10th Workshop on the Physics
of Dusty Plasmas
St. Thomas, USVI - June 18 - 21, 2003
For airline, taxi, and other travel
information use THIS link.
The US Virgin
Islands
The location for the 10th Workshop is
St. Thomas in the United States Virgin Islands (USVI). The USVI
consists of three main islands (St. Thomas, St. John, and St. Croix)
and about 100 or so smaller keys. It is located in the northern part
of the Caribbean chain roughly 1500 miles (2400 km) southeast of
Miami, Florida. They are 100 miles east of the island of Puerto Rico.
The USVI have been a territory of the United States since 1917. Prior
to that, they were part of the Danish West Indies for over 300 years.
Each of the islands has a unique
character. (Clicking on links opens a new browser window)
- St. Croix - the largest of the three, is a mostly flat island
that sports a range of landscapes from a small rainforest to
desert vegetation. Just off of St. Croix is Buck Island which is
part of the National Park Service and a premier diving
location.
- St. John - the smallest of the three, is the least
developed. Approximately 50% of the land on St. John is part of
the US National Park Service and contains ruins from the
Plantation era (1700 - 1900's). Many of the beaches on St. John are
also part of the National Park. In particular, Trunk Bay has one
of the few underwater trails in the Park Service. See the
PHOTO GALLERY from Friends of the VI National Park.
- St.
Thomas - the capital of
the US Virgin Islands. St. Thomas has, for over 200 years, one of
the busiest sea ports in the Caribbean. With a natural deep-water
harbor, duty-free shopping, and incredible beaches, St. Thomas is often considered a vacation
paradise.
Why St.
Thomas??
How did St. Thomas get picked when
the meeting is hosted by Auburn University?? The meeting organizer,
Dr. Ed Thomas is originally from St. Thomas. Besides, when the idea
was thrown around, somehow the Caribbean got a lot more votes than
Alabama... go figure!
Additional
Information
Several web sites are listed below
that contain information about the Virgin Islands:
Please check with this website regularly
over the next several months for additional
information.