General Information
The Illinois Number Theory Conferences are regional number
theory conferences that have been held nearly every year since the
1970s. The University of Illinois now serves as the primary host of
these meetings; other universities that have occasionally hosted an
Illinois Number Theory Conference in the recent past include Illinois
State University and Northern Illinois University.
Initially intended as small regional conferences for number theorists in
the Midwest, these meetings have broadened their appeal and are
attracting participants from other parts of the U.S. and from Canada.
This year's conference will be held on the weekend of May 27/28, 2011. This date
falls in the break between our spring and summer semesters when the campus
is uncrowded and inexpensive on-campus accommodation in student resident
halls is available. In addition, a date in mid/late May is less likely to
conflict with teaching schedules at other institutions and thus should
make it easier for participants to attend the conference.
The conference will begin the morning of Friday, May 27, 2011, and will
end late morning on Saturday, May 28. We expect that most participants
will arrive on Thursday, May 26, and will depart on Sunday, May 29. All
talks will be given in Altgeld Hall, an historic building located in the
heart of the University of Illinois campus and the home of the Mathematics
Department.
Talks
There will be opportunity for contributed talks, normally of 20 minutes
duration, though we may be able to accommodate a few longer talks.
If you are interested in giving a talk, fill out the appropriate section
on the online registration form.
We welcome talks by graduate students - especially those on the job market -
and postdocs. The conference offers a friendly, nonthreatening environment
in which to gain experience and exposure to a broader audience for those
starting out their academic careers. Funding is available
for participants in these groups; see below for details.
The conference attracts a broad and diverse segment of number theorists,
including many graduate students. Talks should be geared to such a broad
audience.
Last year's schedule of
talks gives an idea of the range of topics typically seen at our
conferences.
The deadline for requesting a slot for a talk is May 1, 2011.
In keeping with a long-standing tradition, we do not charge a
registration fee, and coffee, refreshments, donuts, etc., during the
conference are free to all participants. However, in order to help us
prepare the meeting we ask that those who plan to attend register via
the online registration form.
Financial Support
Thanks to a grant from the Number Theory Foundation, limited funding is available
for participating graduate students, postdocs, and junior faculty without grants.
If you are interested in such support, contact A.J. Hildebrand, ajh@illinois.edu.
Graduate students should provide a brief description of their research and the
name of their thesis advisor. The deadline for applying for support is May 1,
2011.
Accommodation
We have reserved blocks of rooms at Hendrick House, a private residence
hall on the University of Illinois campus, and at Eastland Suites, a hotel
located off campus in Urbana.
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Hendrick House.
At around $30 per night, this is the most economical and most convenient
lodging option. Hendrick House
is a private residence hall, located on the
University of Illinois campus, a few blocks from the conference venue.
Accommodation is in single rooms with semi-private baths, at around $30 per
night. Reservations can be made online via
this link,
or by calling Hendrick House at (217) 365-8000. The deadline for
reservations is May 1. Please identify yourself as a participant of the
"Illinois Number Theory Conference". (Note that the "meal plans" listed
on the online form are not available during the conference period, so
the "no meals" option should be selected when using the form. There are
plenty of restaurant options in campus area.)
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Eastland Suites.
Eastland Suites is a full service hotel, located in Urbana, about 2 miles from
campus. Amenities include a pool, fitness center, and sauna. The hotel will
provide free shuttle service to conference participants to and from the
conference site and also offers free shuttle service to and from the
Champaign Airport. Rates for conference participants are around $85 per
room, and include a hot breakfast buffet. For reservations, call
1-800-253-8331, identifying yourself as a participant of the Illinois Number
theory Conference.
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Other hotel options:
For those coming by car, there are a number of moderately priced motel
options along the I-74 corridor north of Champaign, about a 15 minutes
drive from the campus. (For those without car, this is not a practical
option.)
Among the on-campus hotel options, the most convenient - but also the most
expensive - is the
Illini Union
Hotel,
located right next to Altgeld Hall, the conference venue.
As of 4/24/2011, the hotel website still showed availability of rooms
for the conference period, with rates starting at $109 per night. Because of
its central campus location, the Illini Union tends to be the first local
hotel to sell out of rooms.
If you are interested in this option, you may want to make your reservations
early, either online via the above website, or by calling the Illini Union at
(217) 333-1241.
Maps and directions
-
Campus map with walking directions between
Altgeld Hall (Point A) and Hendrick House (Point B)
Shuttle bus stops:
Altgeld Hall is a stop for the Illini Shuttle.
Lex Express uses the U of I Folletts bookstore as
its campus stop, which is located a half block further north, on the
northwest corner the Green/Wright Street intersection.
Both stops are about three blocks from Hendrick House.
- Driving directions to Hendrick House.
From I-74, take the Lincoln Avenue exit in Urbana and proceed south
for about 1.5 miles, then turn right onto Green Street.
Hendrick House is the highrise building located immediately to your right
at the northwest corner of Lincoln Avenue and Green Street.
