1. Advanced technologies
2. Astrobiology
3. Biofilms
4. Biogeochemical cycles
5. Bioremediation
6. Carbon sequestration in the oceans
7. Community metagenomics
8. Comparative genomics of ecologically-relevant bacteria
9. Comparative microbial diversity and biogeography
10. Diversity and function of microbial communities in the marine environment
11. Early life
12. Environmental biotechnology
13. Evolutionary ecology
14. Global regulators and environmental sensing
15. Impact of micro array technology and bioinformatics
16. Life at the edge
17. Microbe-mineral interactions
18. Microbe-plant interactions
19. Microbial activity and remote sensing
20. Microbial consortia
21. Molecular community analysis
22. Mycosphere
23. Pathogen ecology and virulence
24. Subsurface microbiology
25. Symbiosis
26. The blue planet - role of microorganisms in oceanic cycles
27. Water quality
28. Last minute "hot topic"

Suggestions for last minute "hot topic" are welcome until Jannuary 1, 2004.