January 4, 2001

Dear Colleague:

I have the pleasure of sending you the first notice for the 24^th Pupil Colloquium planned for the dates of September 7^th through September 10^th, 2001 at the Asilomar Conference Center in Pacific Grove, California. We are hoping for another successful gathering of experts from diverse fields, all with their special insight into pupillary anatomy, physiology, and pharmacology.

Asilomar is a beautiful, restful resort on the Pacific coast between Monterey and Carmel, California. Although the area has many attractions for the tourist, Asilomar is a special place designed to "rest one’s nerves" and get away from the hectic pace of daily routines. I have visited Asilomar on several occasions to plan the meeting and each time I have been impressed with the beautiful natural setting and the efficiency of the staff.

The format for the meeting will be similar to previous colloquia. Oral presentations will be delivered at morning and afternoon sessions, with related topics under consideration at each session. I encourage you to present your most recent material to us and invite others with interests similar to yours to attend. I think you will find the enclosed guaranteed rates extremely fair, as the meeting takes place during the peak tourist season for this exclusive stretch of California coast. You will note that the quoted rates include all meals, which I have found to be highly satisfactory on previous visits.

Plans for the social program are still in progress but we definitely will have a group tour of the Monterey Aquarium in Monterey. This facility is regarded by the experts as the finest aquarium in the world and is located only a short distance from Asilomar. We have reservations to visit on the afternoon of Monday, September 10^th.

Travel into this area is not difficult. There are bus shuttles from the San Francisco, San Jose, and Monterey airports that take you into downtown Monterey, and from there it is only a short taxi ride to Asilomar. After you have committed to attend the meeting I will send detailed travel plans for both air and road transportation to Asilomar.

Peter Howarth will handle the abstracts for this meeting on the Pupil Website: http://www.jiscmail.ac.uk/files/pupil/index.htm. The format for each abstract will be identical to the previous meeting in Nottingham, England. Further information will be sent in subsequent mailings.

I hope that you will join us at Asilomar in September 2001. From all indications, several investigators active in pupillary research are planning to attend and this will provide us with immediate resources to learn about the pupil and plan future projects.

Sincerely,

Merlin D. Larson, M.D.