Those staying at Hendrick House can use the Hendrick House parking lot;
parking passes are available at the front desk for a $4 per day. All
conference venues are within easy walking distance from Hendrick House.
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Parking.
Unfortunately, parking in
the campus area is very limited and expensive. Most of the metered spaces
on city streets in the campus area are limited to 2 hours, and meters are
in effect weekdays through 9 pm and on Saturdays.
The best option is to use the John Street parking garage
at the southwest corner of John St and 6th
Street in Champaign, located one block from Altgeld Hall; see the map
below.
The lower level of the garage has metered spaces, at 75c per hour, up to a
maximum of 10 hours. In contrast to street parking, these spaces are free
after 5 pm weekdays and all day Saturday and Sunday. Thus, you can leave
your car there till late in the evening, but only need to feed the meter
until 5 pm. Note that the meters accept only quarters, dimes, and
nickels, so be sure to have a sufficient supply of coins with you to
last for the full day.
After 5 pm, and all day on Saturday and Sunday, all levels of the garage
are available for public parking, as are all other University parking lots
except those explicitly marked as 24 hour spaces.
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Driving direction from I-74 and I-57 to John Street Parking Garage (Point B)
Travel Information
- By plane to the Champaign airport.
The Champaign airport ("University of Illinois Willard Airport", airport code
CMI) is served by American Airlines and located about a 15 minute
drive from the University of Illinois campus. Flying into Champaign is
the most convenient and most hassle-free way to get to the University of
Illinois campus.
For participants staying at the Eastland Suites, the hotel provides
a free hotel shuttle service to and from the airport.
For those staying at Hendrick House, we hope to be able to
provide transportation from the airport on Thursday.
Other options to get from the airport to Champaign/Urbana
are a city bus line ("Air Bus" - see below) and a taxi (around $15) ,
- By plane to Chicago's O'Hare airport.
Flying into Champaign is usually (but not always!) more expensive
than flying into Chicago, the closest major airport hub. If there is a
significant difference in airfares, you may want to consider booking a flight
into Chicago instead. To get from
Chicago's O'Hare airport to Champaign there are several options:
-
Illini Shuttle
and
LEX Express
are commercial shuttle bus lines providing service between Champaign and the
Chicago area, including the O'Hare and Midway airports. Their buses
pick up passengers directly at the airport,
and they have several drop-off locations
in the Champaign-Urbana area, including one in the heart of campus, near
Altgeld Hall and Hendrick House.
A trip takes around 3 hours, and typically costs about $30, though costs can
vary depending on demand.
-
Amtrak
has train service between Union Station in downtown Chicago and Champaign.
This is less convenient than using one of the shuttle bus lines as trains
are infrequent and one needs to get to downtown Chicago first.
-
Renting a car in Chicago and driving to Champaign.
Some University visitors prefer this option because of the flexibility it
allows. The car rental adds to the cost , though for groups of three or more
it may be more economical than other alternatives.
Resources and Links
-
University of Illinois Visitor Page.
Maps, directions, and links to other resources.
-
Campus Map.
The conference site, and home of the mathematics department, is Altgeld
Hall, located near the southeast corner of Green and Wright Streets,
adjacent to the Illini Union. Hendrick House is located a
few block further east, at the northwest corner of the intersection of
Green Street with Lincoln Avenue.
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Green Bus Schedule, Weekdays.
Green Bus Schedule, Sundays.
The "Green" Bus line travels along Green Street and
provides a convenient way to get from Hendrick House
to campus, and to the Amtrak station in downtown Champaign.
The closest stop to Hendrick House is Green and Gregory (one block west
of the traffic signal at Green and Lincoln). The closest stop to Altgeld
Hall is Illini Union. For the Amtrak Station use the Illinois Terminal
stop. Illinois Terminal is the main bus hub in Champaign, and located
directly across from the Amtrak station.
-
Air Bus Schedule, Weekdays.
Air Bus Schedule, Sundays.
The "Air Bus" (Line No. 27 weekdays, and 270 weekends)
is a city-operated bus service between
the Champaign Airport ("Willard Terminal"), downtown Champaign, and
campus. Click on the above links for a schedule and a map.
The airport bus stop is right outside the terminal.
Tickets are $1 each. The closest stop to Hendrick House is
at Goodwin and Green, one block west of Lincoln and Green where
Hendrick House is located.
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University of Illinois Weather Page.
The best source for local weather information, and live radar.
-
FlightStats.
Flight tracking site. Click on "Airports" and type in "CMI"
to check the status of flights into and out of Champaign.
Recent Illinois Number Theory Conferences
Programs for the most recent editions of the Illinois Number Theory
Conference series can be found at the following links:
More information
Conference web page (this page):
https://math.uiuc.edu/intc2011/. This page will be updated as more
information becomes available, so please revisit the page as we get
closer to the conference.
Contact: For further information, please
contact A.J. Hildebrand (ajh@illinois.edu).
Last modified Sat 28 May 2011 06:37:35 PM CDT
A.J. Hildebrand