Information for PDS MC F2F Meeting, 8-9 Dec. 2009

Files Posted for the Meeting

Click here to access the files that are posted for access before and during the meeting (once they become available). The current version of the agenda can be found here.

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 ($85 per night + tax)
• Hotel Encanto, 705 S Telshor Blvd, Las Cruces NM, 575-522-4300 ($93 per night + tax)

There are additional hotels listed on the Visiting the Planetary Atmospheres Node page.

Dial-in Information

We will have teleconference lines reserved for the entire meeting. The dial-in number is 866-717-0239 and the passcode is 6791290.

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.

Tuesday December 8 through Wednesday December 9

We have reserved the Dona Ana Room, which is Room 312 in Corbett Center, for all three days of the PDS Management Council Meeting. Our meeting room will have wireless internet and a laptop projector and a phone for off-site people to call into.

Parking and Driving Directions

There are several options in terms of parking passes:

• E-permit: Click here to get an e-permit. NOTE: These passes are only good for one day! You need to get a separate permit for each day that you plan to drive onto campus. Select "Rental" for each of the pull-down menus that deals with car make/model.
• Metered spaces. There is a small number of metered spaces near Corbett Center, but they will likely be hard to get unless you arrive on campus early (7:30 am!).
• Free lots. There are some free lots on campus; these tend to be at the edges of campus (there are some free areas east and south of the Pan American Center, which is almost across the street from the Comfort Suites hotel).

The e-permit option allows 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. The inner lot past the pedestrian walkway is a metered lot and if you park there you will need to keep feeding the parking meter.

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

• We will have a working lunch on one or both days. We will have the Dining Services department cater lunch and people will be asked to contribute the cost of the meal. If we do not have a catered lunch for both days, local (on-campus) options include the (Crossroads Food Court in Corbett Center or the Frenger Food Court near the Astronomy Building).
• A group dinner is planned for Tuesday night at Peppers in Mesilla. More information will be provided shortly.

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.