In the present Universe, the majority of supermassive black holes in galactic nuclei are in a low-luminosity state. Understanding the physical nature of this state and its interplay with the nuclear environment and star formation activity is central to the study of galaxy structure and evolution.

The Galactic Center Workshop 2009 will be devoted to the presentation and discussion of recent observational and theoretical results on low-luminosity galactic nuclei. In particular, the center of the Milky Way will be emphasized to give a close-up view of such a nucleus, resolving structures from scales of hundreds of parsecs down to a few milliparsecs, and thus to explore the implications for our understanding of other galactic nuclei. Developments in the study of low-luminosity galactic nuclei in nearby galaxies will also be highlighted to provide complementary perspectives -- global and relatively unobscured -- which are particularly important for investigating the relationship between nuclear activity and the galactic "eco-system".

The workshop is aimed to address a range of scientific topics related to SMBHs and galactic nuclear environment, including:

* physical and chemical processes in the central molecular zone
* high-energydiagnostics of Galactic nuclear activity
* star formation in circumnuclear regions
* stellar dynamics in the presence of the Galactic black hole
* the supermassive black hole: accretion, spin and strong gravity
* SMBH and stellar feedback on the nuclear enviroment

In addition, we propose to have daily discussions and mini-debate sessions to focus on persistent issues facing GC studies, to raise new challenging questions, and to discuss ways to find the solutions. The preliminary plan is to solicit and post a set of issues to be discussed and debated so that interested individuals can get prepared.

The conference will be held at the Good Hope Hotel, which is close to the headquarters of the Shanghai Astronomical Observatory.  It is located in one of the major commercial centers of Shanghai, so there are various restaurants and bars nearby. The workshop will cover 5 days, from October 19-23, with a 4.5 full-day science program. A half-day tour (Wed 21 afternoon) will be arranged to the small ancient town of Zhu-Jia-Jiao in the suburbs of Shanghai. The workshop banquet will be held that evening on a tour boat on the Huang-Pu river, with sightseeing along the Bund afterwards.

The Galactic Center Workshop 2009 is sponsored by Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS), National Science Foundation of China (NSFC), Shanghai Government, and (US) National Radio Astronomical Observatory (NRAO).