Logistics & Travel for "Educating Skillful Visualizers" Workshop

Workshop Details | Travel | Accommodations ] Meals | Accessibility | Communications

Workshop Details

The program will begin on Saturday, August 5, at 8:30 am and will conclude on Sunday, August 6, at 3pm.

Accommodations and workshop sessions will be at the South Portland Campus of Southern Maine Community College (SMCC), ( This site may be offline. ) a beautiful site by the sea near the entrance to Portland harbor, 3 miles from downtown Portland.

Aerial photo of SMCC campus

Travel

Participants are responsible for coordinating their own travel to the workshop.

At the end of the workshop, bus transportation will be provided to Bates College in Lewiston, Maine, for the Gordon Research Conference (GRC) on Visualization in Science & Education.

Travel by Air

We recommend that you fly in to Portland, Maine (PWM), as the logistics are easier at the Maine end of your trip.

The alternative is to fly in to Logan Airport in Boston (BOS), which might be more practical or affordable.

For your return trip on Friday August 11, the GRC organizers will be providing buses to both airports. The bus trip from the GRC to Logan (Boston) is about 2.5 hours; from GRC to Portland is about 45 minutes.

Ground Transportation

To get from Portland airport to campus:

  • Taxi/Uber/Lyft: 20 minutes

To get from Boston to campus:

  • Concord Coach: regularly scheduled bus service from Logan Airport to Portland Transportation Center. One way fare: $37. Hourly departures at :35 after the hour. Travel time: 2h10 min. Taxi/Uber/Lyft from Portland Transportation Center to SMCC campus.

Travel by Car or Train

Driving directions to the campus are available here. Free on-campus parking will be provided.

The Amtrak Downeaster train runs from Boston's North Station (BON) to Portland (POR): schedule. If you are beginning your Amtrak trip south of Boston, you will need to transfer by subway from Back Bay Station to North Station in Boston. Get to the campus from the Portland train station by taxi/Lyft/Uber.

Campus Map

Annotated campus map

Accommodations

We will be staying at the Spring Hill Residence Hall (location shown on map). The rooms are single occupancy, with a shared bathroom between every two rooms.

The college provides towels and linens. You will need to bring your own toiletries.

Check-in will be available at the McKernan Hospitality Center from 2pm to midnight (Note: this is a change from previously circulated information). If you expect to arrive after midnight, please contact Mia Velazquez, email mvelazquez@temple.edu or cell (815) 557-8363.

Important: Southern Maine Community College is an alcohol- and drug-free campus. (Local craft beers and wine will be available at Saturday dinner at GRMRI.)

Meals

We will not be having a formal dinner on Friday evening since people are arriving at such different times. However, workshop conveners will be in the first floor lounge of the Spring Hill Residence Hall for informal conversation and pizza throughout the evening.

Breakfast and lunch on Saturday and Sunday will be served at the Culinary Arts Building (location shown on map). Lunch will be box lunches, so we have the option to eat at picnic tables down by the shore. If you are sun-sensitve, bring sunscreen or a hat.

Dinner on Saturday night is being hosted at the Gulf of Maine Research Institute (GMRI) at their facility on the harbor in downtown Portland. The bus to GMRI will leave from in front of the Spring Hill Residence Hall at 6:15pm on Saturday. There will be a reception with cash bar, followed by dinner featuring local seafood, and a chance to learn about GMRI's visualization-rich education and outreach programs for fishermen and school kids. A vegetarian dinner option will also be available.

The price of all meals during the workshop is covered.

Accessibility

The dorm, meeting rooms, and dining area are wheelchair accessible. Please contact Mia Velazquez at mvelazquez@temple.edu if you anticipate challenges moving around campus or with other aspects of the meeting.

Communications

There is Internet access in the dorm and the meeting rooms. Internet access information will be provided when you check-in on campus.

Contact Info

For questions about logistics and travel, contact Ms. Mia Velazquez, at (815) 557-8363 or mvelazquez@temple.edu. For questions about programming, contact Kim Kastens at kastens@ldeo.columbia.edu.