We [Julien and myself] are quite pleased to announce that
- the scientific committee for the workshop has been gathered
- the webpage for the workshop is now on-line (with a wonderful walrus picture whose author we alas cannot identify)
- the workshop is now endorsed by both IMS and ISBA, which will handle registration (to open soon)
- the reservation of hotel rooms will be handled by Hurtigruten Svalbard through the above webpage (this is important as we already paid deposit for a certain number of rooms)
- we are definitely seeking both sponsors and organisers of mirror workshops in more populated locations
As an item of trivia, let me recall that Svalbard stands for the archipelago, while Spitsbergen is the name of the main island, where Longyearbyen is located. (In Icelandic, Svalbarði means cold rim or cold coast.)