PIRE Blog

We are looking forward to seeing many of you at our NANOGrav winter
meeting at the Arecibo Observatory February 8 – 10 (Wednesday – Friday).

Here is a basic FAQ connected with the meeting:

What is the plan for the scientific organization of the meeting?

A scientific organizing group is being formed and will solicit your
input soon. The meeting consists of three full working days (Wednesday – Friday).
We anticipate a fairly even balance between scheduled discussions and
unstructured working time.

How will people get from the San Juan airport to the Observatory or a hotel in Hatillo?

By either rental car or taxi (publico). We will attempt to assist you in transportation if you are
unfamiliar with getting to and from the Observatory. If you are staying off site (i.e. at a hotel
in Hatillo) you will need a car in order to drive back and forth to the Observatory—a 30 min.
drive on a winding, mountainous road.

Where will people stay?

Depending on how many NANOGravvers and guests attend, we hope to be able to house
most people on the Observatory grounds. However, this will certainly involve room sharing
for students and may involve room sharing for others, too. Alternatively, you may book a
hotel in Hatillo (we will give you the names of several that frequently do business with the
Observatory). As stated before, you will then be responsible for your own transportation up
and down “the mountain.”

How will meals be arranged?

There will be breakfast every morning on site. A lunch of pre-ordered sandwiches and
accompaniments will be served every day at the Conference Center (next to the
Visitor Center). There will be a banquet with the Advisory Board down by the pool on
Tuesday evening, Feb. 7, to which everyone is invited. More modest dinners will be
provided in the cafeteria on Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday evenings.

I am participating in the Advisory Board meeting. When should I arrive?

The AB will meet for full days on Monday and Tuesday, Feb. 6 and 7, so it would
be best if you arrive on Sunday (Feb. 5) and depart on Wednesday (Feb. 8).

Will there be any organized recreational opportunities?

No. You are on your own to take advantage of activities near the
Observatory (Camuy Cave, the beach, hiking in the rain forest). We
will be happy to supplement the information on the naic.edu website
with our local recommendations.

Will my cellphone work at the Observatory?

No! This is a radio quiet zone and there are no nearby cell phone towers.
There is also no wireless internet on site.

What sort of internet access will I have at the Observatory?

There is wired internet access in all of the Visiting Scientist Quarter
(VSQ) rooms and all of the office areas. There will be adequate wired
access in the Conference Center where we will be meeting, but we are
considering turning it off during formal presentations. We want this to
be a focused meeting, and we may actively encourage this by limiting the
time during which the internet is available in the meeting room.