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Q-bio 2015: Venue and Travel Information
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Contents
Map of Key Locations
Please refer to the local map of the Virginia Tech campus for a list of locations where the program will be occurring.
Parking on the Virginia Tech Campus
For those of you traveling by car, please do not plan to park next to Squires Student Center without a parking pass. To get parking passes for the duration of the conference (only needed for weekdays, not weekends), please get these at the parking office. A map of the area showing the location of the parking office (in red, on Research Drive, bottom right) is available. For dorms, we recommend parking in the Coliseum Lot, which is close to the dorms and high capacity.
More information, including the location of the parking office and its phone number can be found here:
https://www.parking.vt.edu/visitors.asp
https://www.parking.vt.edu/documents/visitor_parking_info.pdf
https://www.parking.vt.edu/documents/forms/Parking_Quick_Guide.pdf
We encourage contacting the parking office in advance of your arrival.
General Procedure for Dorm Residents
While dorm keys will be made available during the conference registration periods on Wednesday (see the main program schedule), this may not be the best approach for all dorm residents, e.g. if first dropping off luggage to your dorm before registration for the conference itself. Such residents may come to the 24-hour hospitality desk in New Hall West (#55 on this campus map: http://www.maps.vt.edu/PDF/campus-map-highres.pdf) to register for dorms. The desk attendant will be able to check you into housing and direct you to West Ambler Johnston, where you will be staying.
You will be staying in West Ambler Johnston. It’s address is 720 Washington St., SW, Blacksburg, VA 24061. It is number 32 on this Campus Map (http://www.maps.vt.edu/PDF/campus-map-highres.pdf). The bathrooms are shared bathrooms with the rest of the hall. You will be provided with sheets, towels, a blanket, and a pillow. You will need to bring any personal items such as soap, shampoo, etc.
Concerning parking, please refer to the instructions above in this wiki page.
If you have questions regarding this procedure, please contact Holly McClung (hmcclung@vt.edu) or William Mather (wmather@vt.edu).
Dining Hall
Dietrick Hall features an award winning dining hall, D2. All conference attendees will have lunches provided to them at D2 for Thursday through Saturday. While we encourage attendees to take advantage of these lunches, attendees can also find excellent options downtown. Residents of dorms also have breakfast provided at D2.
Travel between the dining hall and the main conference location (Squires Student Center) is a leisurely 10 minute walk. Representatives of the conference will help direct people to and from the dining hall the first day, but in case you desire independent directions, Google's map is accurate (the walk along Drillfield Drive has the fewest turns): https://goo.gl/maps/QqOB8
Further information concerning the dining hall will be provided during the early sessions of the conference.
Wifi Access
For wifi access on the Virginia Tech campus, please refer to these instructions.
If your home institution has eduroam, then you should already have wifi access on campus.
Otherwise, please register now for access at the following link:
Use the information:
- Start Date: 08/05/2015
- End Date: 08/08/2015
- Sponsoring Dept: Continuing and Professional Education
- VT Contact Person: Holly McClung, hmcclung@exchange.vt.edu
- Purpose: q-bio 2015
If you are having trouble finding temporary wifi to initially request internet access, then Mill Mountain Coffee (11 minute walk from Squires on Main Street, https://goo.gl/maps/AT1uU) has free wifi, and much of Main Street has free wifi on the network TechPad.FREE (http://www.techpad.org/gig.html).
Shuttle Service
A bus and a van for transportation between major hotel locations and major conference locations will be available. Times for shuttle service are indicated by highlighted text in the main program. The major locations served are:
- The Inn at Virginia Tech
- Squires Student Center
- The Hilton Garden Inn
- Comfort Suites University
Pickup points will be in front of the main entrances
The Main Street Inn is very close to Squires Student Center (the primary conference location). For residents of the Main Street Inn, please use the Squires Student Center for shuttle service.
Steppin' Out
Along Main Street, which is very near Squires Student Center (the primary conference location), Blacksburg is holding its annual Steppin' Out event during Friday and Saturday (http://www.blacksburgsteppinout.com). This colorful event may be of interest to attendees.
Venue
Virginia Tech as a host university resonates well with the historical record of the annual q-bio conference being located in a naturally attractive and relaxing environment that is also conducive to the fruitful exchange of scientific ideas.
Virginia Tech currently has a strong and growing program in quantitative biology. Our program is composed of a number of researchers, with John Tyson a widely recognized pioneer in the field, and also including but not limited to Jean Peccoud, Jianhua Xing, William Mather, Daniela Cimini, and Silke Hauf. The research and educational components of the program are supported by strong interdepartmental collaborations between Biology, Physics, and Chemistry. Furthermore, the Virginia Bioinformatics Institute on campus has become a center for both high throughput genomic research and large-scale mathematical modeling.
Blacksburg is located in the New River Valley just a half-hour southwest of Roanoke. The Blue Ridge Parkway and the Appalachian Trail are close to the plateau where the town sits between the Blue Ridge and Allegheny mountains. Blacksburg has small town charm with many big-city amenities, including fine dining, cultural activities and shopping, and unique recreational adventures. The attendees will find plenty of attractive places to explore. Here we just list a few. Cascade Falls is a scenic, two-mile hike to a beautiful 69 ft waterfall. The Blue Ridge Parkway winds 469 miles through mountain meadows, featuring remarkable vistas and providing many recreational opportunities. The Smithfield Plantation, a 1774 plantation home, is located on the edge of the Virginia Tech campus and is a living document of the rich history of the area. The Taubman Museum of Art, a contemporary structure located in the heart of downtown Roanoke, evokes the drama of the surrounding mountainous landscape.
Blacksburg is also within driving distance of several major universities, such as University of Virginia, University North Carolina, Ohio State University, University of Tennessee, and universities around the DC area.
Travel
- Air
- The closest airport is The Roanoke-Blacksburg Regional Airport (ROA) - Roanoke-Blacksburg Regional Airport offers convenient connections through domestic and international gateways in Atlanta, Philadelphia, Washington, Chicago, Detroit, and Charlotte.
- Roanoke Airport Transportation Service: The airport is approximately 45 minutes away from scenic Blacksburg. Attendees can take taxi (~$75 each way), or SmartBus (http://www.smartwaybus.com/). SmartBus Service is $4 per person to Blacksburg. The bus operates Monday through Saturday (does not run on Sunday) at regularly scheduled times. Bus drops off on the Virginia Tech campus at the Squires Student Center.
- Ride Sharing: Many of you will be arriving in Roanoke airport at the same time. Since Roanoke is about 45 minutes from Blacksburg (the conference location), we encourage you to find riding partners through the ride share spreadsheet:
- Please also refer to the following information:
- In particular, please consult: http://www.roanokeats.com/services.htm. This page provides information to book shuttles, etc., that will take individuals or groups to the airport. Information from this page concerning shuttles:
- "Shuttle Rates: We operate a shuttle daily between Blacksburg, Radford, and the Roanoke Regional Airport. All trips depart from: The Inn at Virginia Tech, Squires Student Center; Prices Fork Holiday Inn, Blacksburg; The Dalton Center or The Best Western, Radford; and the Roanoke Regional Airport. The rates are $66.00 for 1 or $33.00 each for 2 passengers or $30.00 each 3 or more. Shuttle service is provided with reservation only. Contact us for shuttle times. Also, special shuttle service is provided upon request/reservation to all other universities and colleges in Virginia. Contact us for reservations and rates for these services."
- Please contact early if you wish to arrange for service.
- The contact phone numbers: (800) 288-1958 / (540) 345-7710
- The contact email: roanokeats@aim.com
- In particular, please consult: http://www.roanokeats.com/services.htm. This page provides information to book shuttles, etc., that will take individuals or groups to the airport. Information from this page concerning shuttles:
- Car
- We expect attendees from Virginia and nearby states may opt to drive to Blacksburg. Virginia Tech is within an 8 hour drive of many campuses, including 3 hours to UNC, Duke, and nearby campuses, 4 hours to University of Tennessee, 5 hours to Johns Hopkins University and nearby campuses, 5 hours to Ohio State, 6 hours to Penn State and nearby campuses, 6 hours to Georgia Tech and Emory, 7 hours to Princeton and nearby campuses, 8 hours to Columbia University and nearby campuses, and just over 8 hours to Cornell.
- Bus
- Megabus provides service between Washington, DC and Christiansburg, VA, which may save students money who wish to fly into DC rather than Roanoke. The bus price is $20 one way ($40 roundtrip) from Washington DC to the Christiansburg bus stop, and the duration of the bus ride is 4 hours 30 minutes. The Christiansburg bus stop is a 20-minute drive from campus. We will provide a Google document with details to arrange for shared rides.
Lodging
Though we strongly recommend staying in the dorms on campus (see details for Registration), there are a number of hotels close to the conference site:
- The Inn at Virginia Tech [1]. Located on the Virginia Tech campus. Shuttle service is complementary. Space is limited, so reserve early. More information is provided in the next section below.
- The Main Street Inn [2]. Very close to the conference location. Space is limited, so reserve early.
- The Hilton Garden Inn [3].
- Comfort Suites University [4].
- (closed) Holiday Inn University unfortunately closed to make way for a much larger hotel. This option is not available for q-bio 2015.
There are numerous other hotels in the vicinity of the conference site that may be suitable for conference attendees with their own vehicles. Please consult Google Maps or your favorite service for this (representative map: [5]).
Lodging at The Inn at Virginia Tech
The Inn at Virginia Tech and Skelton Conference Center is located at 901 Prices Fork Road in Blacksburg, Virginia. The Inn is the only hotel located on the Virginia Tech campus and offers convenient surroundings and state-of-the-art technology. The world-class hotel and conference center sits on 25 lush acres where you’ll find Preston’s restaurant, featuring delicious fare and healthful selections for breakfast, lunch and dinner. The campus complex is within easy walking distance to downtown Blacksburg.
A small block of lodging rooms is being held at The Inn at Virginia Tech and Skelton Conference Center until July 6, 2015. To reserve a room, please call the hotel at 540-231-8000 or toll free at 1-877-200-3360 and mention that you are with the Q-Bio group. A special group rate of $131/single or double (plus tax) has been arranged. Please make your reservations early. After July 6, 2015, the room block will be dropped and the group rate is no longer guaranteed.
