News: Fall Retreat 2012 will be at Lake Arrowhead. Your advice is needed for 2013 retreat.

This message was sent by Claire Max to the CfAO Steering Committee

Dear CfAO Steering Committee:

Thanks very much for your quick responses to our poll about a Northern California site for this year's Fall Retreat. Lake Arrowhead was urging us to "move to contract" in order to guarantee our reservation for this coming November, so we needed to make a quick decision. Unfortunately, there was only enough time to investigate four of the eight proposed Northern California sites in depth; all of these had costs considerably more than Lake Arrowhed.

Hence in our poll of the Steering Committee, Lake Arrowhead got the most votes (seven votes to four), with the Berkeley Clark Kerr Conference Center coming in second. Most of you agreed that we should go to Lake Arrowhead this coming fall because time was short and the other sites seemed expensive, but that with more time to research other sites, we should find a less expensive Northern California location for next year. People liked the idea of holding the Fall Retreat in Northern and Southern California in alternate years. Also, Don Gavel and I are applying for an NSF Workshop grant that might be used next year to help defray the costs for grads and postdocs.

Soon we'll resume researching different Northern California sites and pass that information along to you for feedback. I've listed below the sites we will be considering (always looking for less expensive rates). Please let us know if you think of other sites that we should explore.  

Thanks!

Claire Max

Claremont Hotel & Spa, Berkeley

http://www.claremontresort.com/

Clark Kerr Conference Center + Hotel Durant or Claremont Hotel, Berkeley

http://conferenceservices.berkeley.edu/summerconf_accommodations_unit5.html       

www.hoteldurant.com/

San Francisco Airport Marriott Waterfront    

http://www.marriott.com/hotels/travel/sfobg-san-francisco-airport-marriott-waterfront/

Dream Inn, Santa Cruz    

http://www.dreaminnsantacruz.com/

Hotel Shattuck Plaza, Berkeley   

http://hotelshattuckplaza5-px.trvlclick.com/

Cavallo Point Lodge, Sausalito

http://www.cavallopoint.com/

UC Davis

http://conferencecenter.ucdavis.edu/UC_Davis_Conference_Center/Home.html

UC San Francisco - Mission Bay Conference Center

http://conferencecenter.ucdavis.edu/UC_Davis_Conference_Center/Home.html

Polls Extended

I've extended the poll closure date to March 20. So far only about 20% of Fall Retreat attendees have responded. We'd like to see more input before having to make the final decision about the 2012 Retreat location, so I encourage you to vote soon. Thanks

CfAO Fall Science Retreat

The first Fall Retreat under the auspices of the UC CfAO was a grand success. We had dynamic workshops on Astronomy, Vision Science and Education as well as a full program of plenary and breakout talks, poster sessions, and the ever-popular evening social hours.

Please post your comment on the Retreat:

• What was your favorite part of the retreat?
• What events or topics would you like to see added?
• What suggestions do you have to increase the appeal to the broader AO community?
• Would you like to serve on an organizing committee for this year's retreat?

Fall Retreat Planning

We are starting the planning for the 2012 Fall Retreat.

Some venues we are exploring...

Claremont Berkeley

Marin Headlands Cavallo Point Lodge

• Clark Kerr Campus & Claremont Hotel (or just Claremont Hotel) link
• Cavallo Point Lodge link
• San Francisico Airport Marriot link
• or, return to UCLA Conference Center Lake Arrowhead link

Marriott Waterfront San Francisco

UCLA Conference Center Lake Arrowhead

Please tell us your preference, or suggesst alternatives, in a Post Comment. Thanks!