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AMS Sectional Meeting Registration/Housing/ Etc.



Program |  Deadlines | Inquiries:  meet@ams.org

2010 Spring Central Sectional Meeting
Macalester College
St. Paul, MN, April 10-11, 2010 (Saturday - Sunday)
Meeting #1058

Associate secretary:
Georgia Benkart, AMS benkart@math.wisc.edu

Accommodations

Participants should make their own arrangements directly with the hotel.  When making a reservation identify yourself as being with the AMS-Macalester College meeting. The AMS is not responsible for rate changes or for the quality of the accommodations. Hotels have varying cancellation or early checkout penalties; be sure to ask for details when making your reservation.

A special hotel rate has been negotiated at the Crowne Plaza Saint Paul-Riverfront Hotel.  The room rate is US\$109 per night, plus occupancy tax. Please be advised to make your reservations as soon as possible. This special rate is valid while rooms are available up to and including March 15, 2010.  Participants can reserve their room through the direct link below, or by calling 651-292-1900 or 866-422-3185 and mentioning that they will be attending the AMS-Macalester College meeting. A complimentary continental breakfast is included with this room rate. Link to hotel reservations at the group rate: https://secure.ichotelsgroup.com/h/d/cp/1/en/cwshome/DPRD-7X8K3X/MSPSP?secure=true&secure=true&justLoggedIn=true&_requestid=638587

The Crowne Plaza is located in downtown Saint Paul, an area with many restaurants and museums.  The hotel is 4 miles from Macalester College, where the meeting will take place.  The meeting will provide free bus transportation to Macalester College on Saturday and Sunday morning and back to the hotel on Saturday evening. There are also public buses between the hotel and Macalester which run every half hour on Saturday and every hour on Sunday. For those with a car, parking is available at the hotel for US\$10 per day, and it is an easy 12-minute drive to Macalester along Saint Paul's Grand Avenue. 

Food Service

The Campus Center Dining Hall will be open for lunch and dinner on Saturday and Sunday.  All you can eat meals cost approximately \$8.  Macalester is located on Saint Paul's well-known Grand Avenue, which offers many varied dining opportunities.  A list of nearby restaurants is available at http://www.macalester.edu/admissions/campusvisit/restaurants.html A list of local restaurants will be available at the registration desk. 

Local Information and Campus Map

For further information please consult the following sites:  

Other Activities

AMS Book Sale: Stop by the on-site AMS Bookstore – review the newest titles from the AMS, enter the FREE book drawing, enjoy up to 25% off all titles or even take home the new AMS T-shirt!  Complimentary coffee will be served courtesy of AMS Membership Services.

AMS Editorial Activity: An acquisitions editor from the AMS Book program will be present to speak with prospective authors. If you have a book project that you would like to discuss with the AMS, please stop by the book exhibit.

Parking

Parking is readily available on campus and is free. We recommend that you park in the lot just south of the Leonard Center accessible via Snelling Avenue or in the lots just west of Olin-Rice or west of the Janet Wallace Fine-Arts Center, both of which are accessed via Macalester Drive. See the campus map: http://www.macalester.edu/about/mapbynumber.html.

Social Event

The Department of Mathematics will host a reception for all participants. The reception will be held from 6:00 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. will be held in the Smail Gallery of Olin-Rice Hall.  Hearty appetizers, beer, and wine will be served. The AMS thanks the department for its hospitality.

Registration and Meeting Information

Registration will take place in Olin-Rice Hall, from 7:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. on Saturday, April 10, and 8:00 a.m. to noon on Sunday, April 11.  The Invited addresses will take place in the J.B. Davis Lecture Hall of the Campus Center.  Most Special Sessions will take place in Olin-Rice Hall and the others will take place in the Humanities Building, Carnegie Hall, and Old Main.

Registration fees: (payable on-site only) US\$40/AMS members; US\$60/nonmembers; US\$5/emeritus members, students, or unemployed mathematicians.  Fees are payable by cash, check, VISA, Mastercard, Discover, or American Express.

Travel

Macalester College is located on Saint Paul's Grand Avenue in a pleasant neighborhood which is 4 miles west of downtown Saint Paul and 6 miles east of downtown Minneapolis.

