Hacettepe University (Beytepe Campus) at Ankara, Turkey will host the International Conference on Ring and Module Theory from August 18-22, 2008. Bus transportation from the Ankara airport to the campus on Sunday August 17, 2008 and from the campus to the airport on Saturday August 23, 2008 will be provided. The talks will begin Monday morning and end Friday afternoon. The program will consist of Plenary talks (approx. 45 min.) and Regular talks (20-25 min.). A cocktail party will be given by the Rector of Hacettepe University on Monday evening. On Wednesday there will be a social program including visits to the Museum of Anatolian Civilizations, historical sites, and a banquet. Participants pay either: (1) Basic Registration Fee of approximately $100 USD, �75 or 130 YTL which will include conference materials, social program, tea and coffees and bus transportation (2) Full Registration Fee of approximately $450 USD, or �325 which will cover the Basic Registration Fee, accomodation (on Campus) and meals (breakfast, light lunch, dinner). See the webpage ��Fees�� for further details. There will be an additional fee of approximately $350 USD (or �250 EURO) for each person accompanying the participant which will cover their accomodation, meals, social program and bus transportation. The deadline for preliminary registration and submission of an abstract is May 1, 2008. The final Conference registration will take place at Hacettepe University from 12:00 (noon) thru 20:00 on Sunday August 17, 2008. We hope you are able to participate in the conference and help encourage Turkish research in Algebra.

Conference details and registration are on our website which will be regularly updated. This conference is intended to be as inclusive as possible for Mathematicians working in the area of Rings and Modules. So please pass on this announcement to any colleagues or students who may be interested in this conference but who may not have received this information.

http://www.algebra2008.hacettepe.edu.tr

The history and some highlights of Hacettepe University

The history of the University can be traced back to the establishment of the Institute of Child Health on July 8, 1958 and the inauguration of the Hacettepe Children�s Hospital by Professor �hsan Do�ramac�, MD. In 1961 the School of Health Sciences and its divisions of Nursing. Medical Technology, Physical Therapy and Rehabilition were opened, all centred around the Institute of Child Health. On June 15, 1963 Hacettepe Faculty of Medicine was established, and a general teaching hospital was built. Three months later the School of Dentistry was founded. In the summer of 1964 a School of Basic Sciences was opened, offering courses in natural sciences, social sciences and the humanities. At the time, all Hacettepe teaching institutions were affiliated with Ankara University and grouped under the title �Hacettepe Science Centre.� Hacettepe University was chartered through Act. Vo 892 of the Turkish Parliament on July 8, 1967. Hacettepe Institutes of Higher Education formed the core of Hacettepe University, and the faculties of Medicine, Science and Engineering, and Social and Administrative Sciences were established. The expansion of the University was so rapid that it became impossible to contain all institutions in the city campus, therefore, some of the faculties and schools were relocated to the Beytepe Campus in 1975.

Hacettepe University enjoys a high profile and is reputed for its work in a range of disciplines both nationally and internationally. The University has a well deserved reputation in teaching and research. Beginning from its establishment, the University has been radically reformist in its teaching policies by introducing new programmes and methodologies and is still one of the innovative higher education institutions that never refrains from introducing daring novelties. Moreover, the University ranks as the Turkish university with the highest national and international research publications in indexed and refereed national and international journals. Hacettepe Universtiy is not only devoted to high standards in teaching and research as reflected in its motto. �Advancement for Excellence� but is a forward looking university in that it shapes its policies according to the demands of the next millennium. The University also prides itself in its relations with students. Although it ranks as one of the biggest universities of Turkey with a student population of 30,000 it is by no means impersonel, and every individual matters.

The University has two main campuses; one is located in the old town of Ankara and hosts the Medical Centre and the other, Beytepe Campus, is located 13 km from the city centre stretching over 6,000,000 sq.m of green land and woodland, hosting the faculties of Economic and Administrative Sciences, Education, Engineering, Fine Arts, Letters, and Science.

An Introduction to TURKEY

Turkey, a bridge between Europe and Asia, has an extremely rich cultural heritage. Perhaps no other land has witnessed so many diverse civilazitions over the last nine thousand years. After the great Mesopotamians, the Hittite and Urartu kingdoms flourished, and in Western Anatolia the Ionian and Roman civilizations predominated. �stanbul holds the honour of having been the capital of two huge empires � first the Byzantine then the Ottoman. Anatolia itself became a crossroads of peoples, cultures and religions. Christianity, for example, thrived here, and Islam was glorified by the Seljuks and Ottomans.

Turkey today still holds a very strategic position on the world map. This vast land of 70 million people has tackled the challenges of the future through its journey along the road towards modernization, secularism and democracy. Today, it has a vibrant society, a dynamic economy, an active political life and great confidence in its future.

A visit to Turkey should not only take in all the great sights and monuments; it should leave plenty of time for leisure and pleasure. Turkey offers immense resources in these areas: majestic mountains ideal for climbers, hikers and skiers; over 7,800 km of coastline laced with picturesque bays and coves; lakes; year-round summer in some areas; yet plenty of snow in others; a solid and expanding tourism infrastructure; one of the world�s healthiest cuisines and an extremely hospitable people.