Abstract
We will explore the engineering marvel known as the Tibet Train in this issue, followed by the usual compendium of upcoming conferences.
The world's most amazing train route, the Qinghai-Tibet railway, opened 5 years ago. The statistics on the route still sound outrageous: there is 960 km track located 4,000 meters above sea level with the highest point at 5,072 meters. Much of the route is built on permafrost, using high-tech methods to prevent ground melting. The train cars are oxygen-enriched to prevent passengers from developing altitude illness, and attention was paid to making the sewage, wastewater, and garbage disposal systems environmentally-friendly. Beijing to Lhasa is now 45 hours by train.
China Tibet Train – Official Website
Although this is the official site for the train, it does not seem to be kept up to date, and there are “current news” articles dated 2008. It is worthwhile, however, for the route map, and the gallery of photographs of the train and the scenery.
Tibet Train Travel
This is a commercial tour-operator's site but has a wealth of interesting information and detail missing from the official train site, including discussions of the engineering challenges of the permafrost and high altitude, and a fascinating timeline on this project from 1919 to its completion in 2006. OK, their maps are better, too.
Upcoming Conferences
Physiological Society 2011 Meetings
The Physiological Society has a series of meetings throughout 2011, in various locations in the U.K. The range of topics covered is quite diverse, and will be of interest to those working to understand the inner machinery of the hypoxic cell.
Contact: http://www.physoc.org/meetings/
European College of Sport Science Annual Congress
The 16th annual congress of the ECSS will be held in Liverpool, UK, July 6 – 9; the theme is “New Horizons in Sports Sciences”.
Contact: http://www.ecss-congress.eu/2011/
8th IBRO World Congress of Neuroscience
The International Brain Research Organization will hold the 8th IBRO World Congress of Neuroscience in Florence, Italy July 14–18, 2011.
International Society on Oxygen Transport to Tissue (ISOTT)
The International Society on Oxygen Transport to Tissue 2011 annual meeting will be held in Washington, DC July 24–27, 2011.
Contact: http://www.isott.info/
Wilderness Medical Society
The Wilderness Medical Society (WMS) 2011 annual meeting will be held July 29–Aug 3, in Snowmass, Colorado.
European Federation of Neurological Societies
The 15th Congress of the European Federation of Neurological Societies (EFNS) will be held September 10–13, 2011, in Budapest, Hungary.
Contact: http://efns2011.efns.org/
ExpedMed 2011
The Expedition Medicine National Conference 2011 will be held in Washington DC, September 16–18.
Contact: http://www.expedmed.org/
European Respiratory Society Annual Congress
The annual congress of the European Respiratory Society will be held in Amsterdam, Netherlands from September 24–28, 2011.
Contact: http://www.erscongress2011.org/
NAVBO 2011
The North American Vascular Biology Organization (NAVBO) will hold its 2011 annual meeting in Hyannis, Massachusetts, October 16–20, 2011.
Contact: http://www.navbo.org/event/vb2011
European Federation of Sports Medicine Associations
The 7th European Federation of Sports Medicine Associations Congress will be held 26-29th October 2011, in Salzburg.
Contact: http://www.efsma.net/
Neuroscience 2011
For people interested in brain-hypoxia interactions, the Society for Neuroscience will hold their annual meeting this year in Washington DC, November 12–16.
Contact: http://web.sfn.org/am2011/
World Congress of Neurology
The World Congress of Neurology (WCN) will be held in Marrakesh, Morocco during November 12–17, 2011 and will be hosted by The Neurological Society of Morocco under the congress theme “With Africa, for Africa”.
Contact: http://www.wcn-neurology.org/
Society for Free Radical Biology & Medicine
The 18th Annual Meeting of the Society for Free Radical Biology & Medicine (formerly The Oxygen Society) will be held November 16-20, in Atlanta, Georgia.
American Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene
The 60th Annual Meeting of the American Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene (ASTMH) will be held December 4–8, 2011 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA.
Contact: http://www.astmh.org/Home.htm
—Thomas Dietz
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