By Air

All major airlines service the Minneapolis-Saint Paul International Airport (MSP).  The airport is 6.3 miles from Macalester College and 8.5 miles to the Crowne Plaza Hotel in downtown St Paul. Cab fares from the airport to Macalester cost about US\$20 and from the Airport to the Crowne Plaza cost about US\$25. Super Shuttle (http://www.supershuttle.com) costs about US\$14 each way between the Airport and the Crowne Plaza. Metro Transit (http://metrotransit.org) provides public bus options.  The 54 bus from the Airport to the Crowne Plaza takes about 25 minutes. Buses from the Airport to Macalester take 35 - 45 minutes and require at least one transfer. 

Driving from the Airport to Crowne Plaza: Follow the signs for St. Paul/Highway 5.  Hwy 5 turns into 7th Street in Saint Paul. Travel along Hwy 5 (7th Street) for 6.7 miles until you reach Kellogg Blvd.  Turn right on Kellogg and travel for .5 miles until you reach the hotel at 11 E Kellogg Blvd.

Driving from the Airport to Macalester:  Follow the signs for St. Paul/Highway 5. After you cross the river, exit right onto Edgecumbe Road (keep left as you exit) and follow for 1 mile; stay to the left and take Fairview Avenue. Follow Fairview Avenue for 1.5 miles. Turn right (east) on Saint Clair Avenue and go .5 miles to Snelling Avenue. Turn left (north) on Snelling .25 miles to the Leonard Center parking lot.

By Car

Driving from the East or the West:  Take interstate I94 to Exit 238 at Snelling Avenue.  Travel 1 mile south on Snelling Avenue to the corner of Snelling and Grand (you are now at the corner of campus). Continue .25 miles further south along Snelling to reach the Leonard Center parking lot, just before the football stadium.

Driving from the South:  Take interstate I35 to I35E.  Take Exit 104A at Randolph Avenue.  Turn left (west) and travel 1 mile along Randolph Avenue until you reach Snelling Avenue. Turn right (north) on Snelling and travel .8 miles.  The Leonard Center parking lot is accessible from Snelling Avenue just after the football stadium.

Car Rental

Avis is the official car rental company for the sectional meeting in Albuquerque. All rates include unlimited free mileage. Weekend daily rates are available from noon Thursday to Monday at 11:59 p.m. Rates do not include any state or local surcharges, tax, optional coverages, or gas refueling charges. Renters must meet Avis's age, driver, and credit requirements. For the best available rate and to make a reservation please call Avis at 800-331-1600 or go online at http://www.avis.com. Please use the AMS meeting Avis Discount Number J098887.

Weather

April weather in Saint Paul is unpredictable.  The average high for the month is 58F and the average low is 37F.  It has been known to snow in mid April and it has been known to be warm, bright, and sunny.  For up to the minute weather please visit http://www.weather.com/outlook/driving/interstate/local/55105.

Information for International Participants

Visa regulations are continually changing for travel to the United States. Visa applications may take from three to four months to process and require a personal interview, as well as specific personal information. International participants should view the important information about traveling to the U.S. found at http://www7.nationalacademies.org/visas/Traveling_to_US.html and http://travel.state.gov/visa/index.html. If you need a preliminary conference invitation in order to secure a visa, please send your request to dls@ams.org.

If you discover you do need a visa, the National Academies website (see above) provides these tips for successful visa applications:

* Visa applicants are expected to provide evidence that they are intending to return to their country of residence. Therefore, applicants should provide proof of "binding" or sufficient ties to their home country or permanent residence abroad. This may include documentation of the following:

  • family ties in home country or country of legal permanent residence
  • property ownership
  • bank accounts
  • employment contract or statement from employer stating that the position will continue when the employee returns;

* Visa applications are more likely to be successful if done in a visitor's home country than in a third country;

* Applicants should present their entire trip itinerary, including travel to any countries other than the United States, at the time of their visa application;

* Include a letter of invitation from the meeting organizer or the U.S. host, specifying the subject, location and dates of the activity, and how travel and local expenses will be covered;

* If travel plans will depend on early approval of the visa application, specify this at the time of the application;

* Provide proof of professional scientific and/or educational status (students should provide a university transcript).

This list is not to be considered complete. Please visit the web sites above for the most up-to-date information.


Inquiries:  meet@ams.org