"Presentation and understanding of dating results" Workshop

The first, in the series of three, Workshop "Presentation and understanding of dating results" was held in Ustroń, Poland, during the period 4^th to 9^th May 2003. Next two workshops will be organised in years 2004 and 2005 by the GADAM Centre under the titles: "Towards improved absolute chronology of Late Pleistocene and Holocene" and "Isotope methods in environmental studies".

The opening of the Workshop launched officially the realisation of the GADAM Centre of Excellence project financed by the European Commission within the 5^th FP.

The participants: lecturers and young scientists arrived to Ustroń from many European countries; form the EU member states, form the EU candidate states, and from other European countries. They arrived from Belgium, Denmark, France, Germany, The Netherlands, Scotland, Portugal, Switzerland, Estonia, Lithuania, Poland, Belorussia, Croatia, Russia and Ukraine.

The activities of the Workshop took place from Sunday, 4^th of May, to Friday, 9^th of May, and consisted in a series of lectures and discussions.

Lectures went on from morning hours till the afternoon. We would like to thank the lecturers, who delivered the Workshop lectures:

25 young scientists participated in the lecturing sessions:

Each day, after lectures, Workshop participants could take part in the social programme: bonfire with sausage roasting, discotheque, mountain trip to the Czantoria Mountain, visit to the "Forest Park of Surprise".

On Friday, 9^th of May, there was a field trip guided by the geologist from the University of Silesia, trailed from Ustroń to Jeleśnia. The weather was excellent and favoured such activity. Participants had an opportunity to saw beautiful spring sceneries of Beskid Śląski Mountains and Beskid Żywiecki Mountains, Salmopolska Pass, Żywieckie Lake and a number of research sites, located on the trail.

Besides the Workshop additional meetings took place at the same time and location:

In the afternoon of the 4^th of May there was the inaugural meeting of the GADAM Centre Advisory Board. Due to the absence of some of the members or candidate mambers, the meeting was postponed until 4 pm on 6^th May. On that day, the following took part in meeting:

Irka Hajdas, Stanisław Hałas, Douglas Harkness and Helena Hercman have been co-opted to the Advisory Board. Robert Hedges and Herbert Lucjan Oczkowski has resigned from the Board.

On Monday, 5^th of May, the meeting of members of National Network of Absolute Dating and Environmental Research Centres was held. The meeting was mainly devoted to discussing participation of the member Centres in the preparation of the research project proposal to be submitted to the European Commission.

On 5^th of May there was the 6^th Framework Programme project proposal meeting also. It lasted for 5 hours and consisted in presentation of proposals of partners willing to take part in the 6^th Frame Programme. 27 partners outlined briefly 37 proposals for the prepared STREP project, emphasising capabilities of their institutions or basic characteristics of sites or environments proposed as research sites.

Excellent, friendly atmosphere during all meetings, promoted integration of representatives of different fields of science, and from many European countries.

There was only one little drawback - getting to Ustroń was somewhat difficult to some participants. Saving that, participants impressions were very positive. Many of them declared that they would participate in the next Workshop.