January 16, 2017 Professor Robert Wilson Department of Physics Colorado State University Fort Collins CO 80523 Dear Bob, The School of Physics and Astronomy at the University of Minnesota would be pleased to host a DUNE Collaboration Meeting in 2018. The proposed site would be the historic Tate Hall, which will re-open this Summer (2017) following a two-year, $95 million renovation and new construction project. Tate Hall is located on the Main Campus Mall on the East Bank of the Mississippi River. The content of this letter will follow the outline that you recently distributed. Possible Dates: The ideal time for a meeting in Minneapolis is after the end of classes in mid- May and before the start of Freshman Orientation in the last week of August. Most optimal times within this interval are either late May/Early June or mid-August. We can readily arrange early morning or late evening meetings, as well as satellite meetings before or after the Collaboration Meeting. Access to the Location: MSP Airport is the second largest hub for Delta Airlines and is also served by the other major U.S. airlines, the budget airlines (Southwest and Spirit) and the locally-based budget airline (Sun Country). Nonstop service is available from/to many cities in North America and from/to Amsterdam, London, Paris, Reykjavik and Tokyo Haneda. Both the University campus (3 stations) and the nearby hotels are accessible from MSP Airport by Light Rail Transit (LRT). LRT trains typically run every 10 minutes. Since both Minneapolis and St. Paul city centers are also connected to campus by LRT, a rental car is not necessary and not recommended, except for a pre- or post-meeting out of town excursion. Previous Meetings: The most similar previous meeting on the University of Minnesota campus was Snowmass 2013, which had about 700 participants. The 1996 DPF Meeting, also on campus, was of similar size. Minnesota has also recently hosted NOvA and CDMS Collaboration meetings. The 2014 AAPT Summer Meeting was held on the Minneapolis campus. Minnesota Physics faculty worked with AAPT staff on the organization of that meeting. The Minnesota campus is also the site for the future WIN 2021 Meeting. Minnesota faculty also participated in the local organization of the 2005 AAS Meeting, which was held in downtown Minneapolis. Minnesota faculty and staff have also contributed to the arrangements for off-campus meetings: CIPANP at the LaJolla Hilton in 2009, ICHEP at the Sheraton Chicago in 2016 and Neutrino in Chicago in 2020. Staff Contributions: The University of Minnesota is fortunate to have a large School of Physics and Astronomy with 60 faculty supported by an experienced staff. School staff members will be available to assist in the organization of the meeting, as well as during the meeting. The School staff includes three staff members dedicated full-time to IT and A/V support.
Room Sizes: We plan to focus the meeting space in the newly-remodeled Tate Hall, unless the registration exceeds 250, in which case, we can either use Smith 100 or use a second room in Tate with a video connection. Smith Hall is about 50 m from Tate Hall. The table below shows selected room numbers and seating capacities. More than a dozen other rooms with full audiovisual capabilities and capacities between 20 and 70 seats are also available in Tate Hall and in the nearby three-year-old Physics and Nanotechnology Building. Rooms would also be available for satellite meetings before, during and after the main meeting. Building Room Number Seats Tate B50 248 Tate B20, 101, 105 150 each Tate 110 70 Tate 120 44 Tate 160, 270, B27, B29 24 each Tate 201, 301, B65 48 each Smith 100 357 Audio/Visual and WiFi Networks: All rooms are equipped with A/V systems including projectors with HDMI and VGA interfaces. High speed WiFi is available everywhere on campus, including outside on the Campus Mall between Tate and Smith. The University has a network with guest login, but since Minnesota also participates in EDUROAM, most attendees will likely log into the high-speed portals with their home institution username and password. Registration Fee: The major expense to be covered by a registration fee is coffee breaks and snacks. $25 per day would seem a reasonable allowance for these items. (The Registration Fee for Snowmass 2013 was ~$35 per day, including lunch.) Lunches, an Opening Reception and/or a Collaboration Dinner could either be bundled into a registration fee or selected ala carte. (The Snowmass Dinner was $60.) Restaurants: Approximately 50 restaurants, coffee shops and other food service venues are located within a 15 minute walk of Tate Hall. These establishments include sit-down restaurants, brew pubs, order at a counter with table service, fast food, Starbucks and its competitors, pizza, Asian, Mexican, salad, etc. In summer, both inside and outside dining are available. Collaboration Dinner: Multiple options exist for a Collaboration Dinner. Some likely possibilities include: • McNamara Alumni Center (used for Snowmass 2013) • Weisman Art Museum • TCF Bank Stadium Club (Minnesota Gophers) • Dinner Cruise on the Mississippi River (from/to dock on campus) Accommodations: Hotels within a 15 minute walk from Tate Hall include: • Commons Hotel (on campus) (Snowmass 2013 rate was $109) • Marriott Courtyard (Snowmass 2013 rate was $119) • Days Inn (Snowmass 2013 rate was $85) • Hampton Inn and Suites • University Inn
The GSA rate for Minneapolis is $145 in the center city and $96 in Dakota County (near the Airport). Block room reservations typically close 4 to 6 weeks prior to the event, but many hotels in Minneapolis city center are <10 minutes from campus by LRT. Rooms with baths will also be available in University Residence Halls. (The Snowmass 2013 Residence Hall rate was $55 including breakfast.) Another possibility, especially for groups, is Airbnb. More than 1,000 apartments are within walking distance of Tate Hall and even more are easily accessible by LRT. • Activities for Participants and Accompanying Persons: The proposed meeting venue on the University of Minnesota campus is centrally located in the Minneapolis-St. Paul metropolitan area, which has a population of 3 million. Some interesting venues are listed below. All locations are accessible by public transit; * means accessible by LRT. • Weisman Art Museum (on campus) • Walker Art Center and Minneapolis Sculpture Garden • Minneapolis Institute of Art • *Science Museum of Minnesota • *Minnesota History Center • *Mall of America and Ikea (no tax on clothes) • *Mill City Museum and Historic Segway Tours • *Minnesota Twins Major League Baseball • *St. Paul Saints Minor League Baseball • Como Park Zoo and Amusements • * Guthrie Theater • *Minnesota State Capitol • * North Loop restaurants and brew pubs • Childcare: Drop-In child care is available near campus. Depending on the meeting date, athletic and science camp programs may also be available. • Optional Physics Tours: The NOvA Ash River Laboratory, home of the 14,000 ton NOvA Far Detector, is a 4 to 5 hour, mostly freeway drive from Minneapolis. Pre-and post-meeting visits will be possible. Sanford Lab is accessible by an 8 to 9 hour almost entirely freeway drive from Minneapolis. There are also 4 to 5 non-stop flights each day from Minneapolis to Rapid City. Best regards, Marvin L. Marshak College of Science and Engineering Professor Morse Alumni Professor
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