Delegate information

Great Lakes Planetarium Association 47th Annual Conference October 19-22, 2011   William M. Staerkel Planetarium Parkland College 2400 West Bradley Avenue Champaign, IL 61821 217-351-2568

Delegate Information

Conference host . . . . . . .The William M. Staerkel Planetarium at Parkland College opened in 1987 as the second largest planetarium in Illinois and the second largest community college planetarium in the nation. Staerkel boasted the first Carl Zeiss M1015 projector installed in the western hemisphere, situated in a 50-foot Astrotec dome. In the summer of 2010, slide projectors and automation were removed, the dome repainted, and a Digistar 4 system was installed, featuring two cove-mounted JVC projectors. The planetarium serves college classes and K-12 field trips through the week with public shows offered on Friday and Saturday nights. We also serve all of the introductory astronomy students at the nearby University of Illinois. A typical year’s annual attendance is 25,000 students. Parkland College is a two-year community college in northwest Champaign. It is the major feeder institution to the university, with enrollments topping 11,000 students.

Conference hotel . . . . . .This year’s conference hotel is the Holiday Inn & Conference Center in Urbana, just off Interstate 74. The hotel is roughly 4 miles from the planetarium but half of the trip is interstate. The Amtrak station is five miles away and Willard Airport is nine miles to the south. Motorcoach transportation will be provided to and from the planetarium. The hotel underwent $3 million of renovations in 2010 and features over 8900 square feet of conference room space. 125 rooms have been reserved at the conference rate of $90 per night plus 11% tax, single or double. The rooms will be held until October 7. After that, a room at the conference rate cannot be guaranteed. All rooms are non-smoking. Amenities include free parking, free wi-fi access, indoor pool, fitness center, and business center. To reserve a room, please call 217-328-7900. It is recommended that you call rather than reserve a room online to ensure the group rate. Mention up front that you want to make a reservation within the group code  “GLP” when making your reservation. The hotel also shares a parking lot with a Holiday Inn Express. If you would like lodging alternatives, contact Dave Leake at 217-351-2567 or dleake@parkland.edu. For those with mobile GPS units, the hotel is at 1001 Killarney Street, Urbana, IL 61801.

Getting to Champaign-Urbana . . . . . If traveling by car, Champaign-Urbana is located near three interstate highways, I-72 (Springfield to Champaign), I-74 (Peoria to Indianapolis) and I-57 (Chicago to Memphis). The hotel is located at the Lincoln Avenue exit off I-74 with the planetarium being found either via the Prospect Avenue exit off I-74 or the University Avenue exit off I-57. If you are flying, the University of Illinois Willard Airport is technically in the village of Savoy, just nine miles to the south. A free hotel shuttle is available if arrangements are made with the hotel in advance. C-U is also on a north-south Amtrak line. Entrance to Parkland is off of Bradley Avenue with the planetarium being attached to the main building on the west side of campus. A perimeter drive surrounds the college. We are attached to a performance theater by an open-air archway and the best parking lots are M1 or C4.

What to pack . . . . . . As is typical of the Midwest, October’s weather can be unpredictable. In fact, the last time the Staerkel Planetarium hosted GLPA (1989), it snowed! Though we don’t expect snow, bring a jacket! You will find all types of attire at a GLPA conference, though business attire is recommended for the Friday banquet.

Local attractions . . . . The Staerkel Planetarium is a part of the “Museums at the Crossroads Consortium” featuring eleven county museums (www.m-crossroads.org), including the Spurlock Museum, Chanute Air Museum in Rantoul, and the Orpheum Children’s Science Museum in downtown Champaign. For the train buffs in the group, the Monticello Railway Museum is about 20 minutes west on I-72. C-U is also home to the University of Illinois. Parkland College also has an art gallery on campus.

Conference Registration . . . . . GLPA is offering online registration. You may use a credit card or PayPal account to pay for membership, registration, meals and workshops if you register online. Please consider this option! You may also register online and still send in a check. You may also use the traditional paper method, too (PDF forms can be downloaded if you didn't receive them in the mail) and pay by check. The basic non-vendor registration fee is $178 with an added $25 late fee for registrations postmarked after September 23. After October 7, you must add a late, late registration fee of an additional $25 plus, if you are registering using the traditional paper form, you must fax it to 217-373-3809. The meal package may not be available to those registering after October 7. On-site check-in will be at the planetarium for Wednesday and Thursday.

Meal package . . . . . the meal package covers breakfast buffets Thursday, Friday, and Saturday mornings, plus a box lunch on Thursday, dinner on Thursday, lunch on Friday, and the Friday banquet. Guests and spouses may purchase the meal package or just the Friday banquet. The Wednesday reception, consisting of heavy hors d'oeuvres and beverages, is included in the registration fee. If you choose not to participate in the meal plan, there are several fast food places a few miles to the south on Lincoln Avenue or, if you get back on I-74, there are many restaurants on North Prospect Avenue and a food court at Marketplace Mall north of I-74 on Neil Street.

Invited Speakers . . . . . 

• Dr. James B. Kaler gave his first “Astronomy Update” talk at GLPA in Champaign in 1989. He was a staple at GLPA conferences for twenty years after that! Jim returns to given an invited talk entitled “Cosmic Mysteries.” Dr. Kaler is professor emeritus at the University of Illinois Department of Astronomy. Jim looks forward to seeing everyone in GLPA again! You had to know we’d ask him!

• Dr. Ronald Kaitchuck will again be presenting the annual Astronomy Update Lecture. Dr. Kaitchuck is professor of Physics and Astronomy at Ball State University where he engages in research and manages the planetarium. Ron is a long-time GLPA member best known for his summer planetarium workshops. As an active researcher, he is well qualified to bring us up-to-date on what has happened in the field of astronomy since the last GLPA conference.

• Lee Ann Hennig will be this year’s Armand Spitz lecturer. Lee Ann is currently the executive secretary for the International Planetarium Society and a member of the board of directors of the Middle Atlantic Planetarium Society in addition to her duties running the planetarium at Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology in Alexandria, Virginia. She earned a B.S. in Astronomy and Math from the University of Texas at Edinburg, and received a M.S.Ed. in Astronomy from the University of Maryland in 1972. She teaches two senior level courses in Astronomy, a Senior Research Astronomy Tech Lab, and is lab director for the Astronomy Mentorship students. We look forward to her reflections on the planetarium profession.