Join Us for ABLE 2001!

When: June 19-22, 2001. Note that the dates are later than usual for the ABLE conference.

For more conference information, please contact:

Roz Potter
Biological Sciences Collegiate Division
University of Chicago
924 E. 57th St.
Chicago, IL 60637
e-mail: rsvp@uchicago.edu

Travel to Chicago: Flying (or taking the train) is highly recommended. Chicago has two major airports, O'Hare and Midway. There is public transportation from both to Hyde Park at a reasonable cost (<$5.00 if you don't mind carrying your bag a bit; ~$20 if you want to avoid transfers). Chicago has great bus and train public transportation, so you won't miss your car. If you do drive, parking will be available in a parking garage next to the dorm.

Accommodations: Single and double rooms will be available in a campus dorm for $43.25/night and $34.25/night, respectively. Breakfast, which is included in the room charge, will be served in the building's dining hall; bathrooms are communal. Additional double occupancy rooms will be available at the Ramada Inn on the lakeshore for $90/night. Staying at the Ramada will require a car as it is ~3 miles from campus.

Workshops: We are planning for 180 participants, so we will need ~24 major workshops and about as many mini-workshops. Please contact Jim Bader with a brief description of a major workshop you would like to present, or contact Catherine Teare Ketter with your mini-workshop ideas.

Evening Activities: In addition to the attractions of the city, which are very accessible from Hyde Park, we are planning the following evening activities: The opening reception Tuesday evening will be in Ida Noyes Hall, a gracious, Gothic-style U. of C. building with a cloister and garden, facing the Midway. Wednesday evening we will offer a relaxed, buffet dinner cruise on Chicago's lakefront. For Thursday evening, we will provide a list of recommended restaurants as a starting point for your dinner plans on your own. After dinner, you may want to explore clubs and bars in the Lincoln Park, Wicker Park, River North and Old Town areas. The conference dinner on Friday will be at The Field Museum, an international center for public learning and scientific research.

Pre-Conference Tours and Activities will include an afternoon walking tour of Frank Lloyd Wright architecture in Oak Park, IL; a tour to Brookfield Zoo; and an opportunity to go on your own to such world famous and easily accessible Chicago attractions as the Museum of Science and Industry, Field Museum, Art Institute of Chicago, and Shedd Aquarium.

Post Conference Tours: On Saturday following the conference we will have two all day trips: one trip will be to Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore and will include hiking on the miles of beach, sand dunes, bogs, wetlands, and woodland forests; and the other trip will be to Goose Lake Prairie State Natural Area, the largest natural prairie remnant in Illinois, and Starved Rock State Park, which features rock formations, stream-fed canyons, miles of forest trails, and dramatic overlooks over the Illinois River. On Saturday morning there will be a Chicago architectural tour by kayak on the Chicago River (no prior experience with kayaks required).

Deadlines for the ABLE 2001 Conference:
Submission of major workshops: November 22, 2000
Submission of mini-workshops: January 26, 2001
Registration Deadline: May 1, 2000