Planning For 2009 Workshop
November 17-19 , 2009
Boulder, CO
Summary
NOAA's Office of Education in partnership with the NOAA Earth System Research Lab, and the Fiske Planetarium and Science Center will be hosting a workshop for the NOAA Science On a Sphere (SOS) Users Collaborative Network. The workshop will facilitate the continuation of the work done by the network to optimize utilization of SOS systems to provide educational messages to informal science audiences. This will be the third such workshop. You can view the reports from these past workshops here.
Logistics
Participation in this workshop is limited to members of the NOAA Science On a Sphere Users Collaborative Network and invited groups who are working with the Network. The list of network members is available here.
The majority of the workshop will be hosted at the NOAA Earth System Research Lab, with a component at the Fiske Planetarium and Science Center.
Be sure to bring photo id for check-in to the NOAA campus during the first to days of the workshop.
Bus service will be provided between the Boulderado and Quality Inn hotels (see hotel list in the Travel and Hotels section below) and the workshop. Buses will pic up at 8:00 AM on each day of the workshop. The buses will be University of Colorado "Buff" buses.
If you plan to drive to the workshop (which will be in the NOAA David Skaggs Research Center for the first two days), directions and security check-in procedures are available at: http://www.esrl.noaa.gov/about/visiting.html.
Lunches will be provided during the workshop.
Goals and Objectives, Agenda, and Participant List
The following pdf documents contains the Goals and Objectives for the workshop, the agenda, and the participant list.
Registration
Eligible persons can register for the workshop through the online registration form. There is no registration fee. Registration deadline was Monday, November 2nd, so please contact John McLaughlin (john.mclaughlin@noaa.gov) if you would still like to register.
Travel and Hotels
The closest major airport is Denver International Airport (DIA). Shared van rides are available to the hotels from SuperShuttle for approximately $25. There are also a variety of other ground transportation options available here.
The following hotels are offering special rates for the workshop. They are all with walking distance of the Pearl Street Walking Mall and will be bus stops on the bus service provided to/from the workshop.
1) Hotel Boulderado - 2115 Thirteenth St., Boulder, CO 80302 (303-442-4344)
This hotel is located in downtown Boulder, one block from Pearl Street. Rooms include complimentary internet access and access to a fitness center. Reservations made under the NOAA room rate hold will start at $139 for a room with a queen bed. To make a reservation under the NOAA room rate hold, please call 1-800-433-4344 or email reservations@boulderado.com. Make sure to include our group reference number: BID # 5779. The room rate hold will be available as long as there are rooms open.
2) The Quality Inn and Suites - 2020 Arapahoe Ave , Boulder, CO 80302 (303-449-7550)
This affordable hotel is located 0.7 miles from Pearl Street and have a total of 21 rooms available for the workshop group. Rooms include free wireless internet and free breakfast. The hotel also houses an indoor heated pool and sauna. Reservation made under the NOAA group will start at $85 a night for a single queen. Reservation can be made under the group name "NOAA Science on a Sphere". The room block will be available until October 23, 2009.
3) The Bradley Boulder Inn - 2040 16th Street, Boulder, CO 80302 (303-545-5200 or 800-858-5811)
This boutique hotel has a total of 12 rooms available for the workshop. It is located one block from Pearl Street and 3 blocks from the Hotel Boulderado. Rooms include free wireless internet, breakfast and a wine and cheese hour. Reservation made under the NOAA group will start at $175 a night. To make a reservation, please call (303-545-5200 or 800-858-5811) and ask for the room block for NOAA Science on a Sphere under the name "Lexie Brown". The block will be available until November 2, 2009.
Beth Russell has kindly created and updated a "Things to do in Boulder" document to help you plan your trip.
More Information
More information about the workshop will be posted on this page and sent to the Network listserve as the workshop approaches. If you have any questions about the workshop you can contact John McLaughlin of NOAA's Office of Education at John.McLaughlin@noaa.gov.