From 1988 December 5 to 7, a group of 45 astronomers from 15 countries met in Vienna for a workshop hosted by the Austrian Academy of Sciences. The participants enjoyed the magnificent meeting room used in earlier centuries for theater plays. The traditional sequence of review and contributed papers was replaced by five-minute provocative statements followed by informal discussions and presentations. F.Praderie, M.Breger and W.Weiss shared the difficult task of keeping the discussions focussed.
The following topics were discussed a status report on pulsation in the HRD, instrumentation, observatory networks, observing techniques, period determination techniques, theory of oscillation and excitation mechanisms, dreams for the future such as South Pole observatories, new-generation instruments and space projects. A meeting on the EVRIS project was also scheduled.
During meetings much of the Science is discussed in small groups during social activities. Vienna is well-suited for side programs on Monday, the excursion to the monastery "Klosterneuburg" provided the opportunity to see famous art treasures as well as precious books in the library, explained to us with enthusiasm by an expert in the History of Astronomy, M. G. Firneis. A classical Viennese "Heuriger" closed the agenda for the day On Tuesday evening, the participants met for an organ concert, performed by Eva Breger-Fischbach in the nearby University church.
New collaborations and projects were started. For the next meeting a smaller number of participants and fewer topics are planned. The organizers were fortunate to be able to welcome so many colleagues from abroad and are looking forward to a follow-up meeting.
sperl@astro.ast.univie.ac.at