Fifth NAIC/NRAO Single-Dish Summer School

Second Announcement

Participant selection for the fifth NAIC-NRAO school on single-dish radio astronomy has been made and the successful applicants informed. The school was heavily over-subscribed, and we regret that places could not be found for a good number of applicants. If you have been accepted, but now do not intend to come to the school, please let the organizers know (via sdss5 (at) naic.edu) as soon as possible. A short waiting list is being retained in case of cancellations by selected participants.

It is planned that all lectures presented at the School will be made public on the school web page for general community access.

This announcement will detail a number of matters of importance to selected participants. It is urged that they read this message carefully, and particularly honor the deadlines given here.

Travel to and from San Juan, PR

If you have not already made your travel arrangements, please do so as soon as possible as flights to Puerto Rico in July fill up early. When you have booked your ticket, it is important to let us have your flight details immediately so that we can plan pick-up/drop-off arrangements for your arrival/departure from San Juan airport. A web form through which to send your flight details is available at; (http://www.naic.edu/~astro/sdss5/travel_form.shtml). So far (7th May), we have only received travel plans from less than one third of selected participants.

Please note that we are unable to provide the pick-up/drop-off service for any other airport in Puerto Rico, and so urge that you arrange your flights to arrive and depart from San Juan (SJU). The preferred dates for arrival and departure are Saturday, July 11th, and Saturday, July 18th.

Accommodation

Accommodation has now been assigned for all School participants. All accommodation is either (a) in three-person shared rooms on-site at Arecibo Observatory, or (b) in local hotels. There are approximately 11 shared rooms available on-site at a cost of $25.00 per person per night (plus 7% tax). In addition, twenty rooms are available in the Hotel Rosa del Mar at about $108 per room per night (including breakfast and tax), or $54 per person per night double occupancy. Fifteen rooms are also available in Hotel El Buen Cafe at $96.30 per room per night (including tax) single occupancy, or around $53 per person per night double occupancy.

Unless specifically requested otherwise, all participants have been assigned shared rooms by the organizers, either on-site or in a hotel. Participants who expressed a desire not to share rooms in their registration details have been assigned rooms in a hotel. Please consult the accommodation list linked to the school web page (http://www.naic.edu/~astro/sdss5/) for specifics.

IMPORTANT: If you have been assigned to a room in a hotel, please call that hotel directly by May 15th to confirm your reservation against a credit card. (Telephone numbers are Hotel Rosa del Mar - 787-262-1515; Hotel El Buen Cafe - 787-898-1000). Beyond this date, room availability cannot be guaranteed. When you book your room at a hotel, please mention the "Single Dish Summer School at the Observatory", so the hotel is aware that you are a participant

Pre-payment of Registration Fee

It will considerably ease arrangements for NAIC if participants can pre-pay their $200 registration fee for the School. A payment form is available via the link to "Fee Payment Form (PDF)" on the school web page (http://www.naic.edu/~astro/sdss5/)

Financial Assistance

Participants who requested financial assistance in their pre-registration will be informed by the Organizing Committee of their decisions on this within the next few days.

Weather at Arecibo Observatory in July

The temperatures at the Observatory in July are typically in the mid-80's (about 30 deg C) by day, dipping to the mid-70's (about 24 deg C) at night. Rainfall is likely to occur rather frequently during July. Hence, while summer clothing is appropriate, a light sweater may be needed for the evenings (and in the air-conditioned rooms and lecture theater of the Observatory.)

The Observatory site is deep in the countryside, and we would recommend that participants bring at least a stout pair of tennis shoes/trainers. The Observatory possesses a swimming pool, which participants will be welcome to use outside the hours of classes, etc., so come prepared.

Telephone Calls from Arecibo Observatory

You a likely to want to make the odd telephone call while at Arecibo Observatory. However, we should point out that the use of cell phones within or near the Observatory grounds is strictly prohibited due to the associated Radio Frequency Interference (RFI) which can disturb observations being made with the telescope. For participants in hotels in the Arecibo area, cell phones can be used safely from there. For those staying on-site, or for others wishing to make calls from the Observatory grounds, we urge you to bring a telephone calling card with you. However, when you purchase these, please make sure that they are cards that will work from Puerto Rico. We understand that those sold by Walgreens are satisfactory (though please still check!)

Bringing your Laptop

For those accommodated at the Observatory, each room has an internet connection via ethernet. There is no wireless internet connection within the Observatory, again due to RFI considerations.