail in a matter of minutes, in addition to the Page House B&B (~$180/night) which is within walking distance of the EVMS campus.
For individual registration for the Symposium, please download this form:
whereas Vendors/Exhibitors should use this form:
2013 Vendor Registration- VRHS
Fill out the appropriate form and either snailmail, fax (757-624-2255) or e-mail it to the Organizers, Julie or Patric.
For emailed registrations, a confirmation of registration and a receipt will be sent once a payment has been received - if you intend to pay by check at the meeting, please get pre-approval from the organizers and understand that there is an addition $10 processing fee (making your cost $60).
If you are interested in ordering a souvenir from the meeting in advance, contact Patric for an external link where a number of items with the vhrs2013 logo affixed are available. If you pre-order at least a week in advance, the item will be given to you upon check-in.
The Symposium starts at 9:00 am and runs until about 7:00 pm. The Preliminary Program will be posted here soon. Below is a summary of what you can expect at this Symposium:
1. Registration
Payment and registration form are due by March 22nd. Any questions regarding registration and/or payments should be addressed to Julie Kerry, PhD at: kerryja@evms.edu. Note that the registration fee includes snacks, refreshments and the reception, but does not include meals. Students and postdoctoral fellows may be eligible for travel awards that will cover all or part of the costs of registration to be determined after the conclusion of the meeting.
2. Abstracts and Posters
Abstract submissions must be in PDF format and sent directly to Julie Kerry or Patric Lundberg by 5pm on March 22nd. All abstracts are limited to one page (1-in left margins) and may include figures and/or tables (abstracts in the format of IHW are acceptable).
This year, attendees may also select to present a poster of their work. Abstracts for posters will be printed in the Program book. If you wish to present a poster, please select the appropriate section of the registration form.
3. Principal Investigator Representation
To acknowledge each lab's participation, and to facilitate future collaborations, all PIs that attend and/or send lab members to the Symposium are asked to send a PDF with the following information to the Organizers:
- PI name, title, institution, phone number, email address and web page.
- General research interest description (material on Department's website is adequate).
- A list of participants from the lab.
This information will be included at the front of the Symposium Booklet.
4. Exhibiting Vendor Representation
To acknowledge each Vendor, and to facilitate future collaborations, all companies/groups that have a booth the Symposium are asked to send a PDF with the following information to the Organizers:
- Representative's name, title, Company Name, phone number, email address & web page.
- General Company/Group description.
- A list of collaboration interests (if applicable).
This information will be included at the back of the Symposium Booklet.
5. Hotel Information
Registrants will be responsible for making their own room reservations.
Downtown Norfolk hotels include (costs listed were checked on 02/04/13):
Sheraton Norfolk Waterside Hotel ($80/night)
Tazewell Hotel and Suites ($95/night)
The Norfolk Plaza Hotel ($119/night)
Norfolk Waterside Marriott ($140/night)
Courtyard by Marriott Norfolk Downtown ($148/night)
Residence Inn Norfolk Downtown ($160/night)
It should take about 20 minutes to reach the EVMS campus via the light rail, and 5 minutes by car.
6. General Information
Local attractions include:
The USS Wisconsin and the attached Nauticus museum
The Ghent restaurant and shopping area
The Norfolk Botanical Gardens (located near the airport)
The Jamestown Settlement and Museum in Yorktown
For a comprehensive list of other attractions, please visit the Norfolk Visitor website.
7. Invited Institutions and Contributing Participants
The Organizers have personally contacted and extended invitations to the following institutions: Princeton University, College of William & Mary, James Madison University, Radford University, George Mason University, Hampton University, Virginia Commonwealth University, University of Virginia, Virginia Tech, Norfolk State University, Old Dominion University, Howard Hughes Medical Institute in northern VA, Children's National Medical Center, FDA/CBER at Bethesda, MA, LifeNet Health, the VA Biotech Association, LSU Health Sciences Center, ATCC, UCLA School of Medicine, Medical University of South Carolina, and University of Colorado-Denver.
AND LAST BUT NOT LEAST...
8. The Traditional Next Day Golf Outing (Sunday)
The Organizers have arranged a golf outing on the Sunday following the meeting. We are planning on using Bide-A-Wee Golf Course in nearby Portsmouth (a Curtis Strange Signature course). We are anticipating a nice turnout from preliminary conversations.
We will make reservations for a couple of groups, with tee times starting around 10am, so please reserve your spot as soon as you can. If you are interested in participating e-mail Patric.
DATES TO REMEMBER
1. March 22nd
a. Registration and Abstracts are due
2. March 25th
a. Notifications are sent to participants whose abstracts are selected for talks
3. April 6th
a. Symposium Day
4. April 7th
a. Golf outing at Bide-A-Wee golf course in Portsmouth.
We acknowledge sponsorship from:
The EVMS Department of Microbiology and Molecular Cell Biology
With anticipation of your attendance, the Organizers:
Julie Kerry, Ph.D. and Patric Lundberg, Ph.D.