Meeting Logistics
BHL Workshop @ Harvard
Meeting logistics
Dates—The workshop will span two days, Wednesday and Thursday, February 7 and 8, 2007. Wednesday’s session will begin at 10a; Thursday’s session will begin at 9a and end between 4 and 4:30p.
Venue—The workshop is hosted by the Museum of Comparative Zoology (MCZ) at Harvard University in Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA. Sessions will meet in the Agassiz Room in the University Museum building, which also houses the Harvard Museum of Natural History (HMNH), the Mineralogical & Geological Museum, and the Peabody Museum of Archaeology and Ethnology. To reach the Agassiz Room, enter the main entrance of the HMNH (26 Oxford St.), walk up the stairs, go past the HMNH admissions counter, enter the office of OEB Administration, and ask someone to show you to the Agassiz Room. Outside doors open for public access at 9a. Museum staff will be on hand Thursday morning at 8:30a to enable entry by workshop participants.
Lodging—Workshop attendees will stay at the Harvard Square Hotel. The hotel is located at 110 Mount Auburn Street (Cambridge, MA 02138), which is a 1-2-minute walk from Harvard Square and a 10-12-minute walk from MCZ. Hotel rooms in Cambridge are very expensive, but we have negotiated a block of discounted rooms for our use.
This arrangement requires that all reservations be confirmed by January 15th. If you have not done so already, please contact :
Allie Schellhammer
OEB: 617-495-5891
MCZ: 617-495-2460
FAX: 617-496-8308
aschellh@oeb.harvard.edu
and provide the information required to confirm your reservation: dates of stay, approximate time of arrival, room preference (smoking or non-smoking), and a credit card number if you do not wish the BHL workshop to pay your lodging expense. Incidental expenses incurred at the hotel, such as meals, room service, internet access, etc., must be paid from personal or other institutional funds; the BHL workshop will not underwrite these costs.
Transportation to and from the airport—Workshop attendees arriving by plane most likely will arrive at Boston’s Logan Airport. The Harvard Square Hotel
does not provide transportation to and from the airport. We suggest that attendees take a taxi from the airport directly to the hotel or campus. This will cost between $35 and $45, depending on traffic and time of day. You must get a receipt from the driver to be reimbursed for this expense. Alternatively, people wishing to use public transportation should take the
Silver Line bus from Logan Airport to South Station and there transfer to the
Red Line subway (the “T”). Take the Red Line INBOUND (up the stairs and to the right) to the Harvard Square station and walk to the hotel (Brattle Street exit) or museum (Church Street exit, on the right). Total cost is $2.00 when using a CharlieTicket. Allie Schellhammer will coordinate return trips to the airport at the end of the workshop based on travel itineraries provided in advance. Please contact Allie for tips on ground transportation to Cambridge from other area airports.
If you take a taxi from Logan Airport to campus Wednesday morning, ask the driver to take you to the “Harvard Museum of Natural History on Oxford Street—where the Glass Flowers are.”
Parking—Attendees driving to the workshop will need to park their cars at the Harvard Square Hotel, which charges a $30 daily fee. Do not plan to drive your car to campus each day, as parking is a nightmare and you’ll likely get lost driving the 5 or 6 blocks between the hotel and the MCZ.
Daily schedule/transportation—We will plan to walk between the Harvard Square Hotel and the MCZ each day; please dress accordingly. If the weather is especially bad, we’ll use taxis to shuttle people back and forth. Further information will be provided on site.
Meals—Continental breakfast will be provided in the Agassiz Room each morning beginning at 9a (Wednesday) or 8:30a (Thursday). Sack lunches also will be provided on those days between morning and afternoon sessions. Wednesday evening, the group may convene for dinner at a local restaurant in Harvard Square. Anyone who has special dietary requirements or restrictions should notify Allie Schellhammer (address above) as soon as possible so that we may make appropriate advance arrangements.
Travel reimbursement—Each attendee should make his or her own travel arrangements. The BHL workshop will reimburse for roundtrip, economy airfare or train transportation between your home institution and Boston. Everyone is encouraged to book flights/trains early to lock in a desirable itinerary and attractive fares. Specific questions should be directed to Allie Schellhammer, including reimbursement for use of your personal vehicle. Reasonable ground transportation expenses also will be reimbursed. Please retain original, itemized receipts for all travel expenses for which you plan to claim reimbursement.
Computer access—The Agassiz Room is equipped with a wireless network (WiFi), so attendees who bring wireless-equipped laptops should be able to gain access to Harvard’s network (and beyond). Staff will be on hand to provide instructions. There will be limited access to desktop computers in the MCZ. The Harvard Square Hotel offers WiFi to registered guests at the cost of $10 per day. Additionally, there are desktop computers available in the Ernst Mayr Library.
Contact information and other helpful information—
