SVP 68th Annual Meeting
Oct. 15-18, 2008
Renaissance Cleveland Hotel
Cleveland, OH USA
SVP 2008 Abstract Submission Site
Read the Presentation / Abstract Guidelines.
Download the First Circular.
Welcome from the 2008 Host
Committee
Members and Friends of the Society of Vertebrate Paleontology,
The Cleveland Museum of Natural History and Case Western Reserve University are excited to host the 68th Annual Meeting of the Society of Vertebrate Paleontology. This is the first time the meeting has been held in Cleveland, the "North Coast" of the United States.
Cleveland is located in northeast Ohio where the Cuyahoga River flows into Lake Erie. The area was once owned by Connecticut (it lies directly west of that state) and was known as the Connecticut Western Reserve; the phrase "western reserve" is still common in place names and organizations throughout the area. In 1814, Moses Cleaveland founded the city that would later bear his name (more or less — the spelling was changed around 1830) and the Greater Cleveland area has subsequently grown to become the largest metropolitan region in Ohio.
The jewel of Cleveland is University Circle, the intellectual and cultural center of Greater Cleveland. University Circle is located on the edge of the city, approximately five miles east of the conference hotel, and is home to Case Western Reserve University, The Cleveland Museum of Natural History, The Cleveland Museum of Art, Severance Hall (home of The Cleveland Orchestra), The Cleveland Clinic, and a variety of other institutions (see www.universitycircle.org). Many people affiliated with these organizations live in the nearby inner ring suburbs of Cleveland Heights, Shaker Heights, and University Heights, creating a dynamic, close-knit, progressive community. The area is easily reached by train, car, or bus from our host hotel in downtown Cleveland. Of course, downtown has its own attractions, including the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, the Great Lakes Science Center, and the homes of our professional sports teams.
While here, we hope you enjoy both the meeting and some of the many activities that Cleveland has to offer.
See you in October!
Sincerely,
2008 SVP Host Committee
View a list of Host Committee Members.
NEW! Airline Discount for Attendees
SVP has made a discount arrangement with Continental Airlines for travel to and from the SVP 68th Annual Meeting in Cleveland (Continental Airline's hub). Attendees will be offered discounts off published fares of 2% to 15% or Zone fares. Read the full details.
About This Year's Meeting Logo
The SVP 68th Annual Meeting logo was designed by William Stout. The fish is Dunkleosteus terrelli which the Cleveland Museum of Natural History (CMNH) Web site describes as
"a 16-foot-long armored fish whose monstrous jaws acted as self-sharpening meat cleavers." You can see mounts of the specimen in the collections of the CMNH, along with many other specimens. It is a member of an extinct group of fishes known as arthrodires that ruled the seas prior to the sharks and large, advanced bony fishes. It lived during the Upper Devonian Period, about 360-375 million years ago. It comes from the Cleveland Shale, which crops out throughout the Cleveland area. It is one of the best known members of its group and is really the "poster child" for the Devonian — the Age of Fishes.