Information for PDS MC F2F Meeting, 3-5 Dec. 2007

Files Posted for the Meeting

Click here to access the files that are posted for access before and during the meeting.

Flight Information

The closest airport with commercial flights is El Paso, TX. El Paso is served by the following airlines:
  • American
  • Continental
  • Delta
  • United
  • Southwest
  • US Airways
  • Frontier

From the El Paso airport you can rent a car or take the Las Cruces Shuttle to get to your hotel. If you take the shuttle, be sure to book a room at the Comfort Suites as that is the closest hotel to NMSU and is well within walking distance. You can find driving directions from El Paso on the Traveling to the Astronomy Department web page.

Hotel Information

We have blocked off 15 rooms at each of the following hotels:
  • Comfort Suites, 2101 S Triviz Dr, Las Cruces, NM, 575-522-1300 ($79.99 per night + tax)
  • Hotel Encanto, 705 S Telshor Blvd, Las Cruces NM, 575-522-4300 ($89.99 per night + tax)

Ordinarily we would also recommend a bed and breakfast called Meson de Mesilla, located in the "old town" of Mesilla several miles west of campus, which has its own unique charm. However, it is currently undergoing major renovation and it is unclear when it will reopen. There are additional hotels listed on the Visiting the Planetary Atmospheres Node page.

Dial-in Information

We have teleconference lines reserved for all three days of the meeting through the JPL meeting line system. To call into the meeting from a remote location, follow these steps:

  1. Dial 800-367-5754
  2. Upon hearing the tones, press 5-7-5 (the numbers corresponding to J-P-L)
  3. At the second dial tone, press 4-3434
  4. Enter the meeting ID number (see below)
    The meeting IDs for the different days and PDS4 working groups are as follows:
    • Monday 12/03, PDS4 Architecture WG, 10 am - noon MST: 1237
    • Monday 12/03, PDS4 Data Model WG, 10 am - noon MST: 1238
    • Monday 12/03, PDS4 User Services WG, 10 am - noon MST: 1239
    • Monday 12/03, PDS4 Architecture WG, 1 pm - 5 pm MST: 1234
    • Monday 12/03, PDS4 Data Model WG, 1 pm - 5 pm MST: 1235
    • Monday 12/03, PDS4 User Services WG, 1 pm - 5 pm MST: 1236
    • Tuesday 12/04, MC Meeting, 8 am - noon MST: 1241
    • Tuesday 12/04, MC Meeting, 1 pm - 5 pm MST: 1242
    • Wednesday 12/05, MC Meeting, 8 am - noon MST 1251
    • Wednesday 12/05, MC Meeting, 1 pm - 5 pm MST: 1252


Meeting Location

The meeting will be held in Corbett Center, which is the student center on the campus of New Mexico State University. Corbett Center is building number 39 on this campus map, which is not of very good quality. See the "Parking" description below for more detailed directions on finding Corbett Center.

Monday December 3

We have three rooms reserved for the three PDS4 Working Groups: Data Model, User Services, and Architecture. All three rooms will have wireless internet and a laptop projector; at least two if not three will have phones for people to call into. Two of the rooms are in Corbett Center and the third is located in the Astronomy Building:

  • Dona Ana Room - Corbett Center, Room 312. This is the largest room, seating approximately 35 people. All groups should convene here on Monday morning to plan the day. Tentatively, the Architecture Working Group will meet here.
  • Curry Room - Corbett Center, Room 329. This rooms seats approximately 10 people. The User Services Working Group is tentatively scheduled to meet here.
  • Auxillary Conference Room - Astronomy Building, Room 201. This room seats approximately 10 people. The Data Model Working Group is tentatively scheduled to meet here.

There will be no food/snacks provided on Monday December 3 because the groups are going to be split up for at least part of the day and probably operating on their own schedules. There are places to get meals, snacks, coffee, etc. within Corbett Center or a short walk away (see "Meals" below).

Tuesday December 4
We will be meeting in the Dona Ana Room (Corbett Center, Room 312). This room will have a laptop projector, WiFi, and a phone for outsiders to call into. Light breakfast fare (muffins, fruit, coffee, tea) will be provided, as well as a mid-morning coffee break and a mid-afternoon snack.



Wednesday December 5
We will be meeting in the Dona Ana Room (Corbett Center, Room 312). This room will have a laptop projector, WiFi, and a phone for outsiders to call into. A continental breakfast (muffins, fruit, coffee, tea) will be provided, as well as a mid-morning coffee break.



Parking and Driving Directions

There are several options in terms of parking passes:

  • Weekly pass - these cost $1, and will be procured in advance by Nancy (ATM). If you would like one of these passes, please let Nancy know by Wednesday November 14.
  • Daily pass - you can go to the NMSU Parking E-Permit web form and request a daily pass. For the drop-down menu for car Make, select RENTAL at the bottom of the list. These passes are only good for one day, so you would need to print new permits for each day of your visit.

Either of the above options would allow you to park in the visitor parking spaces, commuter student lots (ORANGE), or faculty/staff lots (CRIMSON). As you can see in this parking map, there are several parking lots located near Corbett Center (which is in the F2 quadrant of the map).

For Verbal Learners: Drive West on University Avenue (heading away from the mountains). After the intersection of University and Triviz, turn left at your second light onto Jordan Rd. Park in one of the lots on your right. Do NOT proceed to the inner lot past the pedestrian walkway; this is a metered lot and we don't want you to have to keep feeding the parking meters.

For Visual Learners: Here is a map from Google Earth showing the way to Corbett Center from Comfort Suites, at the intersection of University and Triviz. If you are coming from Hotel Encanto, you will be heading west on University (going away from the mountains), coming from the right side of the map. Corbett Center is marked with the purple dot on this map.

Meals

  • Lunch will not be provided. Meeting attendees can elect to get lunch at one of the dining options on campus (Crossroads Food Court in Corbett Center or the Frenger Food Court near the Astronomy Building). Alternatively, one can walk (or drive) to one of several restaurants near the NMSU campus (e.g. Bennigan's, Lorenzo's, Dee Gee's Deli, Metropolitan Deli, The Mix, A Taste of India).
  • Dinner on Monday night is unscheduled. We can make reservations for one of several popular restaurants in Mesilla (the "old town") if there is a large enough group that would like to go out together. Here is a list of recommended local restaurants.
  • The group dinner on Tuesday night (December 4) will be held at Reta's house; directions will be provided at the meeting.


Weather

The weather in Las Cruces in early December is generally fairly mild, with temperatures in the high 50's or low 60's during the day. Night time temperatures can be quite cold, in the high 20's or 30's. You can see a current forecast discussion